The iconie3/30/2023 ![]() ![]() Backed by the Property Owners’ Association, three Villagers stepped up to run: Craig Estep, Oren Miller, and Gary Search. The deck was stacked against candidates challenging the family and its allies, but there still had to be elections. The family owns the robust local newspaper, The Villages Daily Sun owns the radio station, which pipes Fox News and right-leaning updates through speakers in common areas and at pools owns the glossy magazine and also owns local politics.īut a group of fed-up Villagers decided to fight back through the only remotely democratic chink left in the armor of The Villages, the county commission. The developer is a spaghetti bowl of LLCs doing business collectively as The Villages, which is still owned by the Morse family, descendants of Harold Schwartz, who founded what became the community in the 1970s as a trailer park. The only impact fees they do pay are for roads, and they only pay 40 percent of the recommended amount.” “The developers pay no impact fees for schools, for fire, for EMS, for police, for parks and recreation, for government buildings. “This place has grown like crazy,” said Oren Miller, who would go on to run for a seat on the county commission. But the money was instead destined to subsidize further sprawl south of The Villages, ultimately benefitting the entity known locally either as “the developer” or “the family,” which could then escape paying the fees associated with the impact of their development. If the new taxes were intended to cover new amenities or upgrades for the Villagers, perhaps a hike would be worth the sacrifice. The math they had done in plotting out their golden years had not accounted for a massive jump in taxes. However, her skull was brought to Lisbon where it remains today.T he trouble began in 2019 when residents of The Villages were suddenly hit with a 25 percent hike in their property taxes. In the master-planned retirement community of 130,000 across Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties in central Florida, many are on fixed incomes. Her remains were exhumed years later and brought to Downpatrick to be buried alongside Saints Patrick and Columcille. St Brigid died at the age of 75 in AD 525 and was buried in the church she created. Over time, word spread about St Brigid, her kindness, faith and the making of the cross became synonymous with her and the tradition now bears her name. Initially, legend has it, people used to make similar crosses to hang over the door of their homes to ward off evil, fire and hunger. Before his death, the chieftain asked to be baptised. She began telling the story of Christ on the Cross, picking up rushes from the ground to make a cross. St Brigid was by the sick bed of a dying pagan chieftain, possibly her father, soothing him with stories about her faith and her unwavering trust in God. ![]() With God’s help, the cloak grew to cover acres of land. Her father said that he would only give her as much land as her cloak could cover. She called on God’s help again to convince her father to give her land in Kildare to set up a convent. Not only did her beauty return but apparently she was even more beautiful than ever. Her wish was granted, her father caved and she joined the convent. The story goes that she asked for God’s help to take away her beauty so that the man wouldn’t want to marry her. When she was young, St Brigid wanted to join a convent however her father took a firm stand and insisted that she marry the wealthy man he had promised her to. She is one of the Patron Saints of Ireland, along with St Patrick and St Columcille. St Brigid is also known as Mary of the Gael or Muire na nGael aka Our Lady of the Irish. Brigid’s Day & Imbolg and I talk to Karen Ward about #firstdayofspring. Listen back: Cian McCormack reported on St Brigid's Day today on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland St Patrick inspired her to deepen her faith and spread the word of God. ![]() Her father was a pagan chieftain of Leinster and her mother was a Christian. With that in mind, here are a few things to have to hand when spreading the word about this unsung Irish hero.īorn in Dundalk in 450 AD St Brigid was the founder of the first monastery in County Kildare, Ireland. 'Iconic' and 'role model' are phrases oft bandied about and as a result, have lost some of their power and meaning but both are true of this fascinating woman. This iconic woman is one of the most amazing role models in Irish history and yet I’m amazed to hear each year how many people have forgotten her story. Today is officially the first day of spring and it is one of my favourite days of the year as it is also St Brigid’s Day. ![]()
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