THE VILLAGES
The Villages Property Owners’ Association has few objections to many of the proposals and projects of The Villages’ government, including one to boost the community’s public debt by $220 million. 

The group’s biggest complaint, however, is the retirement community’s residents have no official say in decisions made by The Villages Center Community Development District (VCCDD), the community’s governing body. 

Members of the board and district administrator Pete Wahl are appointed by the developer — many of them are the developer’s friends or business associates. State law gives majority representation to the owners of the majority of land, which in the VCCDD’s case is the developer. 

The Villages has a total of seven districts, including the governing VCCDD. The five Villages Community Development Districts cover residential areas. Sumter Landing is a new district. 

“If we could change one thing in The Villages, it would be all members (of the VCCDD board) and the district administrator could stand for popular election,” said Joe Gorman, the association’s president. “These guys have a massive conflict of interest.” 

A Lake County judge will decide Sept. 16 whether the VCCDD has met criteria to issue $120 million in revenue bonds for recreational facilities and $100 million in utility bonds. If the judge approves the request, the VCCDD could proceed with plans to purchase or build facilities up to those total amounts. It would also allow the district to use the additional money not used for related projects later. 

Projects may include the district purchasing Little Sumter Utilities from the developer, building lift stations or laying pipelines under the utility bond. Recreational projects may include construction of recreational facilities, swimming pool, tennis courts and golf courses. Residents’ amenity fees, utility fees or other assessments would pay off the VCCDD bonds over 20 or 30 years. The duration or exactly how the money will be used haven’t been determined yet, Wahl said. 

“I think in the final analysis the way this would work would probably be OK,” Gorman said. “My concern is that they do this properly.” 

The maximum monthly amenity fee homeowners in The Villages must pay is $105. Gorman said about $55 to $65 of that goes to maintain utilities and recreational facilities in The Villages while the difference goes for expansion. A judge approved $180 million in bonds for roads on a recently approved project south of County Road 466 in Sumter County. More bonds are expected to be issued for other work on that project. 

A VCCDD report puts The Villages’ government debt at $370 million. Wahl said The Villages has issued bonds five other times in the past. 

“The whole spirit of the monthly fee is to maintain the facilities,” Gorman said. “That’s what so many of us believed when we moved here.” 

Wahl said a 1995 Florida Supreme Court decision gave the VCCDD the leeway to use amenity-fee revenue to expand facilities. 

“Mr. Gorman is flat wrong,” Wahl said. Gorman said few people in The Villages have the time to complain about use of their amenity fees or the resources to dispute how funds are being used. 

“We sometimes feel like the voice in the wilderness,” he said.