Notes from Ellie

Hello All,

Hope this communique finds you well and looking forward to Fall in Sun City Center.

Kudos

Kudos go out to the entire SaveSCC membership and supporters.

The web site continues to offer more information and features. We’re raised $ 985.00 since Aug 7^th via the web donation page at SaveSCC.org.

Time to Gear Up and Get Involved for the Fall Push!

It is time to geared up, re-invigorated and revved up for our fall push.  It will be all about preparation and execution of our door-to-door campaign come November and there is lots to do before then. I will be discussing that with you all at our working session next Tuesday, September 13^th in the Rollins Theatre at 6 pm or via Zoom. The following documents will also be discussed:

Restrictive Covenant Agreement

Termination of Restrictive Covenant Agreement

One woman’s perspective of how SCC got here.

For some sixty years here in Sun City Center, the developers and the residents of Sun City Center have collaborated in the creation, development, maintenance, beatification, evolution and future of this unique and special community. These efforts have seen changes, challenges and evolutions throughout that 60-year history. But that long and sometimes bumpy road was close to reaching its endpoint in 2008 when WCI’s financial peril, Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, led to:

• 2010 WCI’S sales of the developable property to Minto as the last developer of Sun City Center as designed and platted.
• 2010 WCI’s sale to  ClubLink as the new owner of the golf properties.

Development concluded with Minto’s departure in 2020 after its final home was sold. The initial community concept, vision, plan and execution to create the essence of Sun City Center rested solely with Del Webb when he went about replicating his successful experiment from Sun City Arizona. That vision included a community solely for active retirees 55+ who would have extensive facilities indoor and outdoor to support all manner of recreating and socializing. Golf remains a cornerstone activity since the founding and opening of Sun City Center. Over time more courses were added by  developers (Sandpiper, Caloosa Greens and Club Renaissance) and community members (Caloosa).

The developers who started, expanded, maintained and supported our community are gone. This was not an unforeseen milestone. Sound actions were taken by the Community Association Boards over the years to prepare for this eventuality. Capital Fund contributions for sales of properties in Sun City were initiated and increased, and dues were raised to fund beautification of the medians on N. Pebble Beach. Professional studies and committees were commissioned to explore the costs of potentially acquiring the golf courses but the final decision on multiple occasions by those in power was not to do so.

One of Sun City Center’s most visible and potentially valuable centerpieces is its golf courses and green spaces.  Under the developer’s ownership, these assets were maintained to standards that increased the value of all properties in Sun City Center and were a significant draw for potential buyers.  These centerpiece amenities improved every property and their property values. Wide open spaces and vista with greenspaces and wildlife abounded.

With the sale of the golf courses to ClubLink in 2010, the interest of residents and property owners and those of the golf course  owner were no longer aligned.  The residents wanted well maintained golf facilities and golfers wanted good tee time availability at reasonable costs.  The golf course owner and operator wanted to maximize profits by minimizing expenditures.  That led to a decline in services and conditions and little to no capital investment to address issues with irrigation, drainage or building maintenance over the last 12 years under Clublink.  The assets’ physical condition continues to decline and deteriorate.

Who knows what their assessment and plan was in acquiring these properties then, now, or in the future?

Due to a restrictive covenant agreement between Minto and WCI, and its successor in the golf courses – Clublink, ClubLink was prohibited from developing or selling lots on their golf course properties until the agreement was terminated in 2017.  Only the parties to the release of the restrictive covenant know why the release  occurred then or whether there were any other factors involved and they are not talking. With Minto projects complete and delivered in 2020,  the opportune time to pursue development for ClubLink apparently has arrived.

Interest in golf membership and play seems to have waned, at least according to ClubLink and their CEO K. Rai Sahi. Development offers better returns.

In 2007 when WCI was in a sharp decline dramatically reducing staff and seeing its stock value plunge, a Sun City Center resident Ed Jacobs and others saw the handwriting on the wall. He established a non-profit organization called The Sun City Center Golf and Social Club, Inc. to acquire Sandpiper, Caloosa Greens and the North Lakes courses.  His assessment was spot on but his plan never came to fruition. Unfortunately WCI was in disarray and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2008 and change was on the horizon. Everyone thought the fight was about ownership of golf courses, not who would be the potential developer of the remaining land in Sun City Center.

Today the situation raises  grave concern with ClubLink’s proposal to close golf courses and develop residential homes instead.

So some key questions arise:

• What does the community seek for its future – more development or protection of our golf courses and green space for recreation in the future or somewhere in between ?
• Are we as a community willing to fund, acquire, maintain and utilize these properties so that the community is making these decisions now and in the future and is in control of what happens?

These questions and responses will forever affect the very character, services, and future economics of our community and the residential property values of our homes for better or worse. It is a critical concern that must be thoroughly explored, analyzed and rationally decided.

I remain optimistic that any application for development rezoning can be defeated based on fact that any residential or commercial development of the golf courses is inconsistent and incompatible with the Greater Sun City Community Plan as adopted by the County Board of Commissioners in 2010 and would require a major modification for rezoning and/or a comprehensive plan amendment which will very difficult to achieve.

It is the economic commitment of the community that is more uncertain and of greater necessity to secure control of the courses and green space via community ownership in some fashion.  There have been opportunities in the past to acquire the North Lakes course and the North Lakes, Caloosa Greens and Sandpiper.  Those opportunities were not seized by those in power.

Our door-to-door petition effort in November will give us a good fix on whether Sun City Center owners and residents want to stop any rezoning and that will be an important event. This will conclusively show the will of the people on this matter for our county commissioners and our CA Board.

Planning, Planning, Planning

‘Tis the season for planning both at the County level and also here with SCC. The Long Range Planning (LRP) Committee  held two meetings on Thursday. About 65 CA members attended the am session and about another 55 at the pm session.  The AM session in my estimation was more interactive and fruitful over the two hours. The PM session was less vocal and ran about an hour by design of the .  The LRP team did a good job and are to be commended.  I remain concerned that they do not plan on playing the findings back to the community before doing a survey on Survey Monkey and they spoke of whittling down the input????  In good conceptual design you want to gather every bit of user input for the design phase. Not whittle it down. Guess we will have to see what comes next.

Fruits of My Research

My research has been extensive over the summer and led to many more insights and facts. I have been spending time in the SCC library and have compiled some of the information I sought previously from the CA and Bob Sullivan regarding the prior task forces and their reports regarding the golf courses and also details from the Historical Society regarding planning efforts and results in SCC.  All in all a very satisfactory fishing mission with more to come.  I will be potentially joining the Historical Society and will attend their meeting on September 12^th to see if there is a good “fit”.

Possible Run for the CA Board

I am seriously considering running for a 1-year seat on the CA Board and picked up the paperwork this week. Previously when urged to do so, I always flatly said no because of the amount of time and energy I am investing in our SaveSCC initiative. And that is my first and foremost priority.  But I am coming around to the belief that there could be great synergy in doing both. I am in the discernment process and will keep you advised. The deadline is October 5, 2022, 3 pm.

I am interested in your thoughts on the matter. Either way, I am asking all of you to step forward and get more involved in SaveSCC and all of our SCC community endeavors.  It is critical we all put forth the best we have to offer to improve our community during this very critical time when so much is at stake.

Hope to see you in person Tuesday!

 

Please keep forwarding our information to your friends and associates. It is important to keep folks informed and onboard.

Thank you all for your continued participation and support! If you have not yet registered as a member of Save Sun City Center, please visit our website SaveSCC.org and do so. We need you! You help me keep on keeping on and inspire me!

If it is to be, it is up to “we”. And you are part of “we”.

Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337

 

Notes from Ellie

Hello All,

Hope you all are enjoying our intermittent rains and a little relief from the heat!

My Call from Bob Sullivan

Bob called Thursday to give me a briefing on his call with John Finlayson. His update to me was simply conveying what he had said at the Board meeting the day before.

Bob Sullivan spoke briefly twice during the CA Board meeting this week with respect to his conversation with John Finlayson, COO, ClubLink. One time was his update during the board meeting and the second time was during the audience comments section after the board meeting was adjourned in response to a question from a Zoom participant who was unable to hear his initial comments. The essence is as follows.

