Thanks for shedding light on this. As a conservative Republican, I am amazed at the protectionism that emanates from some of our Republican legislators in Tallahassee. I expect it from the Democrats, but was raised with a disdain for crony capitalism and thought pay-to-play policy making was something conservatives eschew. A conservative legislature would set a level playing field for the business community and get the heck out of the way rather than writing in sweeteners for the corporation that strokes the biggest check.
Great work, Jason. I wish more media outlets would spend the time needed to explain to the public who Tallahassee actually works for. Would you consider being interviewed?
Going off memory here, but The Villages uses structures known as "community development districts." There are some similarities: CDDs can also issue tax-exempt bonds, for instance, and developers use them to pay for infrastructure like private roads, retention ponds, community amenities, etc. that they then make future homeowners pay for through annual assessments on top of their property tax bills.....But Reedy Creek's powers are far broader. It has nearly all of the powers that a regular city or county government would have (though not *all* of them; Reedy Creek can't run its own police department, for instance).
Thanks. Was hoping it was the same arrangement as Reedy Creek and I could watch DeSantis make a hypocrite of himself. He’d never go after The Villages….too Republican!
Thanks for shedding light on this. As a conservative Republican, I am amazed at the protectionism that emanates from some of our Republican legislators in Tallahassee. I expect it from the Democrats, but was raised with a disdain for crony capitalism and thought pay-to-play policy making was something conservatives eschew. A conservative legislature would set a level playing field for the business community and get the heck out of the way rather than writing in sweeteners for the corporation that strokes the biggest check.
Great work, Jason. I wish more media outlets would spend the time needed to explain to the public who Tallahassee actually works for. Would you consider being interviewed?
Curious if The Villages also enjoy the same deal that Disney’s Reedy Creek does?
Going off memory here, but The Villages uses structures known as "community development districts." There are some similarities: CDDs can also issue tax-exempt bonds, for instance, and developers use them to pay for infrastructure like private roads, retention ponds, community amenities, etc. that they then make future homeowners pay for through annual assessments on top of their property tax bills.....But Reedy Creek's powers are far broader. It has nearly all of the powers that a regular city or county government would have (though not *all* of them; Reedy Creek can't run its own police department, for instance).
Thanks. Was hoping it was the same arrangement as Reedy Creek and I could watch DeSantis make a hypocrite of himself. He’d never go after The Villages….too Republican!