An interesting story on the effects of The Villages: http://www.wftv.com/news/14900635/detail.html

Very superficial and one-sided. Notice there were no comments from county natives who have greatly improved their living standard as a result of TV being here. Before TV moved into Sumter, it was one of the poorest counties in the state. There were some large land owners, ranchers, farmers, and the like. There were a few very small business owners. However, there was little opportunity for the youngsters coming out of high school. They went to Ocala, Tampa, or Orlando for work. TV has provided a plethora of blue and white collar opportunities for Sumter residents. I've heard locals at the new Walmart complain about the crowds, that the place would be a lot better if there weren't so many Villagers. :joke: Some people just don't get it.

Villagers pay the majority of the taxes and have the most voters so we should have more of a say. If not, I would be pleased to see a seperate Villages county. No way do I want to go back to the way it was. It was thought to be a terrible thing if TV got any kind of service but OK for the rest of the county to use our money.