My 2020 car GPS pretends that the Villages doesn't exist on maps south of Brownwood. No update is available or likely will be ever available.

A cellphone is still needed for a variety of cases.

Divisions of law enforcement service
 

The Villages is a very unique animal for law enforcement services. If you live in the unincorporated section (which many or most do), you only have the county sheriff’s or state troopers at your disposal. If you live in Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood or Leesburg, you have supposedly augmented law enforcement support.

What really seems to be going on for the most part (not always) is the county dispatches for any unincorporated calls, and local law enforcement only responds to the areas in their jurisdiction.

The great disparity is those who are in Wildwood or another municipality end up paying for the total law enforcement for the unincorporated while still paying for their own police departments as well.

Unincorporated villigaers get out of paying for local enforcement and are prioritized for sheriff respoce all the while municipal residents pay for both. What is even more disturbing is the county department has to be manned at such a level for being the only responder which isn’t typical in most areas of the country. Rural here, is village upon village with several thousand residents so yes, more than usual are needed for the “unincorporated “.

IF that is the case, I wonder how residents of the municipalities would feel about paying extra police to catch golf carts going 20.1 mph in the unincorporated areas, as suggested by some????? After all, all those people are "criminals"

Not a cash cow
 

It isn’t an if. Many think ticket proceeds go to the issuing authority, nothing could be further from the truth. There would be no windfalls of income from issuing tickets. 2 dollars for each ticket written go to the issuing authority in Florida. So the end game would offer little funds to pay for more police to catch bad golf cart drivers.

The end game:

Fewer collisions.
Fewer injuries.
Fewer deaths.
More people who drive under the influence removed from the streets.
Fewer car/health insurance claims.
Lower insurance premiums due to fewer claims.
Fewer parents who lose their children.
Fewer children who lose their parents.
More children growing up in an area where it's actually safe to walk on the road.

The purpose of the police department isn't to make money for a municipality. Contrary to unpopular belief, governments aren't supposed to profit. They're supposed to spend. Being a wealthy community means nothing if you're afraid to leave your house because there's chaos in the streets.

We don't have chaos in the streets here, but we definitely have a LOT more traffic accidents than I've ever experienced elsewhere. And I lived in Boston for 7 years, so I understand "traffic" just fine. Boston also has a robust Police Department including an entire traffic control division.

The Villages has grown into an enormous, densely-populated city, but the police departments assigned to its care have no grown to reflect the increase. Citizens demand that their taxes not go up, and every penny they have to pay is another fight against services that exist to keep them safe and alive.

We don't need to be tax-and-spend like Boston is - we're not that kind of city and we don't need the same kinds of services. But we do need a more "present and visible" police department.

And again if that means simply adding 12 more shifts in a week - which would be the equivalent of maybe 6 more officers to cover the traffic control of our three-county community - it'd be a huge start and make a significant impact.

Interested in what "12 more shifts in a week" means and how "6 more officers" would cover that. I see six more officers covering six more patrols for five days out of the week.

Yes, because we all "know" that all those bad things are caused by a golf cart going 20.1 as opposed to 20.0. Likewise, the "obvious" cause is cars going 35.1 in a 35 zone. Unbelievable.

The "obvious" cause is bad drivers, many of whom should have surrendered their license a long time ago. As far as speed goes, both law enforcement and insurance sites state slow drivers cause more accidents that "speeders". And as far as speeders go, I have no problem with a NASCAR champion driving whatever speed he sees fit, whereas there are "drivers" in The Villages that can't handle a car or golf cart 10 or 15 mph under the limit. I suppose they are both "criminals"

NASCAR champ can drive whatever speed he sees fit on the race track with other pros that play by racetrack rules. NOT on the public roads with families, school busses, trucks, etc! To believe otherwise is foolish, unrealistic and dangerous in the extreme.
As far as your accident theory goes, low speed accidents are more likely "fender benders", while it's the high speed race car wannabes that will be involved in major damage and death. The old line, "speed kills", is still true. Always remember, not every driver is as highly trained and skilled as you, and on public roads they don't have to be.

Well said.

Yes, they are. Glad we agree. How about add the cops and a 3 strikes rule that confiscates both license and car. Since we know they can't be trusted, they loose the privilege of ever being behind the wheel (or handle bars).

Yep----drive a golf cart 20.1 or your car 35.1 in a 35 zone and lose your license AND car. Is that what happened to Winston Smith???? I believe that was law enforcement in Oceania.

PS: Thank God the world isn't as some wish it would be.

PPS: Yesterday while I was driving, 37 cars made a left or right turn, only 11 used a turn signal. Are they "criminals" also??? Do they get 3 strikes and lose their license????

PPS: The 13 or 14 year who was driving 3 younger kids in a 4-seater coming off the MMP onto Heald should probably get life without parole???? Or summary execution????

