The first non-family member has been chosen to serve as the next chief executive officer of The Villages.
Robert Chandler IV, 47, who was lured away by The Villages from Lake County government in 2018, will serve as the next CEO of Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
Chandler will succeed Mark Morse, son of H. Gary Morse and grandson of founder of The Villages Harold Schwartz. It isn’t quite clear whether Morse will be yielding full control to Chandler, as Morse told The Villages Daily Sun, he is “not going anywhere.”
Chandler has been the vice president for development for The Villages since 2023, following in the footsteps of Gary Moyer.
There has been word for some time that That Villages has been envisioning a more buttoned-down, corporate-like approach to its executive focus, as The Villages looks forward to many more years of rapid growth. Chandler’s polish and MBA from the University of Florida, certainly fit the bill.
And some family members in recent years, who had appeared to be in line for a generational transfer of The Villages leadership, no longer seem to be in the chain of command.
Mark Morse’s daughter, Kelsea Morse Manly was once seen as the next in training for the top job, but these days she seems more content to live a rural life with her husband.
Ryan McCabe also seemed a viable candidate for a top leadership job with The Villages. McCabe was previously married to Paige Boone, daughter of The Villages Vice President Jennifer Parr. McCabe’s father, Mackie McCabe, was the director of hospitality for The Villages for many years. Even after the divorce, he remained in favor with the family.
McCabe spent more than 10 years as director of marketing, operations manager, and the executive vice president of operations. Overseeing more than 1,500 employees, his role at The Villages included the daily operations of a diverse group of divisions, such as golf, entertainment, restaurants, the newspaper, golf cart manufacturing and sales, hydroponic farming, hotel operations, business analytics, and budgeting. However, McCabe quietly left The Villages in 2024. He has since been appointed to the Board of Trustees for Beacon College in Leesburg.
Lindsey Blaise, niece of Mark Morse and daughter of his sister Tracy, had earned high praise for her leadership of Citizens First Bank. But she stepped away from the bank in 2024, citing family priorities. The Morse family sold off the bank in 2025.
Villages Founder Harold Schwartz acquired the original Orange Blossom Gardens – a small trailer park in the middle of nowhere in Central Florida – in 1983 after a disagreement with his partner about the future of the community. He brought his son, H. Gary Morse, in to manage OBG and its 386 mobile homes. And together, the duo started making improvements, like adding swimming pools and golf courses, that would propel the successful formation of The Villages.
Schwartz died in 2003 at age 93. Morse died in 2014 at age of 77.
Morse’s three children – Tracy, Mark and Jennifer – have unquestionably taken “the dream” to the next level. All three are now in their 60s.
In 2024, Jennifer purchased a $21 million beachfront home on Gasparilla Island in Lee County.