Category Archives: News

Save SCC Green Spaces Status– September 25, 2022

Notes from Ellie

Hello All,

Enjoy the sun and peace while you can. The upcoming weather forecast seems quite threatening at this point.  Let’s hope that we are spared the worst of Ian.

Agenda and Zoom Link

Our Newcomer Session is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 6:00PM in the Rollin Theatre, 901 Cherry Hill Dr., on the Central Campus.

Click Here for the Agenda and Zoom Link 

We will make a determination on Monday and send an email to all members based on the weather forecast as to whether to cancel the Tuesday Newcomer meeting due to the approach of hurricane Ian.

SAVESCC Golf Scramble Fundraiser

We are sending this preliminary request to assess the feasibility and interest in a charity golf event sponsored and conducted for the benefit of Save Sun City Center (www.SaveSCC.org) to be held on a Saturday, most probably, in February, 2023. Click Here for details.

Call to Action – Petition Drive Game Plan

We will need volunteers in all areas to successfully reach the entire community and garner their support signified by signing the SaveSCC Petition for the Hillsborough County Commissioners and to show the CA Board beyond any shadow of doubt the vast majority of CA members do not want development of our golf courses and green spaces.  Below are the specific areas where we need resources to get the job done! 

As I say “ If it is to be, it is up to “we”, and you are an essential part of “we”!”  

So – read the details below and let me know where you can contribute to the effort! I am looking for your email to sign up and show up!

Street & HOA Assignments team – collect input and maintain assignment spreadsheet on Google Docs. Do breakdown of longer streets into subsections. Coordinates with all canvassers.

The list of street assignments is available on our web site at https://savescc.org/street-coverage/.

Look at your street, if it is not currently assigned, consider doing it. If it is assigned, consider signing up for another. If you’re flexible and willing to help, we can assign you where we need coverage. 

Send Street Assignment Requests to GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org

Team Captain: Carol Hugill, 716-523-1541, jchugill-2@yahoo.com

We will confirm back to you and put your name on the street list. If you see something incorrect, please let us know.

Street Listing team – develop street list of owners from Hillsborough County Property Assessors web site and older SCC Directory  with street listings. Get approx. # of homes in each assignment area for packet counts to provider to all canvassers.

We did something very similar when we analyzed all the properties backing up to golf courses. 

We will use this new information with the details of the prior effort to equip the canvassers with street listings, owner details and special information to provide to residents.

Team Captain: Ellie Anderson, 312-282-7337, andersonellie@mac.com

We’re looking for volunteers who have a computer and know Excel. The process is very straightforward and training will be provided.

Please email me at GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org, if you are willing to help.

Packet team – design packet content, write materials as needed, assemble for pickup. Maybe two packet types – IMBYs & non-IMBYs

Team Co-Captains:

        Linda Palamaree, 724-622-7284,  lpparmelee@gmail.com                      Maryann Bottom, 386-848-1391

Draft IMBY ( In My Back Yard ) and NIBY (Not In My Back Yard) letters for delivery when canvassing.

        Ellie Anderson, 312-282-7337 & Susan Carpenter, 267-319-9328

Rallies

Kick-Off Rally

Kick-Off Rally is for canvassers only and will be held Oct. 29, 2022. We have reserved the Florida, Armstrong, and Heritage rooms for the event from 11 am to 2 pm.  More details will follow as we get closer.

I am looking for volunteers for the Rally Team to prepare and organize the Kick-Off Rally including logistics and refreshments.  Other teams will handle all other aspects including canvasser packets and collateral materials.

Please email me at GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org if you are willing to join the Kick-Off Rally Team.

Fun Rally Fundraiser

Fun Rally Fundraiser is under evaluation. Potential date is January 28,2023 if we use the Community Hall. Space is challenging depending on the number of attendees. I’d like to accommodate 500. Outside venues available in SCC are more limited. For a larger group, the only space is the Community Hall with a rental of $2,000 and I really don’t want to spend that kind of $’s on rent.  This one will take more thinking and investigation before anything materializes.  Program could include entertainment, food and beverage for a ticket fee.  