There have been rumors that ClubLink was making some $2 million a year at Sandpiper and that the course might continue to operate. John Finlayson indicated that neither rumor was true. ClubLink’s game plan is to close Sandpiper at the end of year after the course greens renovation work is complete at Club Renaissance and Scepter. John also said that speculation that ClubLink was making millions of dollars at Sandpiper was simply untrue, the course traffic and rates simply do not generate that kind of revenue.

Per Bob, John indicated that ClubLink was not open to talking about donation of land to the CA until development proceeds. Per ClubLink, due to current conditions of the market, building costs, current housing prices, etc., they are in a holding pattern. They still intend to develop and will hold the properties until they do so.

Personally, I am grateful for Bob’s continued dialogue with John. However, we will not know what they are doing or contemplating except by their actions and works in public view. I do not put too much credence in what is said.

We in SaveSCC must continue full speed ahead to make sure, when the time comes, we are fully prepared and ready for their actions with the county or others.

Our sources at the County continue to indicate that they have no word or application from ClubLink to date.

On a separate note Bob thanked us for the excellent and thorough correspondence to the County regarding Greenspace and indicated that he has spoken with Sarah Caper, Project Manager for the Greenways Master Plan Update for Unincorporated Hillsborough County, offering his assistance and input from the CA.

Donations are Online at SaveSCC.org

Donations are being successfully received and processed via the SaveSCC.org donation page. Hooray!

Thank you donors!

SaveSCC Petition Door to Door Canvassing Plan

There has been little interest in the sign up by street for our petition canvassing effort door-to-door.

After much careful thought and discussions to optimize the results, the advisory groups and board have concluded that our door-to-door canvassing effort would be best conducted in November. That would afford the best weather possible conducive to the effort with the maximum number of part-timers and snowbirds back in town whilst not delaying too much to put our efforts at risk of being too late and being surprised by ClubLink.

We will be back to everyone with details for our working session on September 27, 2022.

Greater Sun City Center Area Community Plan

I think by now you all understand my gratitude and continuing interest in all things related to the Greater Sun City Center Community Plan. I have continued to seek information on the effort and speak with those who were involved in this endeavor. My efforts are continually rewarded with more of the backstory.

Below is a brief introduction to the effort which was written by Paul Courter, one of the original participants who compiled the grass roots citizens input to create the written plan.

The Greater Sun City Center Community Plan is without question the most reliable gauge of what our residents, businesses and other stakeholders want for our future….because they wrote it.

To help each community address its own unique qualities and characteristics and guide its future, Hillsborough County established a formal planning process in 1998. Pulling together the opinions, objectives and hopes of widely diverse populations proved to be a challenge, and initial planning did not go smoothly. After two unsuccessful attempts, effective community planning still did not exist for Greater Sun City Center eight years later.

A third effort was launched in February, 2007 with a “revitalization of planning effort” meeting in community hall, led by a representative of the County Planning and Growth Management Department. That resulted in a series of 20 public meetings, each widely advertised and open to all—including residents, developers, business owners, government officials, and anyone else interested in the community’s future.
Each planning session was announced in newspaper notices and roadside placards throughout the area. Though the process was overseen and guided by County Planning Commission professionals, the procedure and content were not dictated by any government entity or official.

There was no “audience”. Everyone who attended took part in the decision-making. Afterward, a group of volunteers set about organizing the priorities and proposals established, and recording those findings in written form to be presented for approval by the County Commission. Like the previous meetings, these sessions were open to anyone who chose to participate.

The final result is our Greater Sun City Center Community Plan, dated September 2009. It is one of 21 such plans prepared by communities throughout Unincorporated Hillsborough County.

Thank you Paul. All those who contributed to this plan have the thanks of a grateful community. Their efforts lie at the heart of SaveSCC’s efforts to protect Sun City Center’s golf courses and green spaces now to retain the character and charm of our unique, premiere retirement community forever! You have given us the means and we fully intend to use them.

Zoom Meeting Info

If you want to Zoom to our next meeting, click here.

Agenda

Click here to display the agenda for our working session meeting Tuesday, August 23, 2022 on Zoom or in the Rollins Theatre at 6 pm.

Please keep forwarding our information to your friends and associates. It is important to keep folks informed and onboard.

Thank you all for your continued participation and support! If you have not yet registered as a member of Save Sun City Center, please visit our website SaveSCC.org and do so. We need you! You help me keep on keeping on and inspire me!

If it is to be, it is up to “we”. And you are part of “we”.

Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337

Notes from Ellie

Hello All,

Hope you are staying dry in this lovely rain!

Donations are Online at SaveSCC.org

The donation page is live on our web site right here.

We look forward to receiving your donations online as the spirit moves you!

Many thanks to Peter Bates and Eric Nisenfeld for their excellent work on this project.

SaveSCC Petition Coordination Plan

While there are many important activities underway to secure our victory in the fight to preserve our greenspace and golf courses, there is one area where you can make a substantial difference and contribution.

Here’s the backstory. There are a number of wildcards that can affect the course of any application that ClubLink or their developer files with Hillsborough County. One of those wildcards is the Sun City Center Community Association Board. Their stance and potential actions could have significant bearing on the outcome . In matters of this type, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners can and does ask the CA Board for their input in writing stating their position either in support of the application or against. We must be prepared if the Board, in their representation of the community, says they support development. The method to counteract such an occurrence is to have petition signatures from an overwhelming, compelling , majority of Sun City Center members indicating that they do not support any rezoning, permitting, plan modification or other mechanism to allow development on the golf courses, especially those that need rezoning.

That’s why our SaveSCC petition effort is so critical – it represents the strength and support of our community. If in overwhelming majority numbers, it will potentially trump any  CA Board action to the contrary. This is not a fight I wish to engage and I hope that ultimately the CA Board will support our position. But we must not leave this fate or chance. Let’s have the signatures in the bag.

So what’s the plan?  We have analyzed the courses, the streets, and property records. We are looking for volunteers to sign up, for every street, street by street to cover every single street and residence in Sun City Center. We also want to make sure we include any CA members in Ashton Gardens, etc.

If our preliminary research is correct, there are 228 streets in Sun City Center. 131 streets do not have residences that abut a golf course. 86 streets have residences on 1 golf course. 11 streets have residences on two golf courses. Here is the breakdown:

 

