Thank you all for your support thus far!

We can assure you it is making some impact in various ways. For the bill, so far, I do not see that it has been packaged for the Governor yet. Looking at other bills the process time varies, so we have had the benefit to be able to collect more signatures while we wait for that to happen. BUT...News of the egregious actions of the developer in controlling and expanding their authority through the district is getting out there!!!

PLEASE, continue to share the petition and RECRUIT MORE SIGNATURES! The goal is to be at 3,000 by Tuesday, 5/13!!!! 🙏 We really need EVERYBODY'S help to get there!

If you need more information to answer questions, this may help:

Summary of West Villages Improvement District & issues & articles

Introduction:

From their website (https://westvillagesid.org/ WVID is, “The West Villages Improvement District (WVID) was created in 2004 by a Special Act of the Florida Legislature, pursuant to and under Chapter 189, Florida Statutes. The WVID is a limited, single and specialized purpose local government, whose purpose is to assure timely, cost-effective and high-quality and implementation of infrastructure for the district…The WVID is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, who are elected to a term of four years. The District has the authority to borrow money, issue bonds and levy and impose special assessments, user fees and charges.” Our community, Gran Paradiso at the West Villages, is one of several established, with more being created, within this district and is one of just two or three that are turned over to resident control.

Current Issues:

Two quick items of note to start: First, there does seem to be some confusion and back-and-forth as to whether WVID is, in actuality, a Special Water District per Chapter 298 Florida Statutes or a Community Development District per Chapter 190. It was created under Chapter 298 in 2004. Second, just before Gran Paradiso at the West Villages POA was turned over to residents, the builder and WVID signed a 100-year contract for irrigation. 

Currently, the five-member WVID board consists of 1 resident member and 4 seats of appointed employees of the private, Canada-based company, Mattamy Homes. The employee-run board is acting in manners beneficial to the company to the detriment of current residents. Just one example is the use of public funds to pay for lobbying for a Florida Bill (CS/HB4061) that not only puts unrealistic thresholds on turnover of board seats to residents (by using registered voters as the determinant), but it also removes restrictions on annexing land and authority to utilize eminent domain. This bill can potentially put the developer in control for decades to come. CS/HB4061 bill is enrolled and going to head to the Governor’s desk imminently. The lobbyist registered on this bill is also the WVID’s attorney. 

Presently, there are 5 completed communities (2 of those are the largest, by far, together with close to 4,400 residences). There are 13 other communities currently under construction in various stages, and at least 2 others approved that have not begun construction. These are just the ones of which we are aware and fall under the municipality, and then, with the ability to annex more land to the municipality without prior approval…it is clear there are plans for more. That is over 20 known communities under developer control (fees and charges on the tax bill increasing as they see fit) for a nearly endless amount of time.

The pending bill and an ongoing legal dispute with our community regarding irrigation rights (which alleges that the WVID fraudulently got irrigation water permits on wells that they do not/did not own, added “well availability fees” to the community’s charges that go directly to one of the Mattamy Homes’ subsidiaries, and subsequently shut the irrigation water off to the entire community) are what are at the center of resident concerns that the foreign-based company are overreaching their authority and acting in interests of profit rather than residents’ benefit. 

The Court Case of Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association against the District, et al, is in Sarasota County (Case Number: 2022 CA 005368 SC). There are two other cases filed in Sarasota County by individual residents against WVID as well, one was brought by Jeffery O’Sullivan alleging that the fees charged for “well availability” provide no benefit to the residents and so should not be charged (Case Number: 2023 CA 007165 SC). The other one is plaintiff David Fernstrum contesting the methodology used in past for turnover of WVID board seats to residents, alleging that at least one other seat should have been up for resident election already (Case Number: 2023 CA 007416 SC).

Local government/officials have been no help and typically defer and deflect concerned residents to bring it to the WVID board…which also avoids putting most dissenting resident (board member and public) commentary into public record by not recording the public comments and often not allowing the resident board member to speak on particular matters, stating it is due to his ‘conflict of interest’ – all while board members that are employees of the corporation act in its best interest to the disadvantage of residents.

Recent Activity and Articles:

·        2/27 – Petition Started to Stop CS/HB4061 (with 2,501 signatures as of 5/9 at 3pm) Our Petition Change.org Link

·        WVID cancels disputed 100-year irrigation contract, sends letter to Gran Paradiso residents (that most received 3/26-3/28) that water will be shut off on 4/1, then shuts off water on 3/31.

·        4/2 – Gran Paradiso Article Venice Sun Gondolier Irrigation-issue-gran-paradiso-has-irrigation-shut-off article link

·        4/18 – Gran Paradiso Article in Suncoast Searchlight Gran-Paradiso-wellen-west-villages-developer-mattamy-water article link

·        4/21 – Dispute Article in Venice Sun Gondolier Developer control in communities article link

·        4/25 – Start of Residents' Ongoing Protests against master-developer in Wellen Park (West Villages Improvement District)

·        4/28 - Protest Article in Venice Sun Gondolier gran-paradiso-residents-protest-developer-over-irrigation-woes article

·        5/2 – Power and Profit Article in Suncoast Searchlight developers-cdd-special-district-bonds-sarasota-manatee article

·        5/9 – Tom Knight Commissioner  Post concerns with Wellen Park developer and special districts sent to Steube

·        5/9 – Article development-districts-officials-buyer-beware-overhaul article

Conclusion:

There are clear issues of conflict of interest by having a Special Taxing District controlled by a for-profit, privately-owned development company. Citizens are not being protected from their corporate greed and authority. The Canadian company’s employees on the WVID board are continually acting against the best interests of residents in order to profit from those residents. These developers have so many lobbyists (Mattamy district relationships with Lennar, and Neal Communities) between the ones hired for their companies (Neal companies alone have at least 16 registered in 2025), their created business associations (like Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, et al), and their created professional associations (i.e.. Florida Association of Special Districts – where the three staff members are of a lobbyist’s group, Ramba Consulting). Developer power and control has become frightening, and they are most certainly abusing their authority – and seeking more!

Thanks for everything,

Ali Johnston