[Velvet]

I believe it used to be under Mr Schwartz. Now it looks like pure business.

[Advogado]

Originally Posted by Velvet

I believe it used to be under Mr Schwartz. Now it looks like pure business.

I guess the technical term is really "plutocracy."

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

This isn't about what Villagers have to pay, or don't have to pay. It's about what ALL residents of the entire county, within and without the Villages, have to pay.

No, it is about what WE have to pay.

When we think we are asked to pay more than our lifestyle is worth, we will be off to Sailfish Point.

[eyc234]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

That's a really myopic perception of the situation there. This isn't about what Villagers have to pay, or don't have to pay. It's about what ALL residents of the entire county, within and without the Villages, have to pay. And what the developer doesn't have to pay, even though other builders in the county have to pay.

As mentioned above: the going rate for "a builder" (generic) to build "a house" (generic) in Sumter County is $2600.

The going rate for THE Developer (specific) of The Villages (specific) is only $901.

As a result, THE Developer is getting around a 65% discount on building in the Villages, which makes it very easy to build in mass quantities. Meanwhile, Joe Builder elsewhere in the County has to shell out $2600 each time he builds a single-family house, so he has less ability to build as much or as quickly as THE Developer.

Basically - THE Developer has a monopoly and is pushing the generic developers, and homeowners, of "non-Villages" Sumter County, out of the county. Their prices continue to go up, but their services don't change. Villages prices remain steady, while the Developer profits because his initial costs are significantly lower.

How is this possible? Because he has strategic placement of "his" pet officials on the County Commissions.

Okay this is one of those half truths, generalities and let me bend the facts to fit what I want to say. There is no "generic" classification for an impact fee in Sumter county. If a builder builds homes in a Retirement Community/Age Restricted Single Family development they would pay a fee of $901. If the developer of The Villages builds homes in a Single Family development they will pay $2600. If you build an Assisted Living Facility you will pay a whopping $544. You can not in this country, state or county make discriminatory business practices on one company over another.

I would still ask if anything illegal has been done then the courts should be contacted and individuals indicted, charged, tried, removed from office if guilty and put in jail. If you do not like the laws that are set in place change them, change the representatives and be involved up front not after the fact and then gripe.

[biker1]

The Developer would not have paid regardless of whether the county tax was raised or impact fees on new construction were higher. In the case of the latter, that cost would ultimately be paid by the people who bought the new homes via a higher price. The Villages doesn't have any problem selling houses - people would buy them at a higher cost due to more realistic impact fees. The real issue is do the new home buyers pay the cost of the new roads to support the new southern Villages or do the current county residents pay via higher taxes? That has been answered.

Originally Posted by perrjojo

It’s not about whether or not The Villages is a good place to live at a good price. It is that this tax increase does not seem to be fair and equitable to all residents of Sumter County. It also seems we are being asked to pay for something that should be paid for by the developer. I love TV. I am not anti developer but I am for what is fair and equitable for all of our county residents. Yes, TV has helped with the poverty in Sumter County but by mostly providing low wage jobs to those wanting to work. Many in our county would like to work here but cannot afford the expense of transportation to TV. It’s not just always about us but it always about what is fair and just.

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by eyc234

Okay this is one of those half truths, generalities and let me bend the facts to fit what I want to say. There is no "generic" classification for an impact fee in Sumter county. If a builder builds homes in a Retirement Community/Age Restricted Single Family development they would pay a fee of $901. If the developer of The Villages builds homes in a Single Family development they will pay $2600. If you build an Assisted Living Facility you will pay a whopping $544. You can not in this country, state or county make discriminatory business practices on one company over another.

Doesn’t this argument simply imply that every builder benefits from low impact fees? Ie. if one builder muscles it down all builders benefit.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Advogado

I used to think of The Villages as a semi-benevolent dictatorship, but after seeing the Developer pull off the tax-hike / no-impact-fee-increase shenanigan, I am not so sure about the "semi-benevolent" part.

Obviously the Schwartz/Gary Morse leadership had a different vision and business model than the current generation. Change is inevitable, and sometimes change is good and other times it's bad. I guess time will tell, but the initial impression clearly appears that the changes happing in leadership are not so good.

[Velvet]

If this is our current leadership then .... Someone has to represent the homeowners’ interest too. Someone with integrity and backbone.

[Pinochle]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

What is the percentage of developers, builders, paying for roads, infrastructure in this country compared to the city, county, state???

The expansion of the Villages does make the developer richer and it also provides work for thousands of people. People are moving to Florida in droves. Florida is now the THIRD most populous state in the union. Who wouldn't want to live here and who wouldn't want to live in The Villages.

Does the governing body of the POA still mostly have people living north of 466?

There are many people who don't want to live here or even in Florida. After reading some of your comments, what exactly is your problem with the POA and why does it matter where any of the governing bodies live?

[Pinochle]

Originally Posted by New Englander

I'm not a member of the POA. I am also not anti developer. I do understand we in Sumter County were overdue for a tax increase. But 25%?

The tax payers are paying more than their fair share. Is the developer paying their fare share for all this massive expansion?
I don't know the answer to this. I'm trying to find out as much as I can.

I hope the mods don't close this thread.

It's interesting to note that if a homeowner does NOT have Homestead in Florida, their property taxes for the coming year cannot be raised more than 3%.

And here homeowners are slammed with a 25% increase? Under any circumstances, can anyone really make sense out of this?

[Pinochle]

Originally Posted by FenneyFanatic

I will not spend one minute of the time I have left complaining about the business dealings of a developer that created and maintains the finest active retirement community in the world! There's so many better ways to spend the time.

That being the case and since you think all of these comments are negativity as opposed to some hard-core factual information, then why are you spending a lot more than one minute reading all of this?

Since a 25% tax increase doesn't seem to bother you, perhaps you would pay my new tax bill.

[Pinochle]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

There is affordable housing available here. Everywhere around here.The developer provides jobs for the workforce. The workforce gets a paycheck and they can provide themselves with affordable housing.

What do you consider as "affordable housing?"
$10.00 an hour doesn't go very far when you are one of the worker-bees, especially if there is a family in the picture.

Even if a husband and wife both work and have to pay childcare their combined income still doesn't give them a chance for much of anything.

[Pinochle]

Originally Posted by PrudentLifer

It wouldn't need to be built if there weren't any houses going in. Who's building the houses that need egress? Not Sumter County. Not me or you. Let Morse pay for the road.

I'm with you 100%.

If you drive south of 301 from say, 466, there is a brand new right turn lane at an intersection. That turn lane was put in to benefit a business. If you think the county paid for it, you're dreaming.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by Advogado

The driving force is a sense of reality.

I cannot honestly see how you can defend what the Developer is doing here. Do you really understand it? Take a drive outside The Villages and look at some of the poverty there. You think these people won't feel the impact of the tax increase????

I can afford to pay a few hundred dollars a year extra in taxes. I gather that you can as well, but there are plenty of people inside and outside The Villages who cannot. Have you no compassion for them?

In fact, I personally wouldn't mind paying a few hundred dollars extra if the money went to teachers, firefighters, and cops. But that is not where it is going. It is going into the Developer's pocket, thanks to his toadies on the County Commission.

Yep.

The POA is trying to protect and inform residents, while the VHA is simply...a mouthpiece/echo chamber for the Da Family.

It's hard to even imagine, why anyone would take such umbrage with them...trying to look after resident's rights/best interests.

On second thought...I guess I can imagine.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Pinochle

What do you consider as "affordable housing?"
$10.00 an hour doesn't go very far when you are one of the worker-bees, especially if there is a family in the picture.

Even if a husband and wife both work and have to pay childcare their combined income still doesn't give them a chance for much of anything.

Waiters in the Villages restaurants don't earn $10.00/hour. Some of them don't even earn $5/hour before tips. Some, who work mid-shift (not breakfast or lunch, but inbetween) get a total of $7.60/hour AFTER tips.

It's not a liveable wage and using this segment of the population to justify developers not having to pay a greater impact fee "because they bring in workers" is laughable, at best.