STREET NAME
	Course	# of Properties Abutted	Course	# of Properties Abutted
Adrean Pl
Alanhurst Way
Alexander Crossing Way
Allegheny Dr.	North Lakes	40
American Eagle Way
Amesbury Cir	Sandpiper	9
Amhurst Cir
Andover Cir
Arbor Glen Ct
Ardmore Way	Sandpiper	4
Arrowhead Dr.
Aston Gardens Ct
Athens Way	Club Renaissance	4
Atrium Dr.
Augusta Dr	North Lakes	29
Aura Ct.
Austin Hill Ct	Sandpiper	3
Azalea Landings Ct
Baltursol Way
Barstow Ct
Beach Blvd
Bel Air Ave
Belle Glade Ave
Bentwood Dr.	Caloosa	5
Berry Roberts Dr.
Blackhawk Cir
Blackstone Cir
Bluewater Dr.
Bosky Ct
Brannen Cir
Brattleboro Cir
Breth Ct
Brockfield Dr.	Sandpiper	10
Brookton Green Dr.
Bryce Ct
Bryn Mawr Ave
Bunker Hill Dr.
Burbank Ct
Burlington Cir
Butterfly Pl.
Cactusflower Ln
Caloosa Blvd
Caloosa Creek Ct
Caloosa Lake Ct
Caloosa Palms Ct	Caloosa Greens	18	Caloosa	23
Caloosa Woods Ln	Caloosa Greens	24
Camellia Green Dr.	Caloosa	12
Captiva Ct	Club Renaissance	3
Carswell Cir
Castle Pines Ln.
Cherry Hills Ct	North Lakes	42
Chevy Chase Dr.
Chickory Ln	Caloosa	4
Chipper Dr	Club Renaissance	20	Sandpiper	39
Churchill Pl	North Lakes	3
Cloister Dr
Club Manor Dr	Sandpiper	18
Coco Palm Cir	Sandpiper	6
Columbine Pl
Comfy Ct
Costa St
Council Dr
Courtyard Blvd
Cranston Pl	Sandpiper	6
Crystal Downs Ct.	Club Renaissance	4	Sandpiper	4
Crystal Greens Dr	Club Renaissance	17
Cypress Pl
Danbury Dr
Dedham Dr
Deep Lake Ln
Desert Hills Dr	North Lakes	24
Desert Hills Way	North Lakes	9
Dickman Cir
Dower Way
E Brockton Pl	North Lakes	3
East Del Webb Blvd — from Rickenbaker to Bryce Ct.	Caloosa	9	Caloosa Greens 9	97
East View Dr	Caloosa	35
Eastloch Ct	Sandpiper	5
El Rancho Dr	North Lakes	40
El Rio Dr.
El Turco Ct	North Lakes	2
Elkhorn Rd.
Emerald Dunes Dr	Club Renaissance	112
Emerald Lake Dr
Faircross Cir	Sandpiper	7
Fairside Ct	Sandpiper	5
Fairway Ridge Ct	Sandpiper	22
Faxton Dr
Flamingo Ln
Fordham Dr
Fort Duquesna Dr
Fox Hills Dr	North Lakes	44
Galen Ct
Gardenia Landings Ln
Genet Ct	North Lakes	4
Grand Chateaux Way	Club Renaissance	4
Grand Cypress Ln
Granville Ln
Grayson Ct
Green Manor Dr
Hacienda Dr	North Lakes	33
Harkness Way
Harwick Dr
Haverford Ave
Heron Dr
Hickory Stick Ct
Hospital Service Rd
Huxley Pl	North Lakes	2
Imar Dr
Indian Wells Ave
Islip Way
Jacobson Cir
Jasmine Creek Ct	Club Renaissance	17
Kellwood Ct
Kenley Way
Kilby Way	Sandpiper	3
King Leon Way	Sandpiper	25
Kings Blvd
Knights Gate Ct	Club Renaissance	9
La Jolla Ave	North Lakes	46	Caloosa	4
Lakehouse Ct	Sandpiper	4
Lambdeth Ct
Lehigh Cir
Lenox Greens Dr	Club Renaissance	10
Library Walk Way
Lime Tree Ct
Linger Lane	Caloosa	3
Lively Dr
Lyndhurst Dr	Caloosa	18
Magnolia Landings Ct
Meadowlark Ln	Caloosa	18
Meadowvista Ln
Medina Way
Milford Cir
Misty Greens Dr	Club Renaissance	39
Monmouth Dr
Myrtle Vista Ct	Club Renaissance	10
N Brockfield Dr
N Lake Dr
N Pebble Beach Blvd — from Council to Cherry Hill	North Lake	28	Caloosa	3
Nashua Cir
New Bedford Dr	Club Renaissance	7	Sandpiper	85
Noble Faire Dr	Club Renaissance	34
North Course Ln
North Creek Ct
Northway Dr	Caloosa	13
Norwich Cir
Nutmeg Pl	Sandpiper	6
Oakmont Ave	North Lake	9
Ojai Ave	North Lake	40
Opal Ln
Orchid Ct
Pacific Dunes Dr.	Club Renaissance	9	Sandpiper	31
Peace Ln
Peridot Ln	Club Renaissance	8
Preservation Green Ct	Club Renaissance	15
Presentancia Ln	Caloosa	22
Pineapple Palm Ct	Sandpiper	4
Piper Glen Ct
Platinum Dr	Club Renaissance	64
Plumbrook Rd
Poplar Glen Ct
Quiet Ln
Radford Pl	North Lake	5
Ray Watson Dr
Reading Pl	North Lake	4
Regal Manor Way	Club Renaissance	16	Sandpiper	13
Rickenbacker Dr
Rimini Vista Way	Club Renaissance	6
Riviera Dr	North Lakes	3
Royal Doulton Dr
Royal Links Ct
Runningbrooke Way	Caloosa Greens	10
Rutgers Pl	North Lakes	4
S Brockfield D
S Pebble Beach Dr	Club Renaissance	12	Sandpiper	25
S US Highway 301
Sahara Dr
Sedgewick Ct
Seton Hall Dr
Shea Pl
Siena Vista Pl	Club Renaissance	16
Signature Dr	Club Renaissance	19
Silverbell Ct
Simmons Way
Smithfield Ln	Sandpiper	9
Sola Ln
Spry Ct
State Road 674
Sterling Glen Ct.	Caloosa	35
Stoneham Dr	Sandpiper	6
Stonehouse Ct
Strawpocket Pl
Stroll Ln
Strong Bow Ct
Sun City Center Blvd
Sun City Center Plaza
Sun Key Ct
Tahoe Dr
Tam O’Shanter Ave
Thorn Hill Pl
Thunderbird Ave
Torrey Pines Ave
Tremont Ct
Trinity Lakes Dr
Upper Creek Dr
Valley Forge Blvd
Via Toscana Way	Club Renaissance	9
Victoria Woods Dr
Villeroy Dr	club Renaissance	7
Vincennes Dr
W Brockton Pl	North Lakes	4
West Del Webb Blvd	Freedom Fairways	33
Ward Cir
Warwick Ct
Weatherford Dr
Wedge Ct
West View Dr	Caloosa	8
Westminster Manor Ln	Club Renaissance	8
Westmont Way	Sandpiper	6
Whitetail Ct
Wild Feather Ln
Wimbly Pl
Winterbrooke Way	Caloosa Greens	42	Caloosa	15
Wintersong Ln
Wolf Laurel Dr	Sandpiper	74
Woodmar Dr	Sandpiper	11
Yellowbird Pl

The goal over the next two weeks is to have a volunteer assigned for every single street. Long streets will need multiple people. Sign up at the meeting in person tomorrow night or email us at GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org and we’ll get you on board. The designated person will be responsible for seeing that every single residence is canvassed whether they do it themselves or have a team. We can wait for cooler weather but we should complete this petition drive as early as practical.

There will be special training for all designated canvassers to ensure a consistent practice by all. We do not want to spread any incorrect information or alienate anyone. Everyone will have the same script and materials. No deviations. If a resident wants, they may take a picture of the petition for their reference. Just fold it to cover any signatures as that is proprietary personal information for the signatories that is confidential.

For questions or additional information when canvassing, residents are to be instructed to go to our web site SaveSCC.org for more information, come to a meeting, or contact me. We want to be sure we address their questions fully and accurately.

We will distribute plenty of petition forms and SaveSCC pamphlets to all canvassers.

I’ve attached the petition and pamphlet for your review.

Greenways Master Plan Update

On Aug 8, 2022, at 2:11 PM, Ellie Anderson <andersonellie@mac.com> wrote:

Via Email to Project Manager, Sarah Caper, CaperS@hcflgov.net

Sarah Caper, Project Manager
Greenways Master Plan Update
Hillsborough County

Dear Sarah,

I am writing in response to your effort to obtain community input for the Greenways Master Plan Update for Unincorporated Hillsborough County I am a resident of the Greater Sun City Center Area of Unincorporated Hillsborough County. This area includes Cypress Creek, Valencia Lakes, Sun City Center, Kings Point and Freedom Plaza. A very unique area primarily of 55+ active seniors is Freedom Plaza, Kings Point and Sun City Center, where I live.

We are the most densely populated and extensive area with special provisions for golf cart use and part of the Greater Sun City Center Area within Hillsborough County including special golf cart crossings on 674 and 301 and golf cart lanes on Cypress Creek Blvd. We have our own “GREATER SUN CITY CENTER GOLF CART DRIVERS HANDBOOK”. Provisions for increasing golf cart accessibility to recreation areas and other parts of the community not currently accessible by golf carts is a key goal that is not addressed currently. This would include extending golf cart access to:

• • SouthShore Regional Library at 15816 Beth Shields Wy, Ruskin
  • Commercial area along 674  with Popeye’s, Denny’s, and Bob Evans across from Cypress Village Blvd and 33rd St SE, Ruskin
  • Commercial area at E College Ave and 30th St SE, Ruskin

Multi-use greenways for us could include strolling, walking, jogging, biking, triking, amigo carting, wheel-chairing, walking a dog, grandkids and with others, roller blading (?),  skate boarding, scooters, e-bikes, golf carting and every other mobility device imaginable including scooters and Segways, some human powered, some not. 

Supporting a variety accessibility options for those of us differently abled or inclined would facilitate access and  recreating in a safe manner. The thought of traveling 674 or 301 via bike corridors on the roadways is down-right life threating to seniors or young families. And the areas around us are teeming with families who would have similar desires to access recreation areas, shopping areas, restaurants, and recreation as well.