I would appreciate  volunteers for the Fun Rally Team to work this thru and prepare and organize including entertainment, venue, logistics, food and refreshments.

Please email me at GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org, if you are willing to help on the Fun Rally Team to plan and make this event a reality.

Publicity Team – draft articles, ads for newspaper, radio, posters

Team Co-Captains: Ellie Anderson, 312-282-7337, andersonellie@mac.com

                                     Rick Johnson, 847-648-6355, rickj2@comcast.net

Collaterals Team – design and purchase tee shirts & acrylic  stickers

Team Captain: Ruth Johnson, 312-909-7455, rajohnson130@icloud.com

If we have any graphic designers who could help with creating logos, please let us know at GetInvolved@SaveSCC.org.

Donations to Support Our Efforts

We are bless to have many great folks supporting our efforts to persevere and protect our community green spaces and golf courses but volunteers alone are not enough to pay the bills.  As you can see from the above planned activities, we are going to incur expenses for printing, tee shirts, advertising and other expenses.  We are asking for your financial support to support these activities to engage the community and generate more support and momentum.

There are also several legal avenues I’d like to explore with legal counsel but attorneys do not come cheap.

As you can see, we continue to be creative with our fund-raising activities – sales of collateral materials (yard signs and banners), passing the hat so to speak, launching our online donation page, and working to sponsor a golf tournament. 

If you can donate, we’d really appreciate the financial support. Donations can be made online at SaveSCC.org or we always happy to receive a check to SaveSCC c/o Ellie Anderson, 1731 Pacific Dunes Dr., Sun City Center, FL 33573.

Thanks for your support and involvement in this critical endeavor to retain the character of our community for the future!

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

Ellie Anderson
312-282-7337

Save SCC Green Spaces Status– September 9, 2022

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 7th 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 13th 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 12th 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

 

Save SCC Green Spaces Status– August 23, 2022

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

Save SCC Green Spaces Status– August 9, 2022

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. 

    • 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

Save SCC Green Spaces Status– August 8, 2022

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

1st 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

Save SCC Status– August 1, 2022

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 1st. 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

 

Livable Communities Element of the Comprehensive Plan for Hillsborough County

Livable Communities Element of the Comprehensive Plan for Hillsborough County

Many of you are aware of the document “Livable Communities Element of the Comprehensive Plan for Hillsborough County” and how fundamentally important this document (codified as an ordinance) is to our case to defeat any application to Hillsborough County for development of the six golf courses currently zoned as PD-MU. I have been seeking to learn more about the specific processes and people who were instrumental in the citizens’ engagement to make this plan a reality. I was blessed to meet and speak with two of these folks last week.

Click here to display a scan of the Greater Sun City Center Community Plan printed by Hillsborough County in 2009.

Greenways Master Plan Update

Several of you sent me photos of the recent signs at Pebble Beach Blvd and 674 from Hillsborough County regarding Public Meeting about the Greenways Master Plan Update on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at 6:00 pm at the Southshore Library at 15816 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin, Fl 33573. Thanks for helping keep me informed.

Here is the sign.

Hillsborough County Meeting Sign

The Greenways Project began back in the 1990’s as an initiative to harness citizens and planners to create a county-wide system of greenways. Greenways typically are multi-use natural and recreational corridors or trails that connect different areas and communities as well as recreation areas, conservation areas, and natural resources.

There is a wealth of information on the County plans and initiatives with respect to Greenways. Here is an information link:

https://planhillsborough.org/httpwww-planhillsborough-orgwp-contentuploads201607tampa-hillsborough-greenwasy-and-trails-master-plan-update-pdf/

I recommend taking a look, investigating further and possibly even attending the meeting. I see all planning initiatives regarding greenspaces and recreation very much a part of the Greater Sun City Center Area’s Livable Communities Element of the Comprehensive Plan and our effort to stop development of golf courses and greenspaces in Sun City Center. Greenways plans are one part of a larger community plans and integral to our work and potential future uses of the existing golf courses in Sun City Center for future recreational use.

