Area residents clearly have been rubbed the wrong way by The Villages Entertainment Department’s decision to offer pay-to-view seating at two of the upcoming Christmas tree lighting ceremonies.
“VIP Experience” tickets were sold recently to residents for $50 per person, $80 per couple and $225 for a table for six at the tree-lighting ceremonies at Brownwood Paddock Square (Saturday, Nov. 30) and Lake Sumter Landing (Thursday, Dec. 5). Residents planning to attend the tree lighting at Spanish Springs Town Square on Monday, Dec. 2, located near the Historic Side of the community that’s inhabited by a largely older population, weren’t afforded the opportunity to purchase “VIP Experience” tickets.
The tickets purchased by those who apparently want more than the normal, free tree-lighting experience include two free drinks, appetizers provided by a yet-unnamed vendor and access to a VIP tent and cash bar, as well as reserved seating and “direct access into the square.” A Box Office employee said this past Friday claimed the “VIP” access to both tree lightings had sold out.
The events will last from 4-9 p.m. and the Entertainment Department claims four charities – Ronald McDonald House, Lake Sumter Children’s Advocacy Center, Operation Shoebox and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Charity – will benefit from the proceeds, though it remains unclear exactly how much money each will receive.
At issue with many residents who have reached out to Villages-News.com seems to be a perceived level of greed among the Villages Developer and his family. Many have expressed resentment and claimed the Morse family members now running The Villages seem to have forgotten the mantra of Founder Harold Schwartz and his son, retirement community guru H. Gary Morse – a “millionaire’s lifestyle on a retirement budget.”
Readers also have suggested that the new generation of Morses don’t support the idea that it doesn’t matter whether residents were high-level executives or a blue-collar workers – once they arrived in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown, the playing field was equal for things like free golf for life on executive courses and free town square entertainment 365 days a year, barring inclement weather.
“This Villages was developed by the owner to give everyone the same lifestyle no matter what their income status was,” wrote Linda Johnson, of the Village of Cortez. “You need to change from ‘The Friendliest Hometown’ to ‘The Most Greedy Hometown.’”
Sharon Costello, of the Village of Hemingway, said she has long “treasured” the fact that everyone Villager was equal, regardless of the size of their bank accounts.
“We smile, we wave, we’re polite, and we do not feel compelled in any way to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’, she wrote. “This community was built on togetherness.”
She said tree-lighting ceremonies were meant to create Christmas spirit among residents and not be money-makers.
“To read that our community wants to charge people to enjoy the happiness of a long-standing tradition is unbelievable,” Costello wrote. “I so hope that this does not happen, as it will divide people. We will lose the beauty (of) The Villages being a very special place for everyone … a community of people who cherish a place to live where everyone is equal.”
Don Robinson, of the Village of Piedmont, agreed.
“This is the worst sham I’ve heard of yet here in The Villages,” he wrote. “I’m sure that Mr. Schwartz is turning in his grave with the greed that is rampant in the Morse family. This is becoming a place for the privileged.”
Mike Elenbaas, of the Village of Sabal Chase, said there’s not a chance he would purchase a “VIP” ticket.
“Quite frankly, I feel this is a disaster for the ‘family’ as they continue to ‘push’ current residents further from them,” he wrote.
Holly Halvatzis, of the Village of Hadley, asked a simple question of the Morse family.
“How much money do you need?” she wrote. “The greed has gone over the top. They always say third-generation relatives run the company into the ground because they lose the purpose of the company.”
The choice of Brownwood and Lake Sumter Landing for the pay-to-view holiday shows also has raised some concerns among area residents because the nightly entertainment at those venues is partially funded through $120,000 in tax money provided by the Sumter County Commission. This year’s allotment for the entertainment at the two town squares – Spanish Springs isn’t included because it’s in Lake County – was a $40,000 increase over the previous year.