I have even heard of folks going all the way from 674 and 301 to Big Bend on golf carts and bikes via the cement pathways adjacent to the roadway. I am not clear whether these pathways were designed or authorized for such use. They simply say “NO MOTOR VEHICLES”.

Connectivity greenway goals also include direct access into Little Manatee State Park, Camp Bayou, E. G. Simmons Park and other nearby recreation areas. The whole point of living in Florida is to be outside taking in the sights and getting from place to place in the most pleasant and healthy manner possible, excluding cars.

I have looked at the county GIS maps and found existing Hillsborough County land on New Bedford Dr that could be the start of a greenway from within Sun City Center to Little Manatee State Park. There is also potential for access at the end of Pebble Beach Blvd at 301 and potentially at the end of Misty Greens Dr. These are a few to evaluate for feasibility. I am sure there are others.

Our bikers and trikers, both standard and recumbent, would love some shaded areas to ride and enjoy nature that would not require strapping our toys to motor vehicles to get them to a recreation area. That’s just too challenging for many of us.

E-bikes, E-trikes, E-scooter and other powered transport devices provide special challenges and questions that ultimately must be addressed. I am reviewing the Florida Statue 316 but the topic still leaves me somewhat baffled and proper signage and perhaps color coding of stripping and signage would help identify what uses are permitted on pathways, trails, etc.

It is very sad that when the County was doing road work and sidewalk work along 674 recently, that they did not make those sidewalks(?) wider and multimodal accessible to improve accessibility within the community. Hopefully that oversight will not be repeated. I would recommend any roadway project take such pathways into consideration in their planning and design.

I would also point out that of the Livable Communities Element of the Comprehensive Plan for Unincorporated Hillsborough County for the Greater Sun City Center Area also has specific goals as relates to greenways, paths and roadways:

RECREATION

• • WORK WITH NEIGHBORING PARKS
Take advantage of the recreational opportunities offered by neighboring parks. Establish a pathway to the park for environmentally friendly vehicles and pedestrians.
  • WALKING TRAILS
Encourage developers, community organization, and County government to create hiking trails throughout the community.

TRANPORTATION

• • BRIDGE/TUNNEL OVER 301 FOR PEDESTRIANS AND GOLFCARTS

Explore the feasibility of a bridge over, or tunnel under, US 301 for safer crossings by golf carts and pedestrians. 

1. • ENERGY EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION TO ALL FACILITIES AND BUSINESSES The Community will continue to encourage the use of energy-efficient transportation throughout the area, including electric vehicles such as golf carts, propane-fueled vehicles, trolleys and local motor coach service, and personal transportation devices such as Segways.
   • PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS MULTI-PURPOSE PATHS
Extend golf cart paths on south side of SR 674 westward to commercial areas at 33rdStreet. Any future road and utility expansion projects should include consideration of pathways for pedestrians, bicycles and golf carts.

As you can see, there is a multitude of that input comes from those who live here and indeed are priorities for the community as a whole based on over 20 community focus and planning meeting some 15 years ago during the development of our comprehensive plan. If such efforts were held today, I suspect there would be even more interest and more goals developed. Use of greenways is the future of personal transportation and recreation.

Thanks for your consideration. Should you like to speak more on this topic, I am available.

Sincerely,

Ellie Anderson

cc:        Sun City Center County Community Association Board of Directors - Sullivan, Roush, Birkett, Matelski, Clark, Porr, Parsons, Bratt, Zieg

Zoom Invitation for Tomorrow’s Meeting

If you want to Zoom to our next meeting, click here.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Ellie Anderson

312-282-7337

Notes from Ellie

Stuff You Should Know About

Hello All,

Great work is proceeding on multiple fronts.

Open Positions

We have three positions we are looking to fill:

• Zoom Meeting Host – to host and conduct SaveSCC meeting interaction with Zoom participants
• CPA or financial advisor – with credit card processing and more mandated financial reporting requirements, assistance in this arena is needed to conduct processing, reconciliation and reporting activities.
• Legal advisor – to advise SaveSCC on legal matters and contracts

Donations on Online Still Coming

Yes, they’re still coming.

Unfortunately, Eric Nisenfeld, our web site software engineer who must perform some backend work, is in the middle of a massive upgrade project for his employer and has not been available to do some things needed prior to our site being ready for credit card processing. As soon as his schedule permits, we’ll be on it!

Save Sun City Center has received its registration compliance certificate from the State of Florida for our charitable operation. Hooray!

Peter Bates, Eric Nisenfeld and I will be working to get our credit card processing gateway with Authorize.net and PNC Bank in operation within the coming weeks and then we will be processing donations via our website – SaveSCC.org.

Hillsborough County Greenways Project

The input period for the Greenways Master Plan Project with Hillsborough County closes on August 8, 2022. I did attend their virtual session Monday night. I am submitting my comments via email to the Project Manager, Sarah Caper, CaperS@hcflgov.net.

My draft is below. If you have any other suggestions or ideas, please get them to me no later than Monday so that I may incorporate them or send your own!

Sarah Caper, Project Manager
Greenways Master Plan Update
Hillsborough County
813-807-0743

Dear Sarah,

I am writing as a resident of the Greater Sun City Center Area of Unincorporated Hillsborough County. This area includes Cypress Creek, Valencia Lakes, Sun City Center, Kings Point and Freedom Plaza. A very unique area primarily of 55+ active seniors is Freedom Plaza, Kings Point and Sun City Center, where I live. We have our own “GREATER SUN CITY CENTER GOLF CART DRIVERS HANDBOOK”. Use of golf carts for transportation in our community is extensive.

There is community interest with respect to Greenways. We are probably the most densely populated area with special provisions for golf cart use throughout the Greater Sun City Center Area within Hillsborough County including special golf cart crossings on 674 and 301 and golf cart lanes on Cypress Creek Blvd. Provisions for increasing golf cart accessibility to recreation areas and other parts of the community and beyond not currently accessible by golf carts is a key vision and hope for the future that is not addressed currently. Extending golf cart access to:

• • SouthShore Regional Library
  • Commercial area along 674 with Popeye’s, Denny’s, and Bob Evans across from Cypress Village Blvd and 33rd St SE, Ruskin
  • Commercial area at E College Ave and 30th St SE, Ruskin

I have even heard of folks going all the way from 674 and 301 to Big Bend on golf carts and bikes via the cement pathways adjacent to the roadway. I am not clear whether these pathways were designed or authorized for such use. They simply say “NO MOTOR VEHICLES”. Greater range and accessibility are our goal while meeting all statutory requirements and providing for safety.

Multi-use greenways for us could include strolling, walking, jogging, biking, triking, amigo carting, wheel-chairing, walking , walking a dog, grandkids and with others, roller blading (?), skateboarding, scooters, e-bikes, golf carting and every other mobility device imaginable including scooters and Segways, some transportation tools human powered, some not.  

Supporting accessibility options for those differently abled could facilitate access and recreating in a safe manner. The thought of traveling 674 or 301 via bike corridors on the roadways is down-right life-threatening to seniors or young families. And the areas around us are teaming with families who would have similar desires to access recreation areas, shopping areas, restaurants, and recreation areas as well.  

Connectivity Greenway goals also include direct access via a greenway into Little Manatee State Park, Camp Bayou, E. G. Simmons Park and other nearby recreation areas. The whole point of living in Florida is to be outside taking in the sights and getting from place to place in the most pleasant and healthy manner possible. Our bikers and trikers, both standard and recumbent, would love some shaded areas to ride and enjoy nature that would not require strapping their toys to motor vehicles to get them to a recreation area. That’s just too challenging for many of us.

I have looked at the county GIS maps and found existing Hillsborough County land on New Bedford Dr that could be the start of a greenway within Sun City Center to Little Manatee State Park. There also potential paths via the end of Pebble Beach Blvd at 301 and potentially at the end of Misty Greens Dr. These are a few for feasibility assessment. I am sure there are others.

E-bikes, E-trikes, E-scooter and other powered transport devices provide special challenges and questions that ultimately must be addressed. I am reviewing the Florida Statute 316 but the topic still leaves me somewhat baffled. Perhaps proper signage and color coding of striping and signage would help identify what uses are permitted on certain pathways, trails, etc.

