Neighbors:

The State of Florida may force Sumter County residents from their homes and many others will have a Turnpike in their yard if the Northern Turnpike Extension is built.  Critics and astute observers call it: The Road to Nowhere.

All four turnpike options will plow through the west side of Wildwood and rip through the Historic African American Community of Royal and Northwest Sumter County.

You need to vote for a governor in November who will say NO to these Turnpike options and vote for for a state representative who will say NO to funding this misguided mission.

Make sure that every family member and all your neighbors are registered and vote!

If someone needs help registering to vote call 352.794.1351 or email info@sumterfldemocrats.com

In the meantime, what can you do?  Call or write your local, county and FDOT officials at every opportunity.  Again, the governor decides and the legislature funds.

Here is a map (if your house or property is under or near the yellow, you have three questions to ask yourself:)

When the turnpike takes your home where will you go

How will you like view from your home when the turnpike is built?

What will YOU do now?”  Hint: Register and Vote!

For additional information, check out the Facebook group Suncoast & Northern Turnpike Connector or https://floridasturnpike.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Northern-Turnpike-Extension-Fact-Sheet-2022_01-24-22_FINAL.pdf 

An impact fee is typically a one-time payment imposed by a local government on a property developer. The fee is meant to offset the financial impact a new development places on public infrastructure. Public infrastructure includes roads, schools, parks, recreational facilities, water and sewerage, among other services.

Representative Bret Hague sponsored a bill that limited impact fees to no more than 12.5% in a given year and no more than 50% over a four-year period.  Governor DeSantis signed the bill into law.  Brett Hage is Vice President for Residential Development for The Villages.   

You can read more about Impact Fees here:

https://www.jmco.com/new-law-means-changes-florida-local-government-impact-fees

In October 2021, The Florida Department of Transportation started a study to extend the northern end of the Florida Turnpike beyond where it now ends at Interstate 75 in Wildwood. The project study area includes Citrus, Levy, Marion and Sumter counties. Currently, there are 4 proposed.

You can follow the progress of this study here:
https://floridasturnpike.com/turnpike-projects/featured-projects/northern-turnpike-extension/

It happened in 2004. Some political experts argued that having Sumter County Commissioners selected through an at-large voting method could leave residents who live outside The Villages without a voice in their county. That is exactly what happened. It was sold as a tool to unite the county. Instead, it divided the county.
The population of The Villages retirement community became the majority of the voters in the county, leaving the county natives and other retirement communities in the minority.
In January, by a vote of 3 to 2, Sumter County commissioners decided to place a referendum on the August 2022 ballot that, if approved, would elect commissioners by district voters instead of at large.
You can read more about this vote here: