Irrigation Deal Upsets Gran Pardiso Homeowners (Sarasota, North Port: sales, real estate, HOA fees)

[Sunshine Rules]

"Gran Paradiso property owners have sued the West Villages Improvement District over the cost of irrigation water, which was set through negotiations with the developer early in the south Sarasota County subdivision's creation."

"The issue erupted once Gran Paradiso refused to pay a $34,696 quarterly bill for July-September that was broken down as $28,113 for irrigation water; $19,937 as a well availability fee and a capital recovery charge of $6,646."

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/...l/10754680002/


This is what can happen when there's a special taxing district for a master development. In this case, Lennar, the builder, did an inadequate job of negotiating rates with the tax district, so now residents are getting hit with excessive fees for irrigation water, forcing them to go to court in an attempt to renegotiate rates. Before buying within any special taxing district, check out the minutes of the meetings, the meeting agendas, etc to see what is going on because that information may become very important to you after you buy into a particular community.

[Usir]

Originally Posted by Sunshine Rules

"Gran Paradiso property owners have sued the West Villages Improvement District over the cost of irrigation water, which was set through negotiations with the developer early in the south Sarasota County subdivision's creation."

"The issue erupted once Gran Paradiso refused to pay a $34,696 quarterly bill for July-September that was broken down as $28,113 for irrigation water; $19,937 as a well availability fee and a capital recovery charge of $6,646."

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/...l/10754680002/


This is what can happen when there's a special taxing district for a master development. In this case, Lennar, the builder, did an inadequate job of negotiating rates with the tax district, so now residents are getting hit with excessive fees for irrigation water, forcing them to go to court in an attempt to renegotiate rates. Before buying within any special taxing district, check out the minutes of the meetings, the meeting agendas, etc to see what is going on because that information may become very important to you after you buy into a particular community.

I recall Lennar got a lot of monetary concessions when they agreed to finish the community after it shut down during the crash. Then they leave the buyers with another headache too?

Are they the only builder in Wellen Park in this situation and how would a buyer know if their community developer was engaged in a negotiation that would effect them long after the transfer of the HOA?

It seems that they are just grafting a surcharge onto the portion of the water that is supplied by North Port without any justification as well. How are they allowed to do something such as this, and is Gran Paradiso the only community paying these extra fees?

Also, is there an existing discussion of the de-annexation situation? I’d like to read it as well.

[beach43ofus]

This is precisely why I didn't move into the West Villages/Wellen Park special taxing district. I knew those "special taxes" would start at some point.

One of my fears was the cost of the stadium, & the fact that it has to be losing big money since inception. I knew other skeleton's lurked there too in that scary sounding "special taxing district". Plus, I never trusted North Port's gov't. I knew they'd redistribute wealth from Wellen Park to build the infrastructure the city sorely lacks.

I've been warning people about the "special taxing district" status there many many times here in my posts. Its a license to steal from homeowners, & the homeowners will have no legal recourse because its all there in writing spelled out...nobody try to hide anything. Its just 1 of the 67 forms you sign at closing, but never read.

Too bad everyone doesn't read my posts prior to buying in this area....I'm probably not the only person who posted warnings about this, but I think I've done it more than anyone else.

I hope this makes a lot of news so potential buyers can become more aware of what is lurking there for them in Wellen Park.

Incidently, not every community marketed as "Wellen Park" is in that special taxing district. I'm pretty sure Sarasota National, Boca Royale, and Grand Palm are not....those developers were smart to steer clear of it.

[johns55]

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people moving here to these communities do not do enough research, and are unaware of these type of lurking problems. So many people don't understand property tax, home and car insurance, gated community HOA fees, etc, and are caught blindsided. Do research and know what you are buying into. It is great here but there are mistakes that can be made that can make this move not at all what you expect.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by johns55

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people moving here to these communities do not do enough research, and are unaware of these type of lurking problems. So many people don't understand property tax, home and car insurance, gated community HOA fees, etc, and are caught blindsided. Do research and know what you are buying into. It is great here but there are mistakes that can be made that can make this move not at all what you expect.

CDD's is another example of hidden costa many never explore prior to closing. They trust others way too much.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

CDD's is another example of hidden costa many never explore prior to closing. They trust others way too much.

The odds are that the homeowners in Gran Paradiso all signed a document in their closing's that allowed these costs to be billed back to them.

Hiring a Real Estate lawyer, & having him get EVERY form you will need to sign at closing, in advance of signing any sales agreement is the key for lazy buyers. Sellers in this market will resist this, so get a Real Estate Lawyer to do it for you...they'll be much less likely to resist a Lawyer's request to see all the docs in advance.

Have the Lawyer give you a short description of each form...what it is, and what it means...especially any docs that appear to be unique to this transaction, or docs that are not part of every closing in the area.

Once you sign the sales agreement, & give them a check, it may be too late.

If you are okay w/ all the forms, have the Lawyer attend the closing with you to be sure they don't slip any new forms in on you.

Don't trust ANYONE fully in the Real Estate industry. Make sure your Lawyer is acting as your "Fiduciary".