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Task Force Gathers Bids For Course Study

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2008

Members of the board of directors for The Sun City Center Community Association approved the Golf Course Task Force's Statements of Work at their monthly meeting Oct. 8. They then sent the task force out to gather bids on the study which may or may not be able to tell SCC what the courses are worth and what repairs need to be made to them. The results will be used by the board to evaluate the courses in case WCI - currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy - decides to put them on the market. (In that case, the CA has the right of first refusal on the North Lakes and Sandpiper courses.)

The board also approved the 2009 budget which will result in dues going up to $252 per member, a $7 increase from this year.

I must admit that I'm all in favor of the golf course study, but I would have liked to see it budgeted to some extent. Neil Rothfeld, CA treasurer, has indicated he would take the money from the contingency fund, but my guess is such a study would eat up most, if not all, of the $30,000 in that line item.

Speaking of line items (and you can now see the whole budget, line items and all in the CA library) I urged my board colleagues to remove several items from the budget which would have resulted in a savings of some $15,000 (or more than $1 a member) and I couldn't even get a second to my motions. I considered those items to be unnecessary and wasteful, but voted for the budget anyway. Otherwise I would have once again been on the short end of a 7-1 vote.

Neil Rothfeld and CA President Paul Wheat conducted a budget briefing for the community two weeks ago. It was sparsely attended, perhaps as few as five members who were not CA directors or on the budget committee showed up. There were a few more in the audience Oct. 8, but little discussion on the budget.

Remember the story of two congressmen talking together? The first said, "The trouble with this country is ignorance and apathy." The second responded, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about and I don't care."

Along those lines, CA member Tom Kay did ask the board about the status of the golf carts to Wal-Mart issue and Paul Wheat said the board is on record as being in favor of a safe and legal crossing. This, to me, is code for "We don't want to stick our necks out and will not support the crossing to our legislators or the Florida Department of Transportation."

The board should be actively leading this battle, clarifying and working on such zoning issues that exist and trying to make it easy for people to do what they want and need to do.

I checked with Paul Courter, who has been the point man on the issue, and he says his group, which put together a petition with more than 4,000 signatures in favor of the crossing, is "still working on the next objective, which is to get legislation to permit the crossing of Route 301."

Courter says many of the reasons being given against the crossing are the same reasons given to prevent golf carts from going to the old Wal-Mart where Bealls is now. And, he says, "Many of today's objections are being voiced by the same people who opposed golf carts to the old Wal-Mart.

I played two non-Sun City Center golf courses last week. The first was Lakeland's Cleveland Heights, a 27-hole layout that is one of the prettiest in Central Florida. The rough is brillo and not for the likes of us. Brute strength is required. The greens were lightning fast and slick and boy-oh-boy can you ever mount up the score with putts sliding off the surface. Still, it was a test and fun and I did not totally disgrace myself.

Sunday I played Falcon Watch and now have much more respect for Kings Point golfers. I thought the Lakes nine at Sandpiper had water! Well, Falcon Watch has oceans of water and fairways that slope down to it.

While visiting outside courses is really fun, I'm getting inclined (is age a factor here?) to enjoy the devil I know. Familiarity doth not breed contempt!

Bob Black is a member of the board of directors for the Sun City Center Community Association. He has been published in numerous publications including The New York Herald Tribune and the New York Times.

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