A Village of Belvedere couple fears they are about to lose their idyllic backyard to a family-dominated subdivision.
Bill and Carolyn Speckman moved to The Villages from Palm Harbor eight years ago after discovering The Villages through Senior Games.
When they found their home on Morven Parkway they were thrilled. The home backs up to a pasture.
“We have adored our extended backyard. It’s a shame to see it go,” Carolyn said.
They and their neighbors have enjoyed the cattle, including a Shetland Pony, that have grazed in the pasture.
“I have spent a fortune on carrots,” Carolyn said.
The property is being rezoned from agricultural to single-family home to make way for a subdivision.
It’s not like they have given up without a fight.
They and their neighbors have attended Wildwood Planning and Zoning meetings to voice their concerns.
They are fearful of having children in their backyards and increased traffic in an already busy area.
“We don’t know if they are going to put up basketball goals or what,” she said.
But the bottom line is they have no representation on this issue.
They don’t vote in the city of Wildwood and it is Wildwood elected officials who will have the final say.
“They aren’t the only ones who wish they were still looking out at pasture land,” Mayor Ed Wolf said at the Feb. 24 Wildwood City Commission meeting.
He said it is all part of the rapid growth in Sumter County.
At that meeting, the Speckmans and their neighbors were informed the subdivision issue would not be discussed.
The Wildwood City Commission meets at 7 p.m. Monday. The Speckmans and their neighbors plan to attend.
