Originally Posted by handyman (Post 361062)

were all ten of these people intoxicated?Were all of these accidents caused by intoxicated golf cart drivers?just askin

Originally Posted by Tbugs (Post 361064)

Downeaster -

The cart paths are multi-modal trails. They are for golf carts, bikes, walking, jogging, skating, unicycling, etc. They are not for cars or motorcycles. Police do not monitor or have jurisdiction on these trails. Golf carts are limited to 20 mph but no tickets are issued for speeding on the trails.

On the streets, carts are still limited to 20 mph. I believe, not sure though, that "Street Legal" carts which have a license plate for Florida can do 25 mph. Quite a few people have the gear ratios changed on their carts so they can do a lot faster than 20 mph. This is illegal and will cost you big fines if caught speeding in the street.

Originally Posted by hrp01 (Post 360892)

The truth is that Sumter county Sheriff and Lady Lake Police have been "heavy handed" in the enforcement of minor infractions..I,personally have not been victim, but I know of others that have..I have witnessed arrogance by some officers and what I perceive as disdain for the senior community here..

The tax base here is greater than the entire county of sumter at least,and we have become easy targets..Come on, 18 in a 15 mph cart path, golf cart speed traps, this is just petty..If you look at some of the fines involved it really is cash to the abusers of power...You'd think, that with the conservative political base here,and the fact we have a prominent Florida politician in residence,that this perception could be corrected, by doing real police work..,There is a huge crystal meth problem in the areaa surrounding Lady Lake,just look at the reports of raided labs recently...We had six individuals participate in a torture murder just at our western boundary..These are examples of recent,local crimes reported..And this requires real police work...Not the golf cart commandos...

For the record,my family is heavily involved in law enforcement and are consumate professionals in their work..They have had some real laughs (at our expense) over some of the reported incidents that have taken place with our local public service agencies...My perception of local law enforcement, is that they have grown lazy, and are now biting the hand that feeds them...

Originally Posted by Tbugs (Post 361093)

Barefoot, you are absolutely right. Something just does not make sense. There are a couple of possibilities.

1) It really did not happen. The initial post says that a neighbor told someone that a couple next to them got ticketed. Well, as we all know, things do get mixed up when handed down second and third hand.

2) If it did happen - the legal technicality might be the keys were in the switch. Stupid technicality, I know, but it makes it a legal infraction to have an open container in a vehicle either moving or stopped with keys in the switch. Just remove the key and you are safe.

Downeaster made a couple of excellent remarks about the costs of upgrading the speed of your cart - especially the insurance one.

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 361088)

The Villages, and the Town Squares, seem to have some very unique "rules". You can shop on vendor night with a drink in your hand. You can wait for a restaurant reservation, and sit outside enjoying a drink from the inside bar. You can walk on the boardwalk with a drink in your hand. If you order a bottle of wine in a restaurant and drink half of it, the wait staff will tell you to take the bottle home with you. You can watch the sun set at Sunset Point on the Bridge, and have cocktails.

I'm very surprised that they would ticket someone at SS sitting in their golfcart enjoying a beverage. Perhaps some of these things aren't legal, but it sure seems that they are, based on four years of observation. Clarification is definitely required on this subject.

Originally Posted by Tbugs (Post 361093)

Barefoot, you are absolutely right. Something just does not make sense. There are a couple of possibilities.

1) It really did not happen. The initial post says that a neighbor told someone that a couple next to them got ticketed. Well, as we all know, things do get mixed up when handed down second and third hand.

2) If it did happen - the legal technicality might be the keys were in the switch. Stupid technicality, I know, but it makes it a legal infraction to have an open container in a vehicle either moving or stopped with keys in the switch. Just remove the key and you are safe.

Downeaster made a couple of excellent remarks about the costs of upgrading the speed of your cart - especially the insurance one.

Originally Posted by SwampCreature (Post 361104)

Yes, clarification is needed. Was the ticket a motor vehicle violation or a general civil violation? DUI/open container or public drinking? The original post says public drinking. If that is so (public drinking), all of the discussion about keys in the ignition and stuff like that is totally irrelevant.

I don't know if the laws have changed since those experiences I mentioned in my prior post. If they are the same, you cannot drink on public property. The streets are public property. It might very well be illegal to take a drink and cross the street from a restaurant over to the square. I know it was very illegal to cross the street with a drink during the Daytona Turkey Run. You had to finish you drink and buy another one on the other side of the street to keep it legal. Or you could cheat and pour your beer from a clear beer cup into a colored soda cup and hope for the best. In many areas with alcohol restrictions (public drinking), beer is sold in clear cups and soda in solid color cups to make it somewhat obvious whether there was a violation. Of course, carrying a classic red and white Budweiser can was just asking for trouble. You can't even pretend that is merely apple juice.

The fact that the golf carts were parked in all probability means they were in a public area. See the property lines in the picture below. All of the slanted parking spaces around the square are public property, not private.

Given a choice between a civil violation and a motor vehicle violation, I would guess public drinking would be preferable to one involving a motor vehicle.

http://i54.tinypic.com/2qc00zs.jpg

Originally Posted by Barefoot (Post 361088)

The Villages, and the Town Squares, seem to have some very unique "rules". You can shop on vendor night with a drink in your hand. You can wait for a restaurant reservation, and sit outside enjoying a drink from the inside bar. You can walk on the boardwalk with a drink in your hand. If you order a bottle of wine in a restaurant and drink half of it, the wait staff will tell you to take the bottle home with you. You can watch the sun set at Sunset Point on the Bridge, and have cocktails.

I'm very surprised that they would ticket someone at SS sitting in their golfcart enjoying a beverage. Perhaps some of these things aren't legal, but it sure seems that they are, based on four years of observation. Clarification is definitely required on this subject.

Originally Posted by golf2140 (Post 361118)

I sent an e-mail to the Police Chief on this issue. If I receive a reply, it will be shared. :wine:

Originally Posted by rubicon (Post 361096)

Thank you, I thought I was only me noticed. This cash cow mentality is prevalent throughout TV and beyond. I actually had one contractor tell me that he resented people moving in the area but it was putting his kids through school. I did not help contribute to his kids college fund and hired another contractor..

Two years ago when down at the square I watched a guy try and kid with one of the cops. It was innocent funny and respectful but th cop appear not to have a sense of humor and quickly his words and body actions told me he was geting angry but this guy wasn't seeing this so I nudged the guy and told him he might want to keep moving. clearly the cop had not shown he hd a sense of humor.