It is very sad that when the County was doing road work and sidewalk work along 674 recently, that they did not make those sidewalks(?) wider and multimodal accessible to improve accessibility within the community. Hopefully that oversight will not be repeated. I would recommend any roadway project take into account mutli-modal pathways into consideration in their planning and design.

Thanks for your consideration. Should you like to speak more on this topic, I am available.

Sincerely,

Ellie Anderson

Golf Course Property Analysis Project

Some great work is continuing with analysis of the property data on those properties that abut the ClubLink owned golf courses in Sun City Center and Kings Point and those not owned by ClubLink. Golf courses are a keystone feature of our community and as concerned citizens, we are working diligently to build the most compelling case to save our green spaces in perpetuity. It is a tall order goal that has been at the core of our community since its founding and was reconfirmed by the citizens who lived here during the extensive community-based planning effort that involved the community, the planning commission, builders and others and everyone agreed to preserve the existing golf courses and green space some 15 years ago as documented in the Greater Sun City Community Plan.

Our analysis seeks to drive home the point how integral our courses are to the community character and neighborhoods and just how many properties directly abut these courses. While we still need to verify and cross check each course and the underlying property records, the preliminary analysis of the courses in Sun City Center reveals the following:

 

Course	# of Streets	Abutted Properties
Caloosa Greens Course Analysis	5	191
Club Renaissance Course Analysis	26	479
North Lakes Course Analysis	22	418
Sandpiper Course Analysis	27	440
ClubLink Courses in SCC	80	1528
Course	# of Streets	Abutted Properties
Caloosa Golf Course	16	227
Freedom Fairways	1	33
Non ClubLink Course in SCC	17	260
All SCC Courses	97	1788

 

To me this is staggering. I have not obtained a count of the total residential units in SCC but, 1788 of them abut a golf course!

Assuming 1.6 persons per household, that means 2,861 people are IMBY’s (in my back yarders). If it is 1.7 persons per household, that means 3,040. However you slice it, that’s a significant number of properties, home values, and residents directly impacted in their own backyards.

Of course any development of SCC golf courses impacts every resident via traffic, water pressure, storm runoff, flooding, services times in the post office, bank, grocery, doctor’s office, traffic lights, EMS response, wildlife loss, loss of trees, open vistas, etc. It also directly affects our welfare, peace of mind and general health. It is mind-boggling and goes against prior and existing plan for this community and its green space for recreating outdoors since the community’s founding.

The above summary is exactly that. Behind that summary is another summary, one by course. And behind that is the detailed property record for all of those 1788 properties in Sun City Center. Similar data is being compiled on the Kings Point courses and is in process. Cypress Creek Golf course is not a priority, but we will take a look as time permits.

Caloosa Greens Course Analysis

Abutting Street Properties

E DEL WEBB BLVD	97
CALOOSA PALMS CT	18		Homestead Yes	146	76.44%
CALOOSA WOODS LN	24		Homestead No	45	23.56%
RUNNINGBROOKE WAY	10		Total	191	100.00%
WINTERBROOKE WAY	42
5	191

Club Renaissance Course Analysis

Street	Abutting Properties
RIMINI VISTA WAY	6		Homestead Yes	379	79.12%
CRYSTAL DOWNS CT	4		Homestead No	100	20.88%
CHIPPER DR	20		Total	479	100.00%
MYRTLE VISTA CT	10
KNIGHTS GATE CT	9
NOBLE FAIRE DR	34
GRAND CHATEAUX WAY	4
REGAL MANOR WAY	16
JASMINE CREEK CT	17
VIA TOSCANA WAY	9
SIENA VISTA PL	16
CAPTIVA CT	3
WESTMINSTER MANOR LN	8
NEW BEDFORD DR	7
PERIDOT LN	8
SIGNATURE DR	19
PRESERVATION GREEN CT	15
VILLEROY DR	7
MISTY GREENS DR	39
CRYSTAL GREENS DR	17
LENOX GREENS DR	10
S PEBBLE BEACH BLVD	12
PLATINUM DR	64
EMERALD DUNES DR	112
PACIFIC DUNES DR	9
ATHENS WAY	4
26	479

North Lakes Course Analysis

1^st golf course build in Sun City Center done by Del Webb.

ALLEGHENY DR	40
AUGUSTA DR	29
CHERRY HILLS DR	42
CHURCHILL PL	3
DESERT HILLS DR	24
DESERT HILLS WAY	9
E BROCKTON PL	3
EL RANCHO DR	40
EL TURCO CT	2
FOX HILLS DR	44
GENET CT	4
HACIENDA DR	33
HUXLEY PL	2		Homestead Yes	287	68.66%
LA JOLLA AVE	46		Homestead No	131	31.34%
N PEBBLE BEACH BLVD	28		Total	418	100.00%
OAKMONT AVE	9
OJAI AVE	40
RADFORD PL	5
READING PL	4
RIVIERA DR	3
RUTGERS PL	4
W BROCKTON PL	4
22	418

Sandpiper Course Analysis

Street	Propertied Abutted
AMESBURY CIR	9
ARDMORE WAY	4
AUSTIN HILL CT	3
BROCKFIELD DR	10
CHIPPER DR	39
CLUB MANOR DR	18		Homestead Yes	353	80.23%
COCO PALM CIR	6		Homestead No	87	19.77%
CRANSTON PL	6		Total	440	100.00%
CRYSTAL DOWNS CT	4
EASTLOCH CT	5
FAIRCROSS CIR	7
FAIRSIDE CT	5
FAIRWAY RIDGE CT	22
KILBY WAY	3
KING LEON WAY	25
LAKEHOUSE CT	4
NEW BEDFORD DR	85
NUTMEG PL	6
PACIFIC DUNES DR	31
PINEAPPLE PALM CT	4
REGAL MANOR WAY	13
S PEBBLE BEACH BLVD	25
SMITHFIELD LN	9
STONEHAM DR	6
WESTMONT WAY	6
WOLF LAUREL DR	74
WOODMAR DR	11
27	440

Caloosa Golf Course

BENTWOOD DR	5
CALOOSA PALMS CT	23
CAMELLIA GREEN DR	12
CHICKORY LN	4		Homestead Yes	184	81.06%
E DEL WEBB BLVD	9		Homestead No	43	18.94%
E EAST VIEW	35		total	227	100.00%
LA JOLLA AVE	4
LINGER LN	3
LYNDHURST DR	18
MEADOWLARK LN	18
N PEBBLE BEACH BLVD	3
NORTHWAY DR	13
PRESTANCIA LN	22
STERLING GLEN CT	35
WEST VIEW DR	8
WINTERBROOKE WAY	15
16	227

Freedom Fairways

 

W DEL WEBB BLVD	33		Homestead Yes	18	54.55%
			Homestead No	15	45.45%
			Total	33	100.00%

I am looking forward to the what the facts will reveal to confirm what we already know anecdotally and tell a more compelling story. We will keep you posted.

Zoom Meeting Info

If you want to Zoom to our next meeting, click here.

Agenda

Click here to display the agenda for our working session meeting Tuesday, August 9, 2022 on Zoom or in the Rollins Theatre at 6 pm.

Please keep forwarding our information to your friends and associates. It is important to keep folks informed and onboard.

We will talk extensively about the petition drive and why it is important we go door to door. The CA Board thinking remains unknown and they are a wild card. We must ensure that we have the vast majority of SCC members weighing in on this potential development via their signature on the SaveSCC petition. Should the CA Board, or key members of the Board, in their official capacity, represent the membership agreeing to development on SCC golf courses in the Greater Sun City Area, only signatures from an overwhelming majority of SCC residents to the contrary can negate their action. We’ll talk more Tuesday!

Best regards,

Ellie

Notes from Ellie

Stuff You Should Know About

Hello All,

Hope you are all doing well.

As you all know we are always busy working on multiple fronts. Here are several:

Donations on Online Coming Soon

Save Sun City Center has received its registration compliance certificate from the State of Florida for our charitable operation. Hooray!

Peter Bates, Eric Nisenfeld and I will be working to get our credit card processing gateway with Authorize.net and PNC Bank in operation within the coming weeks and then we will be processing donations via our website SaveSCC.org. Hooray again!

