The Villages - Lake Deaton (Ocala, Sawgrass: new home, neighborhoods, theatres)

[Bette]

I was sent a few homes by a realtor. We liked one in this area.

Is this neighborhood far from the activities? I know each neighborhood has their own but there are popular town squares, right?

Big lake - are there alligators in this one? I read somewhere where people can swim in this lake; is that true?

Is Highway 44 a dividing line of some sort?

[dontaskwhy]

It is never safe to swim in an area that alligators are known to be in.

Alligators don't actively hunt humans, but in some cases if provoked they become very aggressive or they attack by accident like with sharks in the ocean. Alligator attacks on people are not very common, but it usually doesn't end well for most people.

Hwy 44 is the dividing line (North/South) between Marion county and Levy county.

[dontaskwhy]

A new gator attack just occurred in the Villages today. An elderly woman in her 80's was attacked and killed by a large alligator. I don't know exactly where it happened, but that doesn't really matter. In Florida, if there is a large enough body of water, you should assume it has at least one alligator in it. Also, don't take your pet dog for a walk near a pond. The gator would see it as a potential meal. I live in Ocala, FL and we had to have a trapper remove a 6-foot gator from the community retention pond last fall as a nuisance.

[Ghaati]

The Lake Deaton area is in the middle of a sort of triangle with Lake Sumter Landing Town Square to the northeast, Brownwood Town Square to the southwest, and Sawgrass Grove entertainment center to the southeast. Depending on which side of the lake you live on, you'll be closer to one or the other. Sawgrass is the newest, completed just this past year. Brownwood's been around several years. Sumter is the most established of the three.

Each has its own features, but all of them share live music and dancing nightly. Sawgrass is the smallest of the three.

Lake Deaton is popular for dragon boat crews (you can learn about this sport here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_boat )

I don't believe you can swim in the lake. But there is a Lake Deaton recreation center, which is part of the Villages and not part of Wildwood or Sumter County (where the actual lake is located). The rec center has a pool, and anyone with a Villages resident ID card can use it.

[Bette]

I've lived in Florida since I was 11 so a long time! We live on a lake in South Florida (man made lake) and there are no gators there but we are in the central part of the city.

We are always really careful with our dogs.

I found a house back in April 2022 and it would have been perfect. It was in the Village of Pinellas and it was the Gardenia model. I told the realtor I'd like to offer $15K under the asking and she said the sellers would never take it.

Well, I checked 2 months later - it sold for 30K less.

I don't know if the Village of Pinellas is more central to things but I envision doing a lot of walking. I have vision issues so a golf cart is probably not a good idea for me. I'd want to walk at night so no gators around.

(There was a gator attack in St. Lucie County - an 85 year old woman just yesterday, I think. Very sad).

[Ghaati]

Gator attacks are very rare. In /most/ cases, they happen because the human chooses to get too close to the gator. Gators are generally shy creatures that aren't interested in people at all. You stay out of their way, they'll stay out of yours.

Sometimes residents here (I live in the Villages) will find a gator on their front walk. We have photos of that on our forum, it's kind of weird. But when that happens, it's usually just the gator finding shade on a sunny day, and there's almost always a retention pond nearby. Go around the back door or through the garage instead to get in the house. Then give the gator people a call, or just leave the critter alone and he'll go back to his retention pond within an hour or so.

As for reasons why you were turned down: April 2022 was during the height of home prices. Whoever was moving out, was going to pay extra to move in to their own new home. Prices in the Villages consistently go up, rather than down. This community is, and always has been, a seller's market.

But the pandemic changed things. The market fluctuated here, which is very rare. Pinellas would not have been a good location for you if you have vision problems. You can't walk to the supermarket there, or the doctor's office, and there isn't a big mass transit network you can rely on. You'd have to drive.

[Bette]

My husband would drive me, of course.

We like to walk though and get exercise.

Which villages would be the most central for activities? We would move for the social part.

We also would keep our current home in South Florida so probably we would be in The Villages in the summer months.

[Ghaati]

The Villages are are around 35 square miles in size, and within that, there are around 70 square miles of multi-modal paths exclusively for golf carts and pedestrians.

There are dozens of recreation centers, and over 3000 clubs. There are over 100 pools - neighborhood pools, sports pools, and family pools. There is no "central" place for activities. Every cluster of villages has its own rec center, which is not just a building and a pool. It's also walking trails, bocce and shuffleboard, pickleball and/or tennis courts. Some of them have an archery range, some have softball fields, and so on and so forth. There are three "town squares" and a fourth entertainment center, in addition to polo fields and large theatres for concerts and plays.

If you're mostly into being social, I'd suggest avoiding courtyard villas. They're walled in, and you aren't likely to see your neighbors in their own yards, since you can't see their yards at all. Other than that, socializing should not even register on your list of things you're looking for. Socialization is already a given, no matter where in the Villages you pick.

[ylisa7]

Originally Posted by Bette

My husband would drive me, of course.

We like to walk though and get exercise.

Which villages would be the most central for activities? We would move for the social part.

We also would keep our current home in South Florida so probably we would be in The Villages in the summer months.

Spanish Springs "square" is the oldest section fo the Villages. The houses are older but there is more shopping and doctors.

Lake Sumter Landing "square" was built next. Still lots of shopping and doctors.

Brownwood "square" comes after that and is a bit farther south but still closer to shopping and doctors.


South of 44 is the newest section and the Villages is still building. The newest square is Sawgrass but it doesn't compare to the other 3.

All of the neighborhoods have tons of activities, pools, games, golfing and clubs. I would recommend a "Lifestyle" visit and also take the Trolley tours.

[ylisa7]

As far as alligators, no matter where you are in Florida if you have water even a retention pond there is always a "possibility" of alligators. No fresh water is 100% safe here. Most times you will never see them. Just always be aware that they "could" be there.