Lake Sumter Landing needs a guillotine for dealing out justice. The square would be packed with revelers, drinking, dancing, musicians and jugglers. All sorts of entertainment while we wait for the heads to roll. Youth B4 age. Just like in the good Olde days. 😃🤯🥳🤡👹👺

There are quite a few officers up and down 441 between Lady Lake and Leesburg they are there all day every day
Between Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood and Leesburg officers I see them all the time, what I don’t see is any of then patrolling The Villages

[QUOTE=Eg_cruz;2395829]There are quite a few officers up and down 441 between Lady Lake and Leesburg they are there all day every day
Between Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood and Leesburg officers I see them all the time, what I don’t see is any of then patrolling The Villages[/QUOTE]

- Are the number of people speeding excessively (>10mph) as high in the Villages as on 441? Is the Villages the best place to spend patrol time if you want to make arrests?

- Are the speeders in the Villages likely to cause as much harm and damage as those on 441? Wrecking at 35mph when you can't handle the roundabout is not going to be as serious as crashing into traffic at 65mph on 441.

- I have seen traffic stops on Buena Vista, Morse, and Hillsborough. Not as many as on 441 but this area does get patrolled occasionally.

[QUOTE=Bill14564;2395841]But you forget, according to some on this thread, those Villagers driving 35.1 are CRIMINALS. Those driving golf carts at 20.1 are CRIMINALS. I suppose those who park over the line are CRIMINALS. The guillotine awaits.....

How about this for semantic nomenclature:

The term is not traffic crimes, it is traffic INFRACTIONS-----maybe we could designate those perpetrators as "infractors"

Likewise, the term is not parking crimes, but parking VIOLATIONS----we could call those people "violators", although that could have a much different connotation.:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I'm 91 and I get around fine. I only hit the curb by the gate card reader so my mirror access card can be read. I don't think I ever hit anything that matters.

[QUOTE=golfing eagles;2395852]Already in place. And, obsession with the .1 mph gives us chain pullers a guide to over reactors.
The point is that a line has to be drawn somewhere. The line for general public safety was decided upon. Traffic laws are not written for the "best" drivers and cars, but for the average person/vehicle on the road. This is so the most people have the opportunity to us the highways our dollars pay for. It is for societies benefit, not the few that think the are superior. Driving is a PRIVILEGE, not your right. And no one has the right or privilege of breaking those laws. Not even a little. Like being a little bit pregnant. You either are, or you're not. No, .1 mph over is still over. If you are going err, err on the side of caution.

[QUOTE=fdpaq0580;2395915]Like I said, your guillotine awaits.....

But it doesn't have to be a line, it could be a sheet----carts at 20, over 25 and you're nailed, under 15 and you suck

[QUOTE=golfing eagles;2395969]You mean like in school, A, B, C, D all pass. F, but close gets a D-? Where does a D---- actually become an F? When the line is crossed? Yess it is a line. A fixed point where one exceeds the legal limit. Speed is controlled by the driver and exceeding the legal limit is a choice one makes. So the smart err on the side of caution.

My guillotine is mine, so I will be the one that pulls the lever. No fear! It only cuts carrots for snacks.

Watch a Twilight Zone episode named "The Obsolete Man", it takes place in a dystopian future. I won't try to give a condensed version of it as it would take too time and space, you need to watch it. My take on the story is something like, righteous legal systems always have to have someone to punish to prove their righteousness and sometimes even the righteous ones become the judged.

To paraphrase George Carlin: You know how bad the average driver is? Well half of drivers are even worse than that. I don't think cracking down on speeders would make much difference in reducing bad driving.

Might reduce the severity of accidents and deaths. Also relevant is ones definition of good or bad as related to driving. My definition is that good drivers obey the laws, maintain proper space cushion, are aware of their surroundings, aim high in steering so they see well ahead so they can leave themselves an out if there is a traffic problem. They leave early so they will not feel pressed if they find heavy or slow traffic for unforseen reasons (accidents or construction).
Bad drivers speed, tailgate, cut off or block other drivers, let their frustration override their better judgement, try "teaching" other drivers a lesson (the only lesson they learn is that the would be teacher is a jerk), and generally think they are better than the laws.
Jmho.

On this Christmas eve, let me wish everyone a joyous and safe holiday.

They don't need police to catch golf carts going over 20.1. They need police to catch golf carts going over 25 on public roads, without registration or insurance. They need police to catch cars driving 40 on roads with 20mph posted speed limits. And cars driving 60 on roads with 35mph posted speed limits.

Right now they aren't catching many speeders, but there are plenty of speeders worth catching.

I definitely drive faster than the speed limit in my car, when possible. However, I also don't tailgate, don't cut people off, use my turn signals *correctly*, and avoid weaving in and out of traffic. If I get pulled over for speeding, I'll get a ticket. And I'll be polite to the police officer, and not blame him for doing his job. So far that's happened once in my life, I pleaded not guilty, and got the ticket nolled. It was a lesser violation "driving above the posted speed limit" which would've been a point against my license and a $300 fine. The cop didn't have a radar reading and didn't show up for my court date so they tossed it out and told me it never happened and to go home. I think I was doing 37 in a 30mph zone and the cop was returning to the station at the end of his shift and thought he'd get a quick "gotcha" for his quota or something. I didn't begrudge him but I knew I wasn't gonna have to pay so I just stayed polite and took the ticket.