Hillsborough County Greenways Project

Due to a personal scheduling issue where failure to be present might have been grounds for a serious round in the spousal dog house, I could not make the Greenways Project Meeting this Wednesday at the Beth Shields Library.   Carla Miles attended in my stead and put forth my comments with respect to providing Greenways from the Greater Sun City Center Area into the Little Manatee State Park, Camp Bayou, and E. G.  Simmons Park.

All three are wonderful recreating areas that, if they could be safely reached by bike, walking, or methods other than auto, would be very beneficial to our community.

There is an online opportunity to participate on Monday, August 1^st. Details may be found on the county web site at: Master Plan Update Meeting.

You might want to poke around a bit to find more information.

You need to register to provide input or comments.  Register for Master Plan Meeting.

Hope to see you online!

Golf Course Property Analysis Project

Some great work is being done to analyze the property data on those properties that abut the ClubLink-owned golf courses in Sun City Center and Kings Point.  Golf courses are a keystone feature of our community. As concerned citizens, we are working diligently to build a compelling case to save our green spaces in perpetuity.  It may be a tall order goal , but it’s been at the core of our community since its founding. It was reconfirmed by the citizens who live here in the extensive community-based planning effort, the planning commission, builders and others and everyone agreed to preserve the existing golf courses and green space some fifteen years ago (documented in the Greater Sun City Community Plan).

We believe that those courses are integral to the community character and neighborhoods. Many property owner directly abut those courses.

My preliminary analysis of Club Renaissance, my assigned course, reveals the following:

Street	Abutting Properties
RIMINI VISTA WAY	6
CRYSTAL DOWNS CT	4
CHIPPER DR	20
MYRTLE VISTA CT	10
KNIGHTS GATE CT	9
NOBLE FAIRE DR	34
GRAND CHATEAUX WAY	4
REGAL MANOR WAY	16
JASMINE CREEK CT	17
VIA TOSCANA WAY	9
SIENA VISTA PL	16
CAPTIVA CT	3
WESTMINSTER MANOR LN	8
NEW BEDFORD DR	7
PERIDOT LN	8
SIGNATURE DR	19
PRESERVATION GREEN CT	15
VILLEROY DR	7
MISTY GREENS DR	39
CRYSTAL GREENS DR	17
LENOX GREENS DR	10
S PEBBLE BEACH BLVD	12
PLATINUM DR	64
EMERALD DUNES DR	112
24	466

That’s just on Club Renaissance alone.  There are twenty-four streets and 466 properties that abut the course.

The count of properties for the North Lakes course are 418, and 446 for Sandpiper.  That is 1330 homes. (We have a number of courses yet to analyze).

I look forward to what facts will reveal to confirm what we already know.

Then we can tell a more compelling story.

Take care!

Ellie Anderson

 

Notes from Ellie

Stuff You Should Know About

Hello All,

Hope this communique finds all is well with you.

I don’t say it often enough and it warrants repeating – the very vast majority of our members interactions with others in the community are met by the following comments:

• “We’re so glad you are doing this.”
• “We don’t want any more building.”
• “We’re already overbuilt and have infrastructure issues – traffic, water pressure issues, overburden facilities, etc.”
• “Where does the CA stand and what are they doing about this?”

From my public interactions, and those of others, I truly can say that 95% to 98% of the residents we have spoken with (who have an opinion) are against ClubLink’s development agenda.

As a service to this community, SaveSCC is trying our best, in the absence of leadership and transparency from the CA Board, to mount an effective communication strategy to inform the community, build opposition and a successful campaign to defeat ClubLink’s development proposal. Our goal is to preserve the important legacy of our golf courses for recreational use only. These green spaces are a key distinguishing feature of our community that differentiates Sun City Center and Kings Point from any other 55+ community that will be built.

This was recognized and reflected in the community planning effort conducted some 15 years ago. It has not changed. So, be proud of your work and contributions to Save Sun City Center to support this crucial effort!

You’re an awesome force for good in Sun City Center! Keep up your great work! You inspire me!

New Projects

We’ve begun several new projects thanks to our volunteers who donate their time and talent to do the work. Thank you!

Every bit helps advance our cause by better informing and supporting our work and facilitating more understanding of our community, its members and what is important to them. As you will see from the update below, momentum and support are building.

If you have not registered as a SaveSCC member on our website, please do so by going to https://savescc.org/114-2/. Your membership is important to us as we represent you and our community. We are often asked how many members we have to gauge our support with residents.

Zoom

Hybrid meetings will be the norm for our regularly scheduled Save Sun City meetings on the 2^nd and 4^thTuesdays of the month. Hybrid means we meet both via both in-person via attendance at the Rollins Theatre and also virtually via Zoom. A Zoom invitation for every meeting will be published on the News from Ellie Anderson page before every meeting and then again the day prior to meeting to all registered SaveSCC members. The Zoom invitation is also posted on SaveScc.org under “Take Action”, “Meeting” the Friday before the meeting.

Below is the Zoom invitation for our Newcomer meeting on July 26, 22 from the Rollins Theatre at 6 PM on the Main Campus, 960-E Cherry Hill Dr.

Zoom Invitation

Topic: @Save Sun City Center’s Zoom Meeting
Time: Jul 26, 2022 18:00 Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85022656006?pwd=d3ZMZkliQ2JBMTZtMlR3THdYYml3UT09

Meeting ID: 850 2265 6006
Passcode: 002018
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,85022656006#,,,,*002018# US (New York)
+16469313860,,85022656006#,,,,*002018# US

Dial by your location
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 386 347 5053 US
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 669 444 9171 US
Meeting ID: 850 2265 6006
Passcode: 002018
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/keoD71kfAs

Zoom attendees may join the meeting prior to 6:00 pm. We will generally try to be in the meeting room and set up by 5:45 allowing time for everyone to get connected and ready to start at 6:00 pm.

H:ow to Use Zoom

Participants will use the Zoom toolbar to:

• Mute or unmute themselves via the Mute microphone Icon
• Raise or lower their hand to speak via the Reactions Icon. Select the Reaction Icon and “raise your hand”. A Hand will appear on your window in Zoom to alert the Host you wish to speak. The Zoom host will recognize you at the appropriate time so you may unmute yourself via the Mute microphone Icon and speak. When finished, lower your hand and mute yourself again so as to not disrupt the meeting.

Our initial protocol for the Zoom participants will be as follows: all participants will be Mute when joining the Zoom meeting. We do this to control background noise. When you want to speak, just raise your hand via the Reactions icon and the host will alert you when to Unmute and speak. When finished, Mute again and remove your Raised Hand.

We are using Zoom’s basic offering to conduct our meetings. If it works sufficiently well, we’ll stick with that as the lowest cost option. If we discover we need more features and controls, we will explore an upgrade to the Webinar version.

Special thanks to our Zoom hosts and technical support team – Peter Bates and Larry Bender!

All members and guests are welcome at any session or meeting on a first-come, first-admitted basis. The Rollins Theatre has a capacity of 140. Unfortunately, when we reach posted room capacity, we have to turn away potential attendees. So get there early! A limitation also applies to Zoom participants as well.

We may call other special meetings as circumstances warrant.

All meeting agendas and meeting location, time, and date details will be sent via the GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org email to all SaveSCC members subscribed to our email blasts.

To receive these blasts, please join us as a member by clicking here.

Notes from Ellie

Summer in Sun CIty

Hello All,

Hope this note finds you safe, healthy and happy. Summertime is here in Sun City Center and the living is HOT! Many folks are enjoying the pools, air conditioning and some barbequing. Hope you are doing well.

I would like to acknowledge and give thanks for the generosity and contributions of SaveSCC members and supporters. The work is sometimes like pushing boulders uphill. But I reflect on the progress we’ve made together and the wonderful rag-tag team we are. We are from all backgrounds, creeds, colors, persuasions, economic strata, educational and professional achievement levels. We share a love for our community and we do the best we can together to protect, maintain, nurture, and develop the golf courses for the future. Throughout this effort we have come together as strangers to become collaborators and friends in this great endeavor.

May we encourage a new wave of citizen involvement in our community in every way. People are contributing their wisdom, time, talent, money, expertise and goodwill to help advance the cause on every front. They write, call, contact others, pursue projects, do website work, post information, talk to friends and neighbors, and approach strangers. They perform many tasks from managing sign-ins, logistics, ordering supplies and printed goods, designing banners, yard-signs, scanning materials, writing and contacting our commissioners, to speaking and writing the CA Board. They also canvas our neighborhoods. It all matters and contributes to the common good. Thank you all for all you do. You are my inspiration.

