Ellie’s Notes April 27, 2025
It has been a very busy and productive couple of weeks here in Sun City Center, and we’ve seen progress on a number of fronts.
Please be sure to forward these communiques to your friends and associates to get the word out. Hopefully, everyone not receiving our communications will go to our website and sign up to receive our communications directly.
Recent SaveSCC Informational Sessions
I consider both of our recent Save Sun City Center (SaveSCC) Informational Sessions — March 26th at the Rollins Theater, and April 16th at the Community Hall — good successes. Between the two meetings, we had attendance of well over 600 folks, who were educated and informed about the many issues we face, as well as our plans to protect the green spaces and golf courses. We had some volunteers step up for our work groups, received donations and provided tee shirts, window clings, signs and banners to promote our cause.
We were especially grateful for the attendance of Adam Gormly, Department Director – Development Services, who briefly spoke about the pending bills that would allow development under the Live Local Act in Planned Developments like ours. We also appreciated Ron Clark’s attendance and brief words as well.
Thank you all for your support to all who attended the session. This is a community effort that can only be accomplished by our SaveSCC army working together.
Call to Action for Work Group Volunteers
A critical measure of our success in inspiring you is to get you working with us. There are a multitude of areas where human capital is required.
Click here for the Volunteer Form, outlining some of the areas where help is needed, so you can reply indicating your areas of interest or expertise. Then, we can get you involved in the right area. Please review the opportunities and tell us where you’d like to work with us.
We have a comprehensive game plan, but we need help to execute the work necessary and need committed folks. Please review and return the form to me at getinvolved@savescc.org or snail mail it to me at 1357 Emerald Dunes Dr, Sun City Center, FL 33573 so we can harness your gifts most effectively to protect our community, lifestyle, golf courses and green spaces.
We will be bringing all the volunteers together on May 28th at 1:30 in the Community Hall for a kickoff volunteer / work group meeting to discuss the opportunities and to construct and add to the existing and new teams. This meeting will be for volunteers only and not on Zoom. We really need you if we are to prevail. If you can’t attend the meeting we can still loop you in when the teams are formed.
Call to Action Regarding SB 1730 and HB 943
Both of these bills would explicitly designate existing Planned Developments or Planned Unit Development as applicable land uses or zoning for development of affordable rental housing under the Live Local Act.
Both can easily be tracked by bill number via the web:
SB 1730 – https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1730
Approved in Senate 36 to 0 on 4/16/2025. Now in the House of Representatives.
HB 943 – https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/943
Still in the House of Representatives.
I know a number of you have already written to our legislators – Representative Mike Owen (michael.owen@flhouse.gov) and Senator Jim Boyd (boyd.jim.web@flsenate.gov). Thank you!
After further reflection and discussion with our political advisors, I suggest that you send your email to all our legislators. Below this paragraph, you will find the links to the excel spreadsheets with their email addresses, which you can cut and paste into the BCC field in your email message to email them all – senators and representatives and put yourself in the TO field.
You might also want to send a copy to our county commissioners at https://hcflgov.formstack.com/forms/contact_commissioner?field152422872=1%0A2%0A3%0A4%0A5%0A6%0A7 to let them know we are out here watching, advocating and voting.
If you need a draft to stimulate your thinking, here are three options for your consideration from SaveSCC members:
Option A
I urge you to please amend bills SB 1730 and HB 943 so they WILL NOT APPLY to Planned Developments, especially in 55+ communities, including Sun City Center.
Option B
I am writing to request that you amend FL Senate Bill 1730 and House Bill 943 to include language stating that the Live Local Act Law will not apply to Planned Developments or Planned Unit Developments. Specifically, I encourage you to state that Planned Development, especially in 55+ communities, are exempt from development on previously approved and built planned developments in areas designated and built as green spaces, conservation areas, recreation areas, and/or golf courses for the purpose of future building.
Sun City Center is a Planned Development zoned community. Green spaces and golf courses are the heart and soul of our community. Building on golf courses and green spaces would destroy the character of our community and neighborhoods, increase traffic, noise and, most importantly, harm humans and negatively impact their welfare, safety, health and financial well-being. It would also increase flooding, wipe out the remaining wildlife habitat, and basically destroy all that makes Sun City Center a magical place to live.
