I'm appalled to hear that the authorities permit people to squat on public property in the woods. That should not be permitted. Sadly there are people who suffer grinding poverty but that's absurd to allow. Public assistance can't be provided to people that are not identifiable in the woods.

Kitty : Thank you for "putting yourself out there " and initiating this post about Wildwood . It does seem to have gotten " off track " and to have elicited some surprisingly negative comments .
As someone who spent a 35 year career in finance and regional banking I took an immediate note of the seemingly paradox of the economy in this interesting little town upon discovering it shortly after I moved to the Villages now 2 years ago .
I began to patronize some of the businesses such as the dry cleaners , the hardware store , the computer repair store , a convenience store and the Radio Shack . I have met the owners of each of these businesses and through them have gained some insight into their hopes for the town .
One business owner shared that the majority of the store fronts on " Main Street " are owned by a gentleman who inherited the properties from his father but who shows limited interest in reinvestment . This owner shared that the landlord seems to be waiting / hoping that the Developer of the Villages will eventually buy him out .
Also several have shared with me their hope that the main business district will become golf cart accessible with the recent expansion of the Villages [ Brownwood ].
For what it is worth I have found the folks at the Post Office to be genuinely very helpful and happy to handle my many mailings of packages . I once remarked that I was surprised at the number of postal boxes which they had and they shared that at the time the Post Office was built that there was more activity in Wildwood .
I have taken notice of all that you have Kitty . In the meantime I believe that we all can help by patronizing the local businesses which may deserve our dollars .

If they are homeless, where would you have them live?

Buffalo Jim - I agree, well put. Thanks for the insight.
Kitty - Do not get discouraged. We need more people who think like you - get involved. God bless you and those who think like you.
dave

People in TV live here for many reasons. Some want to be near grandchildren in nearby Florida cities; some for the weather and most for the lifestyle. A poster asked, did you move here for the life style or to change things? Just because someone enjoys the lifestyle does not mean that they are totally content to go to clubs and play golf all day. Most Villagers have many resources, not just of the monetary kind. Many have been teachers, nurses, business owners on so on. Why would Villagers not want to share their resources with others?

It was also stated that Wildwood was not unique and many small towns were dying. Why are the towns dying? Mostly because young people must move away to earn a living. Wouldn't it be nice if we could keep our small towns vibrant and our young people didn't have to move away?

I have stated a lot of what if's but without dreams there is no progress. Sometimes progress is not comfortable for everyone.

I really have no use for Wildwood. Mt. Dora has interesting restaurants and shops just like Cocoa Village does. Those places helped themselves.

If a young person goes to college and wants to make a decent salary, that is not going to happen in Wildwood. Only smart to do is to move to a city and preferably out of Florida to get a good career.

The developer will decide when Wildwood will change
 

The developer has people on all the boards and elected officials that they have supported and that the developer will decide when and what happens to Wildwood and other communities around, There are yes-men planted all over

Good question but certainly the woods isn't a great place for these folks to live.

I just got back home from Walmart on 441. We took the golf cart and went along the path from Paradise Drive to Lowe's and then along behind Aldi's to Walmart. My husband and I noticed balloons tied in the bushes along the path. Before we could finish guessing why there were balloons, we were greeted by a beautiful smiling face of a young boy I'd guess is about 9 or 10 years old. He said, "Hello."

He shifted from one foot to the other on legs sporting a pair of too small pants that had been cut off just below the knees. He was watching us and smiling while his eyes lit up the dark wooded corner near the Walmart parking lot near the transformer station where the homeless person was found dead last year. As we were taking it all in, we saw a man shoveling sand like there was no tomorrow just feet from the boy. The boy pointed to a plastic jug that said donations were welcome for filling in the holes along the path. The words were misspelled, but their meaning was pretty clear.

My husband got some money from his pocket and asked the kid if he was working to fix the path. He said, "Yes sir." My husband told him good work and to thanked him. He took the money and the man shoveling sand never stopped.

It tore at my heart. On the way back, the man was gone and there was a woman there with the same young boy. She wasn't shoveling, but we saw an old pickup truck on the parking lot yards from them with a blue tarp pitched on the back. I can just about guarantee that they are living out of that truck.

It reminded me of a sermon I heard once called, In the Shadow of the Steeple. It was about the widows, homeless, poor, sick and struggling people who lived within the shadow of the church but were overlooked. I think most of us are guilty of this. It was a Life Lesson for me today and I just wanted to share it with you.

Thanks for sharing,Jesus said, the poor will be with us always. I was told by a native to this area once that Sumter Co. was the poorest County in Florida.

Nice Post . Thank you

I've been reading this thread with a great deal of interest. i applaud Kitty's enthusiasm and desire to get involved and improve the quality of life for people living in Wildwood. I also agree with some of Grannynance' comments.

I have no experience at all with Wildwood, but I do have a lot of experience with people and town councils and Mayors of small towns. And the one thing I know is that no Locals anywhere ever want "people from away" telling them how to run their lives. I think this is one of GrannyNance' areas of discomfort.

My thought is that you have to crawl before you can walk, and then run. People "from away" have to be careful to start small, get to know people and personalities, prove their good intentions by helping solve current problems, gain credibility by working in the trenches, etc., before they start proposing managing a process to merge The Villages and Wildwood.

I think getting involved with the Foodbanks in surrounding communities is a great first step to getting to know local people and building relationships that will help effect change without seeming presumptuous.

And I apologize if I've misconstrued anyone's feelings or comments. I have nothing but admiration for Kitty and her passionate zest to get involved and make a difference.

more of us than them!
 

We shouldremember there are more of us then there are them and if we got our act together Just a small percentage of us could help a huge portion of them God knows we have the resources to drastically change many lives in this area for the betterment as opposed to buying a new golf cart putting up Huge lanai with a pool in it! Just remember one thing Matthew 7:12 says it all!

Another good place to start would be by calling Habitat for Humanity. People need housing and food to live, not shops. Some whole neighborhoods have been built entirely by women.

Wildwood will be getting more stores in Oct when the new Sweetbay, Walgreen's, Subway, etc opens than they have seen in 20 to 30 years. They have movie theaters in Brownwood that they haven't had for several years. They now have a town square at Brownwood with free entertainment, thanks to TV's developer.

The folks in Wildwood were here long before I ever even heard of The Villages. I believe - but could be wrong in the phrase - but doesn't "manifest destiny" apply here? I didn't create the problem - why do I have to fix it when the residents don't? I'm sorry if that's offensive to some but geesh, I earned whatever has come my way. I went to college on student loans and yes, I paid them all back. I worked "forever" and paid my bills and my mortgage. I read all the religious overtones that have come onto this thread and what comes to mind for me is "God helps those that help themselves".