[lovesports]

Keep your grand babies in your sight, especially if they are little. On our street alone, a little girl had a man take her hand and lead her out of TooJays while Grandma was paying. She broke free and ran back to Grandma. The sad thing is Grandma tried so hard to get this in the paper and they wouldn't print it.
Another grandma had a little one running circles around Market Square. When she was on the far side, a man picked her up and headed for his near-by truck. Another Villager yelled at him and started coming after him. He put the girl down and fled. Same response-no investigation and couldn't get it in the paper. A lot goes on here that never makes the paper. The more time you live here and spend time with groups, the more you find out these things.
There are many sick people just driving in....many children running around. Your odds of it happening to your grand children are slim but you could never live with yourself if something happened. Error on the side of safety.
Little ones, keep in your sight or holding their hand at all times. Older ones, have them walk with others and have cell phones. The rest of us, keep your eyes open and get involved if something doesn't look right.

[blueash]

everyone will tell you this is a very safe, but not 100%, community. However I would take issue with your recitation of the crimes reported throughout the country as proof that in the good old days these things didn't happen. Of course they did and likely more often than now. What has changed is that we now suffer from 24 hr news channels which need to sensationalize and titillate. Yes you Greta and Nancy et al. With 25 mins of news per day in the mid to late 20th century our national coverage, except for the Lindbergh baby didn't have time to report every child abuse, kidnapping, and blonde female murder. Only murder I am aware of in TV was a drug related one that may have involved the couple's adult child.

[scarecrow1]

I feel real safe with my 357 on my ankle !!!!!

[wendyquat]

Originally Posted by Patty55

Actually, you can check online for Registered Sex Offenders, I checked a few years back and there was only one. Of course, they could come in from outside, but why would they? They could just stay where they are and teach, drive school buses and work at the churches.

I'm not too concerned about sex crimes, property crimes or being assaulted. I'm more concerned with bad drivers, lightning and getting lost.

Actually I just checked the registry offender/searchNeighborhood.do;jsessionid=4T9NWBAvdUWPriFxa 5Vexg
By putting in my address and zip code it returned 72 offenders within a 5 mile radius!

[JoeC1947]

Originally Posted by lovesports

Keep your grand babies in your sight, especially if they are little. On our street alone, a little girl had a man take her hand and lead her out of TooJays while Grandma was paying. She broke free and ran back to Grandma. The sad thing is Grandma tried so hard to get this in the paper and they wouldn't print it.
Another grandma had a little one running circles around Market Square. When she was on the far side, a man picked her up and headed for his near-by truck. Another Villager yelled at him and started coming after him. He put the girl down and fled. Same response-no investigation and couldn't get it in the paper. A lot goes on here that never makes the paper. The more time you live here and spend time with groups, the more you find out these things.
There are many sick people just driving in....many children running around. Your odds of it happening to your grand children are slim but you could never live with yourself if something happened. Error on the side of safety.
Little ones, keep in your sight or holding their hand at all times. Older ones, have them walk with others and have cell phones. The rest of us, keep your eyes open and get involved if something doesn't look right.

Were you witness to these two close call abductions?

[Trish Crocker]

It's so sad. We were just talking about this today..how kids can't play anymore. I don't get too shook up with the sex registry thing, since this isn't just pedophiles but can include someone busted for urinating outside (gross but does happen) or possibly a young man age 17 having consensual relations with his slightly younger girlfriend. Every case has it's story. I just wish people who are really considered dangerous could have a different designation.

[Patty55]

Originally Posted by wendyquat

Actually I just checked the registry offender/searchNeighborhood.do;jsessionid=4T9NWBAvdUWPriFxa 5Vexg
By putting in my address and zip code it returned 72 offenders within a 5 mile radius!

Yes, someone else just posted 31 RSO in the area. I looked quickly through the 31, one offended in 2011, most moved in from out of state, most looked serious. I would say that a good percentage didn't actually live in TV, but outside, some looked like adult children and why are these predators SMILING IN THE PHOTOS?

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

sorry, tal, gotta agree with skip0358 on this one. i think spreading your unfounded fear is more unsafe than anything. as i recall from reading the paperS when i was in tv last winter, there were more arrests for drug related crime in fruitland park than in wildwood!; and much of the drug activity involved private residences being used as meth labs! what is the danger in an adult xxx video store - has the store or any of its patrons been in the local police blotter/newspaper articles that you've read?

IF the wildwood community posed any serious danger to the safety of those who will frequent the area - do you really believe that the developer would have made the commitment it did?

please reconsider repeating your as yet unfounded fears and, instead, stick with the facts that you are reading. perceptions too often have a way of becoming someone's reality - and it is probably too soon for positive OR negative opinions to be considered reliable. hope you understand my feelings.

The increased police force in Brownswood speaks for itself. I am not spreading unfounded fears. The Villages is a retirement community and Wildwood/Fruitland Park/Ocala, etc. are not.