SaveSCC Case Against any Application by ClubLink or Their Builder with Hillsborough County

Great news on another front. Our behind the scenes work on the case against development of the existing golf courses in Sun City Center is making great headway. We have a confidential draft that is still a work in progress but very compelling. Kudos to Doug James for his outstanding ground-breaking work on this document.

We have enlisted a very capable Land Use Expert and Professional who has had success in similar situations in the recent past. This professional does not undertake cases before the application filed. However, our situation is so compelling that even the county planning team agrees that from a 50-thousand-foot level due to the language to protect the courses in the Community Plan, our case is the strongest they have seen. That assessment led with some coaxing led this expert to agree to take a clear look. Our expert will participate on a pro bono basis with myself and Mike Newsom in an upcoming Zoom session with staff from HC Planning and HC Development Services to confirm our understandings and essential aspects of our case preemptively prior to any filing and clarify our questions and understandings as the matter proceeds.

This has been hard fought and will offer invaluable insight and additional intelligence to our case and how to most effectively and successful defeat any development application.

Petition Canvassing – Coordination’s the Thing

Members of SaveSCC and other interested parties are supporting our canvassing efforts and community outreach. Our goal is to reach the entire community so that everyone is aware of ClubLink’s plan to develop our golf courses and our actions to stop it. That is not a simple task between snow birds, folks out of town, busy schedules, and the prohibition against canvassing in CA clubs or on CA property during activities or events as that would be considered violating the rights of other CA members to enjoy those facilities and activities.

The best canvassing strategy we can strategically take is to go door-to-door throughout every neighborhood, street by street. That was the consensus at our working session on July 12, 2022.

So here is the plan to manage our activities to get it done as effectively and efficiently as possible:

Our canvassing chief – Carol Hugill is coordinating and tracking canvassing efforts on a street-by-street basis via a spreadsheet containing the details on all 220+ streets in SCC. To sign up for a street or part of a street by house number range for large streets like Del Webb or Pebble Beach, email her at SaveSCCcanvassing@gmail.com with the street you’d like to canvass including your name, email, and phone number. If that street is available, she’ll put it in your name for canvassing. We do not want to duplicate efforts or waste time and resources.

Please advise her when you are complete so we can track completions. The spreadsheet will be updated by Carol on our confidential Google WorkSpace and published weekly on SaveSCC.org on the “Take Action” menu item, under “Canvassing”. That way we gauge our progress.

We are asking all SaveSCC members to solicit petition signers and distribute SaveSCC materials whenever you’re out and about. We have plenty of printed materials. They are available at all SaveSCC meetings or by contacting us via SaveSCCcanvassing@gmail.com. We just had 6000 pamphlets and 1500 petitions professionally printed by Vistaprint and they are beautifully done. Please use them.

Keep that clipboard with a stack of petitions and SaveSCC pamphlets with. Don’t leave home without them! Take them with you to the grocery, the barber shop, the hairdresser, the nail salon, the doctor’s office, a non-CA community event, etc. Don’t be afraid to talk with folks. Engage with your friends, your neighbors, your social circle, your clubmates or teammates, or friends at the dog park, or on a round of golf, or over drinks, or even strangers. Email your buds! Don’t miss an opportunity.

Just make sure they have not signed this petition before. It has only been out since early June so hopefully they’ll remember. The only requirement to sign is you are over 18, reside at least part-time in Hillsborough County, and have not signed before.

Please do not make up additional sign-up sheets. Use the one provided as it only has 9 signatures per page and if a sheet is disqualified, destroyed, or lost – the signatures not counted are minimal. The height of the pile will be more impressive when these are hand delivered at the hearing meeting!

Anyone can also visit the Emergency Squad or Security Patrol to sign the petition or drop them off there for pick up. We also collect them at all SaveSCC meetings. The details about how to return them are on the bottom of the form. Folk can snail mail a sheet with even one signature back to me if they are out of town. Just help get the word out, in person or electronically.

Most folks we’ve approached are actually very interested and glad that you are sharing information. They support the SaveSCC effort to stop development of Sun City Center’s golf courses. The response has been very gratifying.