Thank you for listening to the people you represent. Please vote to preserve and protect the green spaces desperately needed and designed into our beautiful community. Further development would be sheer madness.
Option C
I am writing concerning bills SB 1730 and HB 943 seeking to clarify what land uses are applicable for development under the Live Local Act. Please do not allow PDs and PUDs to be included in the land designations applicable for development.
Planned Development or Planned Unit Developments like ours in Sun City Center allow more community-focused designs, incorporating residential housing, golf courses and recreating areas in harmonious and unique designs that maximize the community design and attractiveness. Sun City Center remains unique among all senior living communities in Florida, as the community was designed to be all-inclusive with residential, recreational, and commercial areas for shopping and services, places of worship, a post office and medical services. These were the intentions when our community was built from the onset in 1961 as one of Del Webb’s original, totally contained towns for active senior living.
Planned developments with their unique and thoughtful designs should not be promoted as the next target for infill development by developers and local officials as solutions are sought for affordable rental housing. Owners in the communities bought the community concept with its higher prices, mandatory dues and premiums, because they were buying not only a home, but a lifestyle and community that should not be thrown asunder.
Please, I urge you and your colleagues to eliminate Planned Development or at least those that are 55+ as a protected and vulnerable group from consideration for development under Live Local or any other sweeping legislation targeting our communities. There are still many areas available for development that would not destroy existing communities. Target underdeveloped areas, not established communities that were well planned and loved by their owner-occupiers.
Thank you for your consideration and support to protect your constituents in these times where corporate greed and politics trump citizen’s investment and commitment to their communities.
The current legislative session ends this week so please do not delay. Make your voice count!
Legislative Process for a New Bill to be Signed into Law
In Florida, for a bill to be sent to the governor for signature into law, it must be passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. For those of you who would appreciate an overview, here is the process:
Introduction: A bill can be introduced in either the Florida House of Representatives or the Senate. It is then assigned to one or more committees for review.
Committee Review and Debate: The bill is discussed, and revisions may be made in committee meetings. If the committee approves the bill, it is sent back to the floor of the respective chamber.
Chamber Vote: The full chamber (either the House or the Senate) debates the bill and may make further amendments. If a majority of the members vote in favor, the bill passes that chamber.
Second Chamber: The bill is then sent to the other chamber (House if it started in the Senate, or Senate if it started in the House) where it goes through a similar process: committee review, debate, and a chamber vote.
Reconciliation: If the second chamber makes amendments, the bill returns to the originating chamber for agreement. If both chambers cannot agree on the final form of the bill, a conference committee may be established to reconcile differences.
Final Approval: Once both chambers agree on the final text, the bill is sent to the governor.
Governor’s Action: The governor can sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it. If vetoed, the legislature can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.
This process ensures that both legislative bodies have input and agreement on proposed laws before they are enacted.
Side Note
I see everything about protecting our golf courses as a non-partisan issue. We need the support of all of our community members and organizations to pursue the protection of our community and others from misguided, unchecked growth and improper development without sufficient infrastructure negating community designs and adopted community plans. To that end, we are working to establish further liaisons with our local Democratic and Republican Clubs to ask them to enlist folks on a statewide basis to energize and resist any legislative bill that advocates development in existing Planned Developments. We also seek to leverage their help in our local fight as ClubLink proceeds with definitive action.
I’d also like to thank Ron Clark and the CA board for their recent Public Service Announcement concerning SB 1730 and HB 943. Thank you!
TWC Enterprises Limited 2024 Annual Report – ClubLink
https://www.twcenterprises.ca/TWC/Assets/Documents/Annual_Quarterly_Reports/TWC%202024%20Annual%20Report.pdf
Here are a few Florida and Sun City Center relevant highlights from ClubLink’s 2024 Annual Report:
We need your help to stop them in their tracks!
We need you to:
- Read our communications and share them with others.
- Engage your friends in the discussion and effort.
- Wear your SaveSCC tee shirt around town and in meetings, clubs and activities in our community.
- Do volunteer work for SaveSCC.
- Donate $’s.
- Donate your time.
- Send emails to our legislators and county commissioners.
Please do your part. I and others are working our butts off and need your help! We can’t do it alone. Thanks!
Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337