We are the catalysts for a broad community coalition that is making a difference. Please continue with us on this journey to save SCC!

Our Save SCC ongoing outreach in support of our petition effort and membership drive continues. It can be slow going, with the heat and many folks out of town but we are making progress. Please keep up your efforts. Every little bit matters and makes a difference.

Every day brings more petitions locally and from folks far afield in the mail. Please keep them coming. Remember the goal is every SaveSCC member gathers 30 petition signatures!

While we do not expect to see ClubLink any time soon at a community meeting, it is still time to press on with our work so we are ready and prepared at a moment’s notice.

I did a reconnaissance drive via golf cart around parts of the North Lakes Course and Calossa Greens as some of you had suggested. Bonnie Hoelper last week was my guide. There appears to be more than sufficient areas for ingress and egress from both courses should Clublink proceed with development proposals. Neither was as landlocked as I had previously understood.

The next SaveSCC meeting is on Tuesday, July 12^Th at 6 pm in the Rollins Theatre. This meeting is a working session.

Agenda

Introductions – Ellie Anderson ( 312-282-7337, andersonellie@mac.com)
Welcome – returning folks, new folks – Ellie Anderson
Open Positions – Legal Advisor, CPA familiar with Nonprofit accounting
Petitions & Pamphlets

Updates

• Zoning/Government Relations – Mike Newsom
• Web Site & Facebook – Peter Bates & Tami Mondy
• Call to Action – Petition and Membership drive – Ellie Anderson & Carol Hugill
• Treasurers Report – Ellie Anderson

Other Business
Wrap -up

Hope to see you tonight!

Ellie

 

Notes from Ellie

So, What’s Been Happening?

Greetings all!

Our next Newcomer meeting is Tuesday, 6/28/22 in the Rollins Theatre at 6 pm. All are welcome. Tech Gods willing, a PowerPoint presentation will be used to cover the ClubLink situation, soup to nuts, to stop rezoning or building!

Call to Action – Petition and Membership Drive

 

Positive comments have reached me from many of the folks you have contacted as part of SaveSCC’s outreach for the petition and membership drive. Your door-to-door and community activities at shopping centers and elsewhere are making an impact.

Please keep up the outstanding work. Now is the time to load our arsenal for the fight to come.

Mail-in petitions from those out of town or otherwise locally unreachable are arriving as well. Please keep those petitions coming!

All SaveSCC members with a banner on their golf cart should be sure to carry a clipboard with petitions and pamphlets use freely when not on CA property.

Remember our goal is that every SaveSCC member secure 30 petition signatures, and to ask those folks to become members. They can  join us via the web site so that they are counted among those we represent. Also, they will receive SaveSCC email blasts to keep them informed.

1500 petitions arrived from VistaPrint and 6000 pamphlets are on their way and hopefully will be available for the Newcomer meeting on Tuesday.

Please remember that we’ve been told that all Save Sun City Center canvassers must refrain from canvassing on CA property.

ClubLink Update

In a nutshell, here’s what’s going on with ClubLink:

Having contacted Clublink, John Finlayson informed us that they have not finalized their obtaining of a building contractor, and have not moved forward with any permit requests with State or Local Agencies. John also stated with the market downturn and construction issues in the building market it may impact their starting of the project. They advised that they will keep us informed of any updates.

The planned meeting on June 29thhas been canceled.

It is not surprising that they are experiencing difficulties. A competent development professional performing their due diligence would evaluate the undertaking this project in SCC is a challenge with an uncertain future and outcome.

We still must be diligent in our preparations for the filing of applications with Hillsborough County for rezoning, permits, variances, or plan amendments. There is no telling what ClubLink activities are taking place behind the scenes . We must be prepared to act on a moment’s notice.

The work we are doing now will pay great dividends when the time comes before the Land Use Officer Hearing and the Board of County Commissioners Land Use Meeting and Board of Commissioner Meetings. The Save Sun City Center case will be well prepared and ready to execute with our continued good work and support! Now is not the time to be complacent.

SaveSCC Banking and Electronic Payment Services

SaveSCC banking operations via a commercial account with PNC bank for checking, debit/credit, and electronic payments are working. SaveSCC donations and funds are on deposit. Work to establish online donations via SaveSCC.org is underway and we hope to have that operational in a few weeks.

All transaction data will be stored safely and securely in PCI-DSS compliant environments hosted by Authorize.net as a gateway and PNC bank as the processor. This insures protection of all donor financial and personal information.

That’s the news for now.

Notes from Ellie

So, What’s Been Happening?

Greetings all!

Hope your summer is off to a great start. Things have quieted down here in Sun City Center. The traffic has lessened as we heat up and folks leave town.

Please forward this communique and attachments to others who might have interest. Getting the word out is always important. Consider bringing your neighbor or a friend to a newcomer meeting. We‘d be happy to see them and share with them.

SaveSCC has been blessed with a number of actively involved, talented and experienced members doing all kinds of work to advance the cause. SaveSCC’s progress would not be possible without them. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Save Sun City Center Banner

Mike Blaine had 40 2’ x 3’ vinyl banners with grommets made. He has given them as an in-kind donation to SaveSCC. Mike and I ask folks who are truly out and visible to use these banners as an effective tool to further get the word out and buzz going. Folk displaying them should always be prepared for encounters and questions with pamphlets and petition forms. The banners will be available at the meeting Tuesday on a first-come, first-serve basis for a $10.00 donation.

One would be a great addition to the back of your golf cart or hanging in your lanai or front garden if you are in a busy location.

If the response is favorable as we think it will be, and more are needed, the donations will be used to purchase more.

Critical Open Position

Legal advice and counsel from any active or retired legal professionals on a volunteer basis would be a huge asset to our organization. While we had some wonderful folks assisting in this regard, they are no longer able to do so.

Surely there must be some among us with expertise in this area. Active or retired attorneys or legal assistants, please think about helping us navigate forward. WE NEED YOU!

Please contact me at 312-282-7337 or andersonellie@mac.com. Thanks!

Interview with Lois Kindle, Reporter from Observer News

I will be interviewed by Lois Kindle from the Observer News soon, probably later this week. She is preparing an article regarding the ClubLink proposal and the community reaction. There are other interviewees planned for the piece. That’s all I know at this time. Naturally, the text of the interview will be available on our website as soon as it’s available.

New SaveSCC Meeting Schedule

Adjustments to the Save SCC meeting days were required as we outgrew the capacity of the Caper room and are moving to the Rollins Theatre. Because of overtime considerations for the CA maintenance staff and the setup on Wednesday in the Rollins theatre for the Front Porch Pickers, our meeting day is changing as well.

There will be meetings two times a month in the Rollins Theatre on the 2nd Tuesday (working) and 4th Tuesday (newcomer) of the month at 6 pm, not every Wednesday.

Our next SaveSCC meeting on Tuesday, June 14th in the Rollins Theatre at 6 pm is a working meeting.

The Rollins Theatre has a capacity of 140. When we reach posted room capacity, unfortunately potential attendees will be turned away. Choose what meeting you will attend based on your reasons for being there. Know what the focus of the meeting will be as outlined below and choose accordingly. Here are the two types of meetings we have.

General Working Session

General working sessions are held on the second Tuesday of the Month, 6 pm, Rollins Theatre, Main Campus, 960-E Cherry Hill Dr.

They are where we meet to discuss work in progress, outline upcoming activities, and coordinate strategies and activities, and to do’s among the working members of our various teams and the members of the group contributing their time and talent. These working sessions about the work underway and upcoming activities. General working sessions are not recommended for newcomers as they are task and work focused and offer limited opportunities for general discussion of the how’s and why’s of our group. These meetings are focused on the work at hand.

Newcomer Sessions

Newcomer sessions are held on the fourth Tuesday of the Month, 6 pm, Rollins Theatre, Main Campus, 960-E Cherry Hill Dr.

They are where we hope to educate and bring on board new members or others interested in learning about our group and activities who are new to our SaveSCC citizen’s initiative. We cover the why’s, how’s, what’s, who’s and wherefores of our work. We speak about ClubLink’s development proposal and our responses to it, and our citizen’s advocacy work with the CA Board and the Hillsborough County staff and Commissioners to ensure there is no approval for ClubLink’s rezoning or permit applications for their planned development on golf courses and green spaces.