Remember our goal is for every SaveSCC member to get 30 signatures!

“If it is to be, it is up to “we”, and you are an integral part of “we.””

When we all do a little, the effect is a tidal wave!

Be part of the tsunami!

As I had been told many times, it was the petition effort by key CA folks that was the deciding factor in overcoming all objections from FDOT and everyone else when one Hillsborough County Commissioner took those 4,000+ petitions all the way to Tallahassee and said “ These petitions are votes!” That’s how we are blessed to have the golf carts crossing at Highway 301 to get to Walmart after they moved to their current location. No thought that could happen either!

Golf Course Adjacent Properties Project

The project team analyzing the golf course properties is proceeding. In-person and Zoom training was held for 3 team members last Wednesday and the initial pass of the property data on Sandpiper has been completed and will be rechecked for accuracy. The preliminary count is 446 home owner properties abutting Sandpiper. The North Lake Course has also been done and the preliminary count there is 418.

Work is underway for the rest of SCC ClubLink golf courses and work will begin on Kings Point courses this week. I anticipate we will find 2,000+ owners abutting the Clublink golf courses meaning probably about 10% of the community.

Wrap Up

As you can see from this update, things are moving along well. This definitely is the time for us to prepare for ClubLink or their builder’s application to the county. We must also prepare the game plan and alternatives for the next steps after their application is defeated. Our goal is really two-fold, stop development and ensure the existing golf courses are used for recreational use only.

Keep on Canvassing and Informing!

Ellie Anderson

 

 

Save SCC Status– July 25, 2022

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 2nd and 4thTuesdays 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
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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.

Excellent Letter to Our Commissioners from Mike Newsom

Enclosed is an excellent letter resident Mike Newsom wrote to the Hillsborough County commissioners. Feel free to cut and paste this letter into your own letter to the commissioners.

Re: Golf Course Preservation Throughout Hillsborough County – May 25,2022

Dear Commissioner _____:

I am a concerned citizen in Sun City Center, an avid golfer, and a person in favor of maintaining pleasant living surroundings throughout Hillsborough County.  Whenever I play a golf course located in a community setting, I am always struck by its beauty and the peace it adds to the neighborhood.  I am also grateful that the owner of the property maintains and sustains the golf course setting.

Recently the owner, ClubLinks, of golf courses in Sun City Center has made an overture that it intends to seek a rezoning of golf course property to residential, further increasing the density of the community.  While the rezoning is of great concern to me, I am asking you to consider the greater impact it will have on the whole of Hillsborough County.

I believe that if this first rezoning domino falls, golf courses throughout Hillsborough County will be in jeopardy.  In addition to my witnessing the beauty of the land occupied by golf courses, I can also see that the land, itself, often has an extreme value if otherwise used as commercial or residential property. I would urge you to consider, not just the residents of Sun City Center, but all citizens of the Hillsborough County who have chosen to live in golf course communities.

I would think that it would be very unfortunate for the Commissioners of Hillsborough County to gain the reputation as being unfriendly to sustaining golf courses.

I would also like to point out to you a couple of items in the “Comprehensive plan for unincorporated Livable Communities Element” for Greater Sun City Center (“the Comprehensive Plan”).

From excerpts the Vision Statement: “Our Greater Sun City Center Area Community plan focuses on providing a hospitable environment for the wonderful mix of people living here now, and in the future”

Also from the Recreation Goals: GOLF COURSES. “Maintain and protect existing golf course(s) and ensure that they are dedicated for future recreational use only.”

And from the definition of “Compatibility”: Compatibility does not mean “the same as.” Rather, it refers to the sensitivity of the development proposals in maintain the character of the existing development.

The wise people who constructed the Comprehensive Plan understood the importance of ensuring the well-being of the environment that we citizens of Hillsborough County enjoy.  Nothing would change the character of our golf course communities more than eliminating our golf courses and causing us to be just another community.

Respectively submitted,

 

Save SCC Status– July 12, 2022

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 12Th 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