The Villages Monthly

The Villages, FL 32126 - thevillagesmonthly.com - Vol. 1, No. 2 Dear Reader: Editors Note:

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The Villages, November 10, 2010

This newsletter is a success because of subscribers like you, and with Thanksgiving right around the corner I just wanted to offer my sincere Thanks for all of your support. I wish you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. President and COO of The Villages Mark Morse has been charged with poaching in Montana. Morse, who is accused of killing elk and deer without a license, faces felony charges that carry penalties of more than 20 years in prison and $203,000 in fines if he is convicted. Also charged are other members of Morses family as well as a few other acquaintances who do various work in The Villages. Morse, who is the grandson of The Villages founder Harold Schwartz, owns a ranch in Montana's Yellowstone and Big Horn counties. He is set to make his initial court appearance in this case November 23 in Montana. Our take: While this is an unfortunate situation on many levels, this case and the pending legal actions against Mr. Morse should not have an adverse effect on day to day operations of The Villages. George W. Bush is set to make an appearance in The Villages on November 13 promoting his book Decision Points. The 43rd President of the United States will appear at Lake Sumter Landing at 10 am. The visit is one of many promotional appearances the former President has scheduled. Residents lined up on November 9 for the release of the book, hours before the opening of Barnes & Noble. Some of the 2,000 buyers were given wristbands which gain them entry into a reception on Saturday morning with the chance to meet Bush. Other appearances Mr. Bush has scheduled the same week as his trip to The Villages include an interview with The Today Shows Matt Lauer and an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

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Former President Bush is no stranger to The Villages. He previously campaigned here in the run-up to his 2004 re-election and he is reported to be close friends with The Villages developer Gary Morse. Many people call the I-4 corridor the key to election victories in Florida. If this is true, than The Villages is at its epicenter. You dont have to look any further than last weeks election for evidence of this. Rick Scott, who campaigned in The Villages last month in advance of the November election, has been elected as Floridas next governor. Scott beat out Democratic candidate Alex Sink by a narrow margin of roughly 50,000 votes. Floridas current governor, Charlie Crist, lost his U.S. Senate race against Marco Rubio who visited The Villages several times during his campaign. In a rare appearance by a Democrat, Alex Sink visited The Villages on October 17. About 300 supporters turned out, much to the surprise of Sink who was quoted as only expecting about 50 people in the largely Republican community. Amendment 4, which proposed to help curb development in Florida by requiring all master growth plan changes to be put up for vote, was defeated in the November election. 67% of voters rejected the proposed amendment. Joe Gorman, president of The Villages Property Owners Association (POA) announced last month that after nine years as president he would not be seeking re-election for the coming year. According to The POA monthly bulletin, Gorman plans to snowbird at least part of the year next year and POA by-laws require that all officers and directors be full-time residents of The Villages. A new Performing Arts Center has been on the wish-list for many residents for years and Villages president Mark Morse has submitted a proposal that could make this a reality. Currently residents must travel to the Orlando area to see big name performances and shows. Mr. Morse proposes donating the Church on the Square along with some adjacent vacant land to be renovated and turned into a performing arts center. The downside to this is that as a condition of the donation, the Amenity Authority Committee would be required to fund the renovations to transform

Page 3 he church into a 1,050 seat theater at an estimated cost of more than $4 million. Currently there are residents with very strong opinions both for and against this taking place, so dont expect it to happen very quickly, if it happens at all. Among the detractors are the local group PALMS (Performing Arts of Lake, Marion, and Sumter) who argue that even in a renovated state the proposed center would be too small and uncomfortable to draw big name talent to the area. Largest golf cart showroom in Florida opens in The Villages. The Villages Golf Cars recently opened their third and newest showroom at La Plaza Grande. The 14,000 square foot showroom is the largest in Florida and is the largest Yamaha showroom in the country. Law enforcement in The Villages has been cracking down on golf cart speeders in the past few months. According to The Villages Voice, Sumter County Sheriff Deputies issued 64 tickets to golf cart drivers from mid-August to mid-October. These citations require an appearance before a judge, and minimum court costs of $253 plus fines and penalties as determined by the judge. Golf carts in The Villages are not supposed to exceed 20 MPH. Above that speed they become an unregistered motor vehicle and are required to be registered, insured, and have safety features similar to an automobile. Villagers are a very generous group, especially around the holidays. Toys for Tots is collecting toys for their annual holiday toy drive. Residents are being asked to drop off their toys by December 15 to the boxes located in most banks and many businesses throughout The Villages. Thousands of Villagers attended the dedication ceremony and grand opening of The Villages new VA Outpatient Clinic at Mulberry Grove Plaza. Residents were given tours of the new 99,000 square foot facility. The new facility will be a convenient place for thousands of veterans who call The Villages home to get the care they need and deserve. According to The VHA, this state of the art clinic provides expanded primary care services, an urgent care clinic, as well as numerous specialty clinics such as audiology, optometry, radiology, cardiology, orthopedics, obgyn, dermatology etc. These specialty clinics, along with others, are scheduled to be phased in over the 18 months. The Villages will also pay tribute to veterans on Thursday November 11 at Veterans Day festivities in both Spanish Springs Town Square and Lake Sumter Landing Market Square.

Page 4 On November 6, The Villages Center Community Development District held their 14th annual Government Day. This event gives Villagers the opportunity to learn more about The Villages CDD and see how their local government functions, and have the chance to get their questions answered by government officials. Over 75 state and local agencies were expected to be in attendance. The collective governments of The Villages began their fiscal year October 1 and in doing so passed a $140 million dollar budget. The budget and financials for this year are available for residents to view on the District Government website at DistrictGov.org The Villages continues to be a very safe community in which to live. Whether one chooses to live in The Villages or elsewhere for retirement, personal health and safety are a top priority for most retirees. According to The Villages Voice, The Villages Public Safety Department/EMS Unites responded to 51 cardiac arrests. 21 of these victims were able to later walk out of the hospital. When you compare this to the national average odds of survival of only 6% it is quite remarkable. First responders in The Villages have an average response time of just under 4 minutes. Also, more than 1,000 Villagers are trained in CPR every year, with that number actually approaching 1,800 this year.

Until Next Month,

The Villages Monthly Editors

THE VILLAGES MONTHLY EDITORS Coming soon: What if you could have lunch with a Villager and ask them all the questions you have about what life is really like for them in The Villages? We are in the process of sitting down with 15-20 Villages residents to do just that. Keep an eye out for more on this project soon.
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