Ellie’s Notes – March 11, 2026
Hope this note finds you enjoying our “Spring”. The golf courses are busy, the pools are seeing more bathers, and birds, wildlife, greenery and flowers abound with new life emerging. What a wonderful place to enjoy our retirement and the great outdoors with friends and neighbors.
Fun Fest is this Saturday, March 14th, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. It is one of my favorite community events with opportunities to meet new folks, check out our SCC clubs, affiliated organizations and local businesses and enjoy some great food and entertainment. Save Sun City Center will be there with our SaveSCC table to speak with interested folks and offer SaveSCC tee shirts and other materials for a nominal donation. Stop by.
We’ll be at Table 41 in front of the Arts and Crafts Building on Cherry Hill Dr across from Bunka / Needlepoint. We’d love to see you and get you up to speed and on board. We will also distribute our newest postcards for folks to share around town with their neighbors, friends and local businesses to promote protecting our golf courses from development.
I could use some help in our booth if you are so inclined. Please let me know via email or call and we’ll get you on the schedule.
If you have a SaveSCC tee shirt, wear it to Fun Fest and support the cause making us more visible in the community. You’ll also have a great “green” outfit for St Paddy’s Day! A win on both fronts! If you don’t have one, this is an excellent opportunity to get one at our booth. It is “must-wear fashion” that will be very compelling as we organize and demonstrate to protect our golf courses and community.
Our newly updated and printed SaveSCC postcards are done and will be available at Fun Fest. Please stop by and get some to share. If you want an electronic version, they are available for download from our website at SaveSCC.org.
Most importantly, Save Sun City Center has scheduled a “vitally important” informational meeting for residents of the community that will include several topics, including the submission by ClubLink with Hillsborough County potentially move forward with its plans to develop housing on three golf courses it owns within Sun City Center, legislative and zoning concerns and other topics.
The SaveSCC meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on April 22, 2026 in the Sun City Center Community Hall, 1910 S Pebble Beach Blvd, in Sun City Center. Save SCC representatives will be present at 4 p.m. to address any specific concerns or pre-meeting questions and/or to accept donations and provide SaveSCC promotional items including tee shirts, lawn signs, window slicks and more.
ClubLink first announced its intentions and tentative plans for its residential development for Sun City Center golf course properties four years ago on March 22, 2022. This Canadian company then closed Sandpiper Golf Course on June 1, 2023, with almost no notice. Since then, ClubLink has not communicated to the community about their intentions.
In early 2024, ClubLink filed three separate “Notice of Intent (NOI) to Propose Project under the Live Local Act” with no communication to the community. The NOI letters delivered to Hillsborough County Development Services gave notice that ClubLink potentially intends to develop projects on the closed North Lakes, Caloosa Greens and Sandpiper golf courses using the Live Local Act for affordable housing.
What specifically those project details are still remains unknown to the public at this time. Since its submission, ClubLink has gone “quiet” after the February 2024 letters, and has filed no projects for Sun City Center, according to Hillsborough County records and officials.
Some of the SaveSCC team have been quietly working behind the scenes, preparing and waiting on ClubLink, but it’s vitally important that all of us, who want to preserve and protect our golf courses and green spaces, gather together at this upcoming meeting. There is a lot to be done now in preparation for ClubLink’s next move, and we want everyone to get informed, up to speed and working on our plans as we prepare for ClubLink’s eventual plans and filings for development.
Again, we will provide post cards promoting the Informational Meeting on April 22 at Fun Fest or you may download the .pdfs from our SaveSCC web site at https://savescc.org.
ClubLink’s most recently published Quarterly Report – 3rd Quarter 2025 says “The Company is considering strategic options for its underutilized land at Sun City which includes development options for unutilized land.” Please know that they are determined and will not just go away. They are determined to make money off their investment and that means development!
I have been hearing rumors of activities on the North Course including surveying activities, potential changes with respect to Toro and where they will be mowing, and telephone poles on the course. Unfortunately, these rumors lacked specific time, date and location data making it impossible to explore the details.
It is always difficult to separate fact from fiction and to find out what the facts are in terms of potential signals for next steps from ClubLink that may be imminent.
There is also the very real possibility that the activities could be related to County projects, use of easements by Teco, the County and utility providers. There are extensive easements throughout the community.
I have spoken with Paul Ascioti Director of Operations, ClubLink here at Club Renaissance. He confirmed that ClubLink has a continuing relationship with Toro where they use ClubLink properties here in SCC and at Palm Aire in Pompano Beach for their product testing and research. That relationship is managed out of Canada and he did not have any specifics on any upcoming changes but said he would not be surprised if there are changes as Toro has been seeking a larger area for testing and Sandpiper is about 250 acres as opposed to the North Course that is about 170 acres. Time will tell.
You all are “our eyes and ears”, whether it’s in the media – radio, TV, social, or other or in your backyard. Please help keep us informed.
As I’ve mentioned just a few times 😊, we need everyone’s help if we’re going to stop ClubLink. And here’s how you can do that with only a little effort — be our eyes and ears out there.
What do I mean by that? If you’re walking the neighborhood, or driving past any of the closed courses, just keep a casual lookout. Spot a survey crew, people with notebooks walking around the golf course, or just anything out of the ordinary? Snap a quick photo, jot down the date and location, and send the details my way. (andersonellie@mac.com and getinvolved@savescc.org). If they leave stakes or paint on the ground, take a photo of the color and any writing on the lath (wood stakes).
And don’t stop at what you see in the neighborhood. Hear folks talking about permits at an HOA/COA/membership meeting, or you read something in the paper or online about zoning changes? Maybe you notice something in local Facebook groups or Nextdoor or even a random flyer on a lamppost? If you are reporting something from the media – please provide a link, copy or .pdf of the media source. Send me an email. Every tip helps in our fight to stay ahead of ClubLink.
But be cautious, too. You don’t have to confront someone. If you can ask a question nicely, great. If it means “chasing” after someone, let it go. We’re not asking you to play detective — just be the neighborhood pulse.
As always, any help is a big help. As the saying goes, many hands make for light work.
“Be a Witness, Not a Participant.” Documentation is more powerful than an argument.
We will do our best to determine what is happening and report any findings.
There are a number of County Capital Improvement Projects in the works for Sun City Center that also may be related to something you see. Below is the list compiled from the Hillsborough County Web Site:
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/1452ac696ac94c30a83a1fef11679263
This chart and the Project Fact Sheet for each of these projects is attached for those seeking more information.
Other project details from Jan 2025 are available on the CA web site at:
For your convenience the pdf of the PowerPoint is attached.
Teco is conducting major storm-hardening projects in Sun City Center and the surrounding areas. In 2024 TECO replaced wooden poles with steel, strengthening infrastructure, and clearing vegetation along Rickenbacker. This initiative is part of a broader, multi-year plan by Teco to improve grid resilience and reliability.
Another important topic we will be discussing in the near future is compatibility and recent legislative efforts to revise this concept as it relates to protecting the “character” of existing neighborhoods which is an important aspect of our argument against development.
Please be sure to share this communique with your friends, neighbors and associates. Better yet, help them to sign up on our website at https://savescc.org/114-2/ to receive our electronic communication so they are “in the loop”.
Hope to see you Saturday at Fun Fest!
Best Regards,
Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337