Other special meetings will be called from time to time as circumstances warranted.

All meeting agendas and meeting location, time, and date details are sent via the GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org email to all SaveSCC members subscribed to our email blasts via our website SaveSCC.org using the “Join Us” tab.

SaveSCC.org Website

Work has been underway to improve the SaveSCC.org web site to make it easier to navigate and location information on the site and to add more content. Everyone please take a look. Your input and suggestions are important and we’ll solicit your ideas at Tuesday’s meeting. Peter Bates will be demonstrating the site and its features to support our work and pending calls to action, like the following:

Call to Action for Petition Effort and Membership Drive

At our working session on June 14th at 6 pm in the Rollins Theatre at 901 Cherry Hill Dr, we are launching a Call to Action for our Petition Effort and Membership Drive. We ask for the active participation of every member of our group of concerned citizens to gather 30 signatures and provide interested folks with pamphlets as needed.

Everyone is to engage in this effort whether you are in town or away. This will be our comprehensive drive to gather as many petition signatures as possible and enroll as many members via the SaveSCC.org web site as possible prior to ClubLink’s next move.

As active seniors who are a part of the Sun City Center community, clubs, HOA’s, neighborhood groups, and other social and leisure activities, every one of us has a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Now is the time to engage with your circle to ask them to join us in the cause to protect our golf courses and green spaces. Here are some things you can do in talking to your freinds and neighbors.

• Speak with them.
• Give them a pamphlet.
• Bring them to a meeting.
• Get them signed up as a SaveSCC member via the SaveSCC.org web site.
• Have them sign the petition.
• Have them send a letter to the Hillsborough County Commissions via the SaveSCC.org menu “Take Action”.
• Get them involved and knowledgeable.

The more residents that are active members of our group and active spokespersons for the cause, the better the chances of success. Everyone has a role to play. This is an all-hands effort. It will enrich our lives and lead to a better, stronger, more engaged community for the future. The will of the people matters!

The petition is available for download on SaveSCC.org under the tab “Take Action.” Select the pull down list entry “Petition”. New members can join us via the SaveSCC.org tab “Take Action.” Select the pull down list entry “Join Us”.

The petition for the Hillsborough County commissioners is ready for your use and action as part of our outreach efforts are to commence after Tuesday’s meeting where we will finalize our rollout strategy to maximize our effectiveness.

Petition Instructions

The petition process is pretty straightforward. Download and print or copy as needed. Do not add additional signature sheets. Just copy the official petition page.

The higher the pile of signatures, the greater the visual impact when delivered.

Ask people before they sign if they have signed this petition before and whether they are Hillsborough County residents. This petition is for Hillsborough County residents only. The petition has only been available since June 10, so hopefully people will remember. Duplicate or non-residents signatures are prohibited and could result in disqualification of the sheets they signed.

Always carry a couple of petition forms with you everywhere you go to use or distribute to others. Bring some SaveSCC pamphlets too! Download the most up to date pamphlet. Don’t leave home without the petition or pamphlet and use at will. A clipboard is a great tool for this task. Keep one in your golf cart and car so you don’t forget. When out and about, always have them with you. Carry extra forms. Maybe you can recruit others who are ready to get involved and help the cause!

Completed petition forms can be returned at SaveSCC meetings, the SCC Emergency Squad office or the SCC Security Patrol office. The petition is also available at these sites for folks to drop in and sign as well. Signed petitions may also be mailed to Ellie Anderson, 1731 Pacific Dunes Dr., Sun City Center, Fl 33573. Return instructions are on the petition form.

Please encourage all petition signatories to go to our web site and “Join Us” as a member so that they are counted as SaveSCC members that we represent when speaking before the county or SCCCA.

Donation Acknowledgements

Donation acknowledgements were sent out at the end of May to all donors. There were a few anonymous donations and people where their acknowledgements were undeliverable via email or snail mail. If you made a donation and did not receive an acknowledgement, please notify us via email to GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org so the issue is addressed and corrected. Keeping accurate records of gifts, in-kind donations and our transactions is of paramount importance. Your financial support is needed and very much appreciated.

SaveSCC Structure

The evaluation of possible options to formalize our structure, operating guidelines and leadership on a going forward has been under consideration and review. For now SaveSC will continue to operate as we have been: a growing informal group of concerned citizen members working together to advocate strongly against the development of golf courses in our community. We will continue to seek to engage others as members of our group and count ourselves as member citizens choosing representation as a part of SaveSCC when engaging with the County and Community Association and other organizations.

Hope to see you Tuesday evening!

Pass the word!

Be part of the Call to Action!

Ellie

Notes from Ellie

Welcome and Thanks to all Members

Greetings all!

Today it is two months and one day since ClubLink’s presentation in the Community Hall. We heard of their plans to close Sandpiper and develop portions of the North Lakes course, Caloosa Greens, and Sandpiper. They haven’t scheduled any more meetings yet, even though facilities are reserved for a meeting on June 25th.

This has given us in SaveSCC precious time to build some infrastructure and capacity to pursue our goals: preserve golf courses and green space in Sun City Center and Kings Point. Given that we all are volunteers and we’ve only been at this for two months, I’d say our progress has been remarkable. Your membership, attendance at meetings, donations, suggestions, and work are making a difference as we “form and storm.” We continue to inform Sun City Center residents and get them to take a more active interest in this critical matter.

Due to this inspired citizens’ action, we see success in the future as we defeat ClubLink’s development plan.

Even people who are out-of-towners or snowbirds are helping out.

Our membership is now growing at a faster rate due to our successful canvassing operations. Please continue to talk to your friends, neighbors and associates, encourage registration on the website, and forward our materials.

At this stage, we are continuing to build our membership base and fine-tuning our communications. This positions in us well for when ClubLink returns or files their paperwork for rezoning or permitting.

We are continuing active dialogues with the county staffs in planning and development to further understand how we can most effectively engage and present the case to defeat ClubLink.

My dialogue is also continuing with Bob Sullivan and the CA Board regarding our potential structure. Some possibilities include a not for profit corporation, a CA Club, or a nonaffiliated organization.

Results of the Newcomer Meeting on May 18th

The feedback we received regarding our inaugural “Newcomer” meeting was very positive. We covered the ClubLink proposal and the SaveSCC response from soup to nuts in an hour and a half. (Unfortunately, we were unable to enlist my PowerPoint presentation.) More than 100 folks attended. It was a successful night. The mission to bring everyone up to speed was accomplished. Many thanks to all who attended. The mix was about 60% first timers and 40% returning folks or members who have been at other meetings.

We Need a Corporate Secretary

Before we can establish of SaveSCC’s organizational structure, we need a corporate secretary. Here is a brief description of the position’s responsibilities: A corporate secretary is required by state corporation laws for every corporation and by the CA for all Clubs and nonaffiliated organizations. A corporate secretary is responsible for ensuring that the records (or minutes) of the board’s actions during a meeting reflect the proper exercise of the fiduciary duties.

Please step forward for consideration for this important and vital role. You will become an important officer in our team. We need you now. This is your chance to join our inner circle and make a difference in the future of SaveSCC and our community. You will be well supported by me and the other SaveSCC board members, Mike Newson and Gershon Klein.

Other Matters

While I had an extensive review and gameplan I was going to share regarding the Comprehensive Plan, we should probably not reveal any details of our coming offensive strategy. There is no need to forewarn ClubLink.

At tonight’s meeting, we will revisit our meeting philosophy for the summer (or until we receive confirmation of action from ClubLink.

SaveSCC Agenda
Working Meeting May 25, 2022
Rollins Theater, 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Introduction of our Chairperson – Ellie Anderson
Introduction of our Moderator
Ground Rules for Comments from the Floor
Welcome – returning folks, new folks  – Ellie Anderson
Future Meeting and Room Arrangements Discussion – Ellie Anderson
Open Positions
Pending Work Plan Tasks
Updates:
CA Board Update
Zoning / Government Relations Team – Mike Newsome
Pamphlet and Canvassing Team – Carol Hugill
Web Team – Peter Bates
Corporate setup Team – Fern Kirkham & Kerry Didday
Graphics and promo materials – Bill Stinchcomb
Treasury Report – Ruth Johnson, Assistant Treasurer
Other Business
Wrap-up