[PugMom]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

That was at the tax increase meetings. That was too late, the budget was already approved months ago. Where were the protest during the budget process??? That is where the impact is made.

New Englander needs to remember how much we had to pay in taxes up there. when you're hit up for over 9 grand a year on a 2 bedroom cape, uhhh,..it looks darn good down here

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by PugMom

New Englander needs to remember how much we had to pay in taxes up there. when you're hit up for over 9 grand a year on a 2 bedroom cape, uhhh,..it looks darn good down here

Not only up North..........but even down here.



How does our taxes look compared to other Florida counties?? AND How did out taxes look over the last ten years???

[eyc234]

Originally Posted by FriscoKid

Why do I put up with it?

1. I am not a voting taxpayer as I am not a full-time resident (yet) of Sumter County.

2. In general, I am favorable toward people who build great products. i.e. profit from their efforts.

3. I understood (mostly) going into a home purchase in The Villages how the CDD structure and taxes/maintenance fees/amenity fees were structured and decided before I bought that it was acceptable to me.

[Villages Kahuna]

Everyone has the right to express their feelings and beliefs, however one-sided they might be. So I guess I’ll state mine.

The developers of The Villages, now in the fourth generation, have done a magnificent job in building our ‘favorite home town’. They have maintained and even improved the homes that they’ve built and sold and the recreational facilities so integral to our lifestyle. In this fourth decade of the development the family has made a lot of money. Mark Morse, Jennifer Parr and Tracy Matthews, Gary Morse’s three children, have all been included on Forbes lust of billionaires. In my opinion they have earned every bit of their wealth. And they continue to work every day to make The Villages even better.

Thanks for your opinion. I wanted to share mine.

[Love2Swim]

Originally Posted by PugMom

New Englander needs to remember how much we had to pay in taxes up there. when you're hit up for over 9 grand a year on a 2 bedroom cape, uhhh,..it looks darn good down here

Many of us paid more up north. That is not the issue. The question is - are the taxes we pay in The Villages comparable to the taxes people pay in Central Florida? Compare apples to apples. The other issue is that the county is giving a sweetheart deal to the Developers at taxpayers expense.

[Marathon Man]

Originally Posted by Love2Swim

Many of us paid more up north. That is not the issue. The question is - are the taxes we pay in The Villages comparable to the taxes people pay in Central Florida? Compare apples to apples. The other issue is that the county is giving a sweetheart deal to the Developers at taxpayers expense.

Agreed. What is the answer?

[Rosebud2020]

. . . and then there are those who simply don't care. They don't care that Kool Aide is unhealthy and don't care about much else, either. They are of the ilk that if someone doesn't like something here, they are whiners and complainers about everything and should move. They don't care that we live in their area of born and bred Florida Crackers. They resent those of us who have moved here and resent it when we find out about what's probably going on which they desperately try to cover up. Remember, it's the good 'ole boys who have been here and in charge since time immemorial and they ain't giving up all the goodies they've become accustomed to receiving. It's time to regroup and to vote intelligently in the next election.

[Rosebud2020]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Hmmm. Taxes go up. Fees go up. The price of food goes up. What a shock

Yes, prices do go up on most things, but a 121% increase??? Sorry, but your thinking is a little strange. That kind of increase is, indeed, more than a little over the top!

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Rosebud2020

. . . and then there are those who simply don't care. They don't care that Kool Aide is unhealthy and don't care about much else, either. They are of the ilk that if someone doesn't like something here, they are whiners and complainers about everything and should move. They don't care that we live in their area of born and bred Florida Crackers. They resent those of us who have moved here and resent it when we find out about what's probably going on which they desperately try to cover up. Remember, it's the good 'ole boys who have been here and in charge since time immemorial and they ain't giving up all the goodies they've become accustomed to receiving. It's time to regroup and to vote intelligently in the next election.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Rosebud2020

Yes, prices do go up on most things, but a 121% increase??? Sorry, but your thinking is a little strange. That kind of increase is, indeed, more than a little over the top!

The tax increase was an average of 13%. Get real.

[Advogado]

Every time a Sumter County taxpayer pays his tax bill, he is, in reality, writing a check to the Developer for the amount of the tax increase.

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Hmmm. Taxes go up. Fees go up. The price of food goes up. What a shock

The shock is that the increased taxes are, in reality, going into the Developer's pocket, since they were imposed instead of increasing the Developer's sweetheart impact fee. Why do you suppose the County Commissioners did this?

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by Love2Swim

Many of us paid more up north. That is not the issue. The question is - are the taxes we pay in The Villages comparable to the taxes people pay in Central Florida? Compare apples to apples. The other issue is that the county is giving a sweetheart deal to the Developers at taxpayers expense.

I would respectfully disagree with you. The real question, I would contend, is the following: Why did the County Commissioners increase residents' property taxes by 25% instead of increasing the Developer's suspiciously low impact fee????

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

The tax increase was an average of 13%. Get real.

Please check your math, the subject is county taxes, not total property taxes.

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna

Everyone has the right to express their feelings and beliefs, however one-sided they might be. So I guess I’ll state mine.

The developers of The Villages, now in the fourth generation, have done a magnificent job in building our ‘favorite home town’. They have maintained and even improved the homes that they’ve built and sold and the recreational facilities so integral to our lifestyle. In this fourth decade of the development the family has made a lot of money. Mark Morse, Jennifer Parr and Tracy Matthews, Gary Morse’s three children, have all been included on Forbes lust of billionaires. In my opinion they have earned every bit of their wealth. And they continue to work every day to make The Villages even better.

Thanks for your opinion. I wanted to share mine.

The point is, why should they be getting corporate welfare from the taxpayers of Sumter County? The County Commissioners should have increased the Developer's suspiciously low impact fee instead of the residents' taxes in order to pay for the Developer's infrastructure.