Why are the taxpayers, and not the developer, paying for the expansion of the village

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  #46  
Old 09-30-2019, 12:28 PM
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I brought up Impact fees when I first heard of this tax increase. I am from a county in Southwest Florida, where the Commissioners were also in the pockets of the developers. Taxes held pretty steady until the Commissioners dropped the impact fees, then our taxes went up. The Commissioner's response was that impact fees would stymy growth. I moved to that county when the population was around 150,000 people. Today there are close to 800,000 people, and it's a parking lot on the roadways, even in the summer.

Personal responsibility means that those who are impacting the roads and schools and other areas should be the one's paying for their impact, not the people who already live in a community. We need leaders, not puppets.
We can't decide who is who. We don't know the real names. Anybody can say anything on an anonymous forum. I praise Scott Fenstermaker for telling his real name after all of these years.

There are often, in the background in any situation, people who will benefit monetarily through a situation. It takes some real detective work to see who they are. I know of decisions by the developer that brought in medical facilities that then competed with those already here and that caused financial tension I am sure. You never know who and what people stand for. AND how they will benefit. I am always suspicious about motivation when money changes hands. Or if it is political. I don't know which is worse. I have no problem with a business making money legitimately. There are always those envious of great financial success. I love looking into things to see who benefits. And who has an ax to grind.
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Last edited by graciegirl; 09-30-2019 at 12:35 PM.
  #47  
Old 09-30-2019, 01:57 PM
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Absolutely.


That is why Homeowners need to be engaged in the City/County Budget process, not wait until the taxes are determined to cover the budget.




I agree with this thought. Most people are willing to get involved only after something has p*ssed them off. I attend PWAC and my CDD meeting every month. It is usually me and four other residents. Unless, someone got turned in for a deed restriction. Then the room is full.

One other thought and then I will give the floor over. Are we so certain that the underhanded nature of things is simply perceived and not real? As in: 'The Developer benefits so they must be pulling strings'. So easy to accuse and critisize. So, I guess we will see how the new commisioners do after the revolution.
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Old 09-30-2019, 02:02 PM
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As a Developer, developers try to maximize tax benefits and incentives while minimizing costs to develop a piece of land. This is Developer 101. It's not greed, it's business. If a city or county "gives too much away" (in the eyes of taxpayers), it's not a develop issue. The developer did a great job.
You are right. The Developer did a great job at looking out for his own financial interests--at our expense. Some, like you, would characterize this as good business. Others might characterize it as the Developer's being morally challenged. In any event, I guess we have ourselves to blame for letting it happen.

I would suggest readers Google: "Florida county commissioner bribe " for an education about Florida politics at the county commissioner level.

I do want to emphasize, however, that I do not know of any criminal conduct underlying the present situation.
  #49  
Old 09-30-2019, 02:12 PM
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Advogado - This impact fee has been in effect since 2015...what is the bruhaha all about now - and why? Have Sumter County residents not enjoyed stable or even lowered taxes for 15 years? Seems to me that the BOCC failed to maintain a 'rainy day fund' which might have offset the impact of this increase.

How is it that you expect Villages voters to overturn One Sumter when it exists because of their votes - which cannot be overcome by the number of voters in the rest of the County? Do you believe that the Villages voters wish to change their priority status that they seem to enjoy now?

Will you be a candidate for the S.C. BOCC?
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  #50  
Old 09-30-2019, 02:22 PM
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It seems to me that "the developers" great financial success is what makes TV as great as it is. Seriously, this place is an example of just how great a retirement community can be and it didn't get here because the developers were losing money! Guess what WE PAY THE BILLS.

Now, "suddenly" after decades of success building a great place for us, we want to start penny pinching and complaining about them making too much money "at our expense".

Sounds very short sighted to me. I hope TV continues to grow and proposer for more decades, and if the developers get filthy rich, then more power to them.
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Old 09-30-2019, 03:32 PM
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You are welcome to subsidize any charity, including billionaires, if you want, but I prefer to chose my own charities.
  #52  
Old 09-30-2019, 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by njbchbum View Post
Advogado - This impact fee has been in effect since 2015...what is the bruhaha all about now - and why? Have Sumter County residents not enjoyed stable or even lowered taxes for 15 years? Seems to me that the BOCC failed to maintain a 'rainy day fund' which might have offset the impact of this increase.

How is it that you expect Villages voters to overturn One Sumter when it exists because of their votes - which cannot be overcome by the number of voters in the rest of the County? Do you believe that the Villages voters wish to change their priority status that they seem to enjoy now?

Will you be a candidate for the S.C. BOCC?
To address your points and questions:

Why no rainy day fund for the infrastructure? It is not raining. Instead, the Developer is massively expanding The Villages, which will earn him billions but will necessitate a massive infrastructure expansion. Impact fees, not rainy day funds (which are taxpayer dollars) should be used to pay for such infrastructure expansion.

Yes, the present impact-fee schedule (which gave the Developer a sweetheart rate of $901 versus $2,600 for ordinary builders) was adopted in 2015—i.e., before the massive expansion of The Villages was on the table. But it was supposed to be revised at least every 5 years. It was NOT revised when the Developer announced his massive expansion. Instead our taxes were increased. Why was this done? I think that the answer is obvious.

Why overturn One Sumter? I believe that there are valid reasons, but whether or not it is overturned we need to get rid of the Developer's toadies presently serving as Commissioners. That is the point I am trying to make, and I don't want to get sidetracked into a debate on One Sumter.

Will I be a candidate for the Board of County Commissioners? No. I am too old and don't know enough about local politics. My only objective is to see Commissioners elected who are honest, competent, and independent of the Developer.
  #53  
Old 09-30-2019, 04:10 PM
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It seems to me that "the developers" great financial success is what makes TV as great as it is. Seriously, this place is an example of just how great a retirement community can be and it didn't get here because the developers were losing money! Guess what WE PAY THE BILLS.

Now, "suddenly" after decades of success building a great place for us, we want to start penny pinching and complaining about them making too much money "at our expense".

Sounds very short sighted to me. I hope TV continues to grow and proposer for more decades, and if the developers get filthy rich, then more power to them.
We are not penny pinching when we object to our elected officials kowtowing to their patron by offloading his costs on to us.
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Old 09-30-2019, 04:12 PM
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We are not penny pinching when we object to our elected officials kowtowing to their patron by offloading his costs on to us.
You have been involved with the POA since Driedame being president?
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Old 09-30-2019, 04:16 PM
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You have been involved with the POA since Driedame being president?
Only as a member. I think that I joined around 2008, which was before she became president, but I am not sure why that is relevant. Obviously, I am not a member of the VHA.
  #56  
Old 09-30-2019, 04:19 PM
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Thank you for bringing information public (as long as it is accurate.) They say evil always counts on silence and blindness and gaslighting. The definition of evil is hurting (taking advantage) of other people.
  #57  
Old 09-30-2019, 04:23 PM
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Thank you for bringing information public (as long as it is accurate.) They say evil always counts on silence and blindness and gaslighting. The definition of evil is hurting (taking advantage) of other people.
If you find anything that I have said is inaccurate, let me know and I will correct it.
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Old 09-30-2019, 04:24 PM
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Can’t find a thing inaccurate so far!
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Old 09-30-2019, 04:42 PM
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Can’t find a thing inaccurate so far!
That's a relief.
  #60  
Old 09-30-2019, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Advogado View Post

My only objective is to see Commissioners elected who are honest, competent, and independent of the Developer.



You've been at it for over 10 years, how's that going for you???





















(I couldn't resist)
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