I agree except for the 20.1 golf carts. At 20.1 they need to be made to register as lsv and made to upgrade all safety equipment and registration. Appropriate fines for operating a non-registered lsv on public roads.
Wadaya think?
Merry/Happy/Joyous Whatever day. 😃🙃🫠😉

Like it
 

Merry Christmas!

Whatever rules we make for each other, we are sure to over complicate the whole matter. The perception of lax restrictions makes driving a golf cart fun. Wouldn’t the government just love to dive in and make rules and restrictions on golf cart drivers? It’s their job to remove the fun out of things.

Because it is Christmas, it reminds me of how countless priests and preachers have tried to complicate our free and eternal Gift. With no strings attached, we were given the greatest Gift of all with simplicity and purity. Then theologians all had to throw their rules in.

A golf cart registration would ruin the simplicity that makes it fun in the first place. Enjoy the season and ignore the rule makers.

Upgrade "safety" equipment?????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Here are the mechanical requirements from the Florida DMV for LSVs:

Headlamps;
Front and rear turn signals;
Stop lamps;
Tail lamps;
Reflex reflectors, red – one each side and one on the rear;
Exterior mirror on the driver side and an interior rear-view mirror or exterior mirror on passenger side;
Parking brake;
Windshield;
Seat belt for each designated seat; and a
Vehicle identification number (VIN).

Almost all Yamaha and other brand carts have all of these, THERFORE the only difference is paying the state their fee and the insurance companies their "cut". IT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH SAFETY SINCE ALL I HAVE TO DO FOR MY 20 MPH CART IS PAY THE REGISTRATION FEE AND I CAN CRANK IT UP TO 25. THIS IS A FUNDRAISER PURE AND SIMPLE

PS: You asked what I thought, so that's on you.

PPS: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Not sure if you are recommending anarchy for society. That's what it sounds like. Personally, I don't think anarchy would work for a society of more than one.
Rules are made to keep everyone on the same page and to allow things to run smoothly. Rules are not, opposed to what some would like to believe, made to be broken.
Anyway, I do not propose golf cart registration. Only that golf carts be held to the standards that are for golf carts. Those carts that exceed what a golf cart can legally do be held accountable as LSVs, not Lsv in disguise.

That's true in theory.

In practice, however, it appears that rules are made in such abundance that it is not possible to avoid breaking one. Whether that is by design or just happenstance, it works out well for law enforcement.

Couldn't agree more

Current # of laws: Database Coverage: 4,160,185 laws and counting.

Amazing that God only needed 10

True not just in theory. The rest is just excuses.

Moses didn't have a laptop, and stone tablets are heavy. Moses managed to only drop one on his climb back down the mountan. Even Moses lied about the 15 commandments, said there were only 10. Number 11 was "thou shall not speed nor alter thy golf cart". How do I know? Sorry, God has sworn me to secrecy.
God makes up new rules every day in hopes that humans will quit acting like entitled brats and at least try to be good members of an orderly society.

If everyone just followed the first 10, we wouldn't need the other 4,160,175

Agree. But didn't Carlin distill it down to 1? Much better!

To say that TV is getting a deal from Sumter County for law enforcement without any evidence is pretty far fetched. What about all the other unincorporated areas in the county? Are they freeloaders too? The Sumter County Sheriff’s presence in TV is pretty limited compared to police coverage in towns like Wildwood. Fruitland Park, and Lady Lake.

Freeloading
 

Villages Wildwood residents from CDD’s 9,10,12,13 and 15 pay for the county sheriff and the local Wildwood PD. They have the Wildwood police department respond to their calls. However, their sheriff’s department responds to calls outside their very own

To say they don’t pay more than their fair share is FARFETCHED. They do have to pay for the augmented sheriffs’s staff required for those who don’t have a police department as well as their own local PD.

The total population of Wildwood is almost 20,000. The population of Sumter County is about 152,000. I would say their incorporated residents do have the unfair burden of paying for quite a few who pay nothing for municipal law enforcement.

Ridiculous!

Sumter County Sheriff provides service to ALL Sumter County, Wildwood included.

Wildwood gets ADDITIONAL coverage from Wildwood police. For that ADDITIONAL coverage (and more services from Wildwood) they pay Wildwood taxes.

Who are these "quite a few who pay nothing for municipal law enforcement?" Are you referring to me since I don't pay Wildwood taxes? In return for not paying those taxes I also don't receive Wildwood services. Do you want the entire county to pay for services limited to the incorporated areas???

Ridiculous
 

So you are saying they don’t need the extra personnel in the sheriff’s office? I’m for cutting the sheriff’s department personnel back! Let’s get it done. Taxes are already way to high in Sumter county. Collectively residents paid 56 million last year for the department and this years budget has grown to more than 60 million dollars!

You're gonna have to highlight the words in my post that implied anything like that.

I blame teachers and parents. Don't need law enforcement if everybody's doing the right things.