An email obtained by Villages-News.com shows a top Villages official used The Villages Daily Sun and Community Watch to try to calm parking concerns in the Village of Fenney.
The frustration over the Fenney Putt & Play fiasco has created problems for a range of Villagers:
• Homeowners near Fenney Putt & Play have resorted to planting “No Parking” signs in their front yards to dissuade automobile drivers from the north from clogging the residential streets.
• Drivers who must park their cars at Sugar Cane Recreation Center or Blue Heron Recreation are not happy about their second class status and the long walk to Fenney Putt & Play.
• Only golf cart parking is available at Fenney Putt & Play. The timetable for the completion of the bridges and roads that will provide golf cart access to Fenney is about two years out. That means access to Fenney Putt & Play is exclusive to residents of Fenney and the Village of DeSoto. Villagers say this has created “Fenney Envy” or “Fennvy.”
Detailed email exchanges between Villages officials and fed-up Fennians are rife with buck-passing and excuses.
The buck appears to have landed in the lap of Wildwood commissioners who on April 8 will consider an ordinance restricting parking on residential streets near Fenney Putt & Play.
Back in October, residents first reached out to the District Customer Service Department. They were steered to John Rohan, director of the Recreation Department.
“Our neighborhood is becoming more and more frustrated with the lack of any visible action being taken by The Villages. We continue to have congestion on the street and the inconvenience to all of us has increased. Navigating to our homes is at times like an obstacle course and getting out of our driveways has been next to impossible in several instances,” Fenney residents Cat and Valerie Turner wrote in an email to Rohan.
He pointed them to a flyer that clearly shows that parking for automobiles is at the recreation centers. But residents said the flyers weren’t working.
“Our neighborhood is being used more and more as a parking lot. As mentioned previously, most people do not know where the designated parking is located and graciously move to the rec centers when informed. However, more people are now coming in with several being obstinate and rude about being able to park on the public street since there are no signs anywhere. Very few people view The Villages website or go to the Fenney Rec Center for information. I have also talked to over 100 people since moving into our current home, and none have read the signage on the bulletin board inside the park. Signage on the bulletin board definitely does not work since nobody reads them,” the Turners, who paid $452,800 in June 2018 for their home on Abney Avenue, said in an email to Rohan.
They resorted to sending Rohan photos of cars parked in their neighborhood, as well as the license plate numbers.
They also reached out to Wildwood Police Chief Paul Valentino, a resident of the Village of Fenney, who called the situation “unfortunate.” He pledged to work with The Villages to find a solution, but said he was limited in enforcement power due to state statues. In November, he indicated city officials were working on an ordinance. Valentino’s work appears to have hit a snag when he abruptly resigned as police chief in December.
The parking problem was passed on to another member of the Wildwood Police Department. He suggested signage, something The Villages famously abhors.
“The temporary or permanent placement of signs to prohibit parking in the areas in which these problems are occurring, that also direct vehicular traffic to the available designated parking areas, will provide the tools that the Wildwood Police Department law enforcement officers need to apply the aforementioned Florida State Statutes as they were intended. With such signs in place the Wildwood Police Department officers will have the lawful authority to take enforcement action and/or request the removal of any improperly parked vehicles,” Sgt. Douglas Pelton wrote in an email.
Eventually, the residents demanded an audience with the Developer.
“I am working on finding the person who you all should talk to from the Developer about the parking issues around the Putt & Play,” Martin Dzuro, assistant to the vice president, responded in an email in February.
Next stop: Villages Vice President for Community Relations Gary Lester.
He pointed to a Feb. 21 Daily Sun article which noted, “traditional motorists will need to park at the nearby Sugar Cane recreation area.” He said he would also encourage the Daily Sun to publish more on this topic in order to educate residents.
“District Community Watch will be assigning additional patrols to your street and surrounding area to encourage appropriate parking,” Lester wrote in an email.
However, Community Watch is funded by residents. The Developer, at least theoretically, has no authority to assign duties to Community Watch. Furthermore, Community Watch would be limited to “encouragement” and has no enforcement authority when it comes to parking.
“We’re hoping the combination of all these efforts will reduce the inconvenience you and your neighbors have experienced. As we discussed on (the) phone, anytime you have something as new and attractive as the Fenney Putt and Play, you run into unexpected challenges. Please be assured that we are aware and working to improve the situation,” Lester wrote.
