Presidents Message

President’s Comments made at the regular board meeting held on May 22, 2024:

Those of you who know me, know that I prefer to confront the “elephant in the room” head on. Actually, I don’t like to have ANY elephants in my room, but when there is one, I go right in.

On Monday, the Citrus County Chronicle newspaper featured an article that Pine Ridge Property Owner’s Association and the previous president, Wayne, are being sued for libel and slander. As of now, we have not been served official notice of that suit. Until such time, we have no comment, and any eventual comments would be only after consultation with our attorneys.

In the meantime, let me tell you what else is going on. Southern Oaks (James Dicks) has filed a “request for relief” from the Citrus County BOCC’s decision on January 9th to deny his application to develop 85 homes on the golf course property. Mediation regarding this request is scheduled for June 4. This mediation is between DIX Developments and an attorney for the County. The POA is not involved, however, our attorney is looking into whatever may come next. Southern Oaks Property Group requested relief pursuant to 70.51, yet this mediation seems to be outside of the process detailed in 70.51. Our legal team is working to figure it out.

Now, shifting directly to the Golf Course property and associated expenses:

First, I doubt anyone would deny that having an independent, public, private, or semi-private Golf Course feature within the periphery of Pine Ridge would be a benefit to the community. A primary concern has been ‘yes, but at what cost’?

Second, it is human nature to think the worst when clear information is not forthcoming. Where does your mind go if a doctor says “your test results are in, and we need you to schedule an appointment so we can discuss them”? A lack of clear and consistent communication has led to skepticism and lack of trust between neighbors. Since becoming your President, I have spent many hours with the Save the Golf Course Property Committee to understand the information I lacked, and to see the complexities involved.

Many things have been said by many different people. Here’s what I have to say: The Save the Golf Course Property Committee never promoted having the POA purchase or become a partner in the Golf Course, the property, or the business. Their goal was to prevent the BOCC from approving the application, and that’s what happened on January 9th. Now we’re waiting to see what happens with the request for relief.

At this time, our legal team is looking into the above-mentioned irregularities to ensure that proper procedures are followed by our County. I, your Treasurer (Bob), and your Community Association Manager (Gail) are scrutinizing every line on every legal bill. We reduced the last bill by about $2,300 and will continue to keep on top of billing AND payments.

My promise to you is that I will continue to provide as much transparency into Association business as possible. Please do understand, some topics may be inappropriate to publicly discuss. Some may be protected by attorney-client privilege, particularly if we’re in the midst of a legal challenge. Nonetheless, you should feel free to ask any questions, and the Board will provide answers when we know them.