There will be problems when a retirement community abuts an area with low income working community. I am sure that the developers of the Villages and the surrounding police forces do have this well covered. It is something though that people should be aware of.

The Neighborhood Scout website gives Wildwood a 30 on the safety scale. http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/fl/wildwood/crime/ Means that Wildwood is as safe as 30% of the communities in the U.S.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by lovesports

Keep your grand babies in your sight, especially if they are little. On our street alone, a little girl had a man take her hand and lead her out of TooJays while Grandma was paying. She broke free and ran back to Grandma. The sad thing is Grandma tried so hard to get this in the paper and they wouldn't print it.
Another grandma had a little one running circles around Market Square. When she was on the far side, a man picked her up and headed for his near-by truck. Another Villager yelled at him and started coming after him. He put the girl down and fled. Same response-no investigation and couldn't get it in the paper. A lot goes on here that never makes the paper. The more time you live here and spend time with groups, the more you find out these things.
There are many sick people just driving in....many children running around. Your odds of it happening to your grand children are slim but you could never live with yourself if something happened. Error on the side of safety.
Little ones, keep in your sight or holding their hand at all times. Older ones, have them walk with others and have cell phones. The rest of us, keep your eyes open and get involved if something doesn't look right.

It is hard to know what is fact or fiction and what is rumor and what is directed as a jab at the paper.

One should always watch one's children.

I cannot believe that there is a conspiracy to have actual events not reported in The Daily Sun.

There are many not pretty and nasty things reported in the Sun. Are these people that you know personnally and did they call the SUN and tell them? Do you know that for a FACT? Or did you hear this from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from someone? Did they call the police?

[Down Sized]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

sorry, tal, gotta agree with skip0358 on this one. i think spreading your unfounded fear is more unsafe than anything. as i recall from reading the paperS when i was in tv last winter, there were more arrests for drug related crime in fruitland park than in wildwood!; and much of the drug activity involved private residences being used as meth labs! what is the danger in an adult xxx video store - has the store or any of its patrons been in the local police blotter/newspaper articles that you've read?

IF the wildwood community posed any serious danger to the safety of those who will frequent the area - do you really believe that the developer would have made the commitment it did?

please reconsider repeating your as yet unfounded fears and, instead, stick with the facts that you are reading. perceptions too often have a way of becoming someone's reality - and it is probably too soon for positive OR negative opinions to be considered reliable. hope you understand my feelings.

The Developer lives in the Caribbean.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Down Sized

The Developer lives in the Caribbean.

????

[mac9]

Holy crap! I just checked the sex offenders registry and found my neighbor's adult son who lives with them! Used the internet to lure an underaged child for lewd purposes. Glad that I don't have any grandchildren...

[quirky3]

Originally Posted by lovesports

Keep your grand babies in your sight, especially if they are little. On our street alone, a little girl had a man take her hand and lead her out of TooJays while Grandma was paying. She broke free and ran back to Grandma. The sad thing is Grandma tried so hard to get this in the paper and they wouldn't print it.
Another grandma had a little one running circles around Market Square. When she was on the far side, a man picked her up and headed for his near-by truck. Another Villager yelled at him and started coming after him. He put the girl down and fled. Same response-no investigation and couldn't get it in the paper. A lot goes on here that never makes the paper. The more time you live here and spend time with groups, the more you find out these things.
There are many sick people just driving in....many children running around. Your odds of it happening to your grand children are slim but you could never live with yourself if something happened. Error on the side of safety.
Little ones, keep in your sight or holding their hand at all times. Older ones, have them walk with others and have cell phones. The rest of us, keep your eyes open and get involved if something doesn't look right.

I believe you. Thank you for sharing these real-life examples.

[Patty55]

LORD, here we go again with Wildwood. WHAT A BUNCH OF WOOSIES.

I hate to break it to you all, but Wildwood is no worse that the State of Florida average for crime.

HELLOO, did you all not know Wildwood was there? Fruitland Park?

OOhh, "working class", ooh, "low income", not for nothing kiddies, but where I come from a lot of the people living in TV would be considered "low income".

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Patty55

LORD, here we go again with Wildwood. WHAT A BUNCH OF WOOSIES.

I hate to break it to you all, but Wildwood is no worse that the State of Florida average for crime.

HELLOO, did you all not know Wildwood was there? Fruitland Park?

OOhh, "working class", ooh, "low income", not for nothing kiddies, but where I come from a lot of the people living in TV would be considered "low income".

The original poster's entry was about feeling safe in the Villages. I would feel less safe in some areas of Wildwood (which includes parts of the Villages) than in many other areas of the Villages. It depends more on neighbors who look out for one another, Community Watch, the police dispatch time, and a variety of other factors.

I would be a lot more watchful of my valuables at Brownwood than I would at Sumter Landing unless there is some kind of festival going on there.

And, the Villages are a great deal safer than most of the other communites in Florida.