I have to admit I went to the “An Evening with the Developer” annual soiree Wednesday night with trepidation.
The last Developer address I went to, we were told that there would be no more home development or golf courses in The Villages. Fast forward a few years later and we could not be further from that notion. Truth is important to me, no matter what it is, so my skepticism Wednesday night had some basis as I embarked on attending another session of finding out what my future holds.
Now I like the people I have met from the Morse family; they are intelligent, hardworking, creative, and ambitious. And what a great-looking group of people they are. They know how to read Middle Class White Conservative America better than a crystal ball. They have built a one-of-a-kind soon to be metropolis, where we older folks can dance the night away with a few inexpensive beverages and drive around in designer golf carts to a multiplicity of recreation centers, golf courses, doctors and associated specialists, and numerous grocery stores where it was reported this evening that just under $300 million dollars of food was purchased in The Villages last year. We like our groceries.
Always a disappointment for me is the politics of the family. Not so much that they have their own personal beliefs and lots of dollars to back the candidates of their desires. It would not be a revelation that this could result in relationships that prove influential in all types of decisions that I can only speculate make land purchases, covenant changes, boundary adjustments, moratoriums on nursing homes, road connections, and so many other needs that become much easier to have influence over when money, business and politics are married.
No, it’s not their personal politics that raise my ire, they have every right to back who they want. It’s a right, no matter who you are or what your wealth status is, to lobby those who project your best interests. It’s that their politics is promoted to the whole community, from the FOX news authors peddling their signatures at the local book store; to the recreation centers where candidates of their choice get to have every advantage to speak to local Villagers with accommodations for national news crews and Morse family and executive staff standing by to champion their every word. Their love for hearing from their beloved candidates in our resident-supported recreation centers is not so easy for those from the other side, and it’s difficult to be connected in The Villages if you do not tout the party line, literally. The unstated is often deafening, I know because I have felt the silence.
So going to the “An Evening with the Developer” was with mixed feelings. I wanted to hear what was in store for my journey of aging in The Villages. With all the news of expansion yonder, my curiosity won over my apprehension. And I do like to be in on the “scoop.”
OK, I will say it. I was impressed. I admit it. Each Morse family member who came out on stage, shared their personal excitement and commitment to the area of development they are working on, and what they have accomplished in a year is complex and massive in scope. Whitney Morse, who I have seen in a few plays, is not only a talented actress with a phenomenal voice, but she leads a team to develop black box theater as well as bringing headliner acts, favorite musicals (watch for Jersey Boys coming your way), world class orchestras and dance companies, and the list goes on. For a community like The Villages in Central Florida, the entertainment lineup for the next year was more than I would have ever expected. This leads me to say The Morse Family listened to its residents. Villagers wanted higher-end entertainment, and a place to enjoy it, and alas it arrived.
Villagers also wanted some better restaurants and varied amenities. The wand has been waved. A brand-new high end hotel/conference center with a full spa and a Wolfgang Puck restaurant is coming to Brownwood. I was surprised. Not that I don’t enjoy seeing peanuts scattered on the floors in restaurants or enjoy a breakfast place once in a while, however. fine dining has been an oxymoron in The Villages. But not for long.
There have been outcries for better medical care and many opinions of where to get the best care. Alas, a new specialty care center is coming, also to Brownwood. Along with that, the new hotel will have rooms reserved for those patients who need to stay close by during recovery, a thoughtful and considerate gesture.
Feeling cramped by your kissing lanais? Seven five-acre parcels are going up for sale near Mulberry, with full Villages golf cart access. Have a pony or a cow, or grow a crop of corn, you can live in the country in The Villages and still line dance in the evening and wake up to yoga at your local recreation center.
Maybe you have been feeling low on polo because the sun is too bright or your tailgating party is a bit dull as there is no bar service. Not anymore. The polo fields are now 20 years old and renovations have been in the making. Awnings have been installed for greater shade; a beer cart is now available in the tailgating area; and there are lower level tables with bar service so those with mobility issues who cannot go to the higher level will now have equal accommodation.
The list goes on, but what I came away with is that the Morse family is coming of age, of a younger age, and growing The Villages in a way that is going to speak to the newer and younger retirees who are arriving, or who will be putting their sights to retirement in the near future. To a generation where expectations are high, who demand variety and quality and culture, who want to be entertained not just in a square, but as Jennifer Parr once said to me, maybe it could be a circle. The Morse family is giving rein to the younger generation to bring their energy and knowledge to a community that while in its own way is vibrant for seniors, was lacking in what many left behind from where they came.
So great job Morse family on a remarkable year of planning and results. Your love as a family really comes through; you have a symbiotic relationship which has resulted in a unique and sometimes surreal place to live. The qualities I value-hard work, perseverance, thinking outside the box, forging through when others doubt your intentions, those are the positives I saw in you all tonight.
Just one last thought. Maybe next year an accessible public transportation system could be introduced so we can enjoy going to and from Fenney and The Villages in Leesburg North and South, East and West; and keep people off the roads who, well, you know, would be best “served” by someone else being behind the wheel. It really is the next issue to address in a rapidly expanding community of older folks who not only like their groceries, but also tend to enjoy the good times offered.
Jane Bloom is a resident of The Villages and frequent contributor to Villages-News.com .