Villages-news.com: $110 million sweetheart deal for Developer at expense of taxpayers

By Scott Fenstermaker
September 10, 2019

Kudos to the Property Owners’ Association. In two articles in its September 2019 Bulletin, the POA presents a number of interesting facts and figures underlying the proposed huge increase in Sumter County taxes. That issue of the Bulletin should be read by all Villagers.The misleadingly named Villages Homeowners Advocates (the VHA), which is little more than a front organization for the Developer, has been silent on the proposed tax increase. The Villages Daily Sun, of course, publishes no news that could reflect unfavorably on the Developer, who not only owns the Daily Sun but is also the biggest campaign contributor in the area. Thus, the Daily Sun has not described what is really behind the proposed tax increase. Subsequent to publication of the POA Bulletin, villages-news.com, the only independent news publication in The Villages, published an editorial on the proposed tax increase, making some of the same points as the POA articles.Both the POA articles and the villages-news.com editorial allude to, but do not focus on, what appears to be a key factor underlying the proposed tax increase – the sweetheart deal that the Sumter County Commissioners have given the Developer on impact fees. As background for those readers who may not be aware of impact fees, impact fees are a one-time tax imposed on all new residential and commercial construction by local governments to defray the cost of growth’s “impact” on roads and other infrastructure needs. Read more:

https://www.villages-news.com/2019/09/10/110-million-sweetheart-deal-for-developer-at-expense-of-taxpayers/