PWAC members say they were surprised by $3 million dock project

Project Wide Advisory Committee members on Monday said they were surprised by the $3 million dock project at Lake Sumter Landing presented to them one month ago.

In May, PWAC approved $225,000 in engineering and design fees for the $2.7 million remake of the dock at Lake Sumter Landing, which has suffered from severe wood rot. PWAC members indicated at the meeting in May a desire to move forward with the project and members expressed relief that the project could be funded through amenity dollars rather than through maintenance fees paid by residents living south of County Road 466.

However, PWAC members at their meeting Monday said they were “surprised” when they saw a slick video promoting the Lake Sumter Landing dock project had been released by the Developer’s marketing department. They said it was obvious the video had been created before the project was pitched to PWAC.

PWAC members Peter Moeller and Dan Ruehl both said they were caught off guard by the video, starring District employees.

You can see the video below:

“It reflects on this board,” said Ruehl, a member of the Community Development District 9 Board of Supervisors, suggesting the die had already been cast.

Moeller pointed out that in the past, residents who were interested in a particular activity, such as table tennis enthusiasts and disc golf fans, have come before PWAC and made a pitch. He noted that in the case of the dock improvements at Lake Sumter Landing, none of the potential beneficiaries, such as dragon boaters or kayakers, said anything to PWAC.

Moeller said it appeared the project “just dropped out of the sky.”

PWAC member Steve Bova was a bit more direct in his recap of the timeline of the Lake Sumter Landing dock project.

“Let’s be honest about how it came it us, fellas. It was dropped in our lap,” Bova said. “The video was made. The drawings were on the wall on the Rohan Rec Center. It was a done deal before we got here.”

He indicated that residents are being hit with rising expenses, including a major SECO rate hike.

“We need to be very conscious about how we spend our money – what we need vs. what we want,” Bova said.

PWAC members had asked last month that District staff request the Developer contribute to the Lake Sumter Landing dock project. Assistant District Manager Bruce Brown, who appeared in the promotional video, said the Developer was approached about making a contribution, but offered “no response.”