All was not well in Paradise. Burnt Store Marina is the crown jewel of the Burnt Store corridor. This beautiful gated community contains the largest deep water marina in Southwest Florida, a waterside restaurant, a 27 hole executive golf course, a fitness center, tennis courts, walking and biking trails and more. Its residents enjoy a quality of life that is hard to find anywhere else. The community had successfully recovered from the spate of Hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 but it looked unlikely that it would be able to overcome the even greater devistation in 2006 when their beloved 27 hole executive golf course was unexpectedly closed.
The owner of the Amenities had decided to close the 27 hole executive golf course at Burnt Store Marina without notice. There were several parcels that made the course attractive for development and the owner of the amenities hadn't been running the course with the thought of making it a going business. The costs were kept high to discourage play so that there would be the appearance that the golf club was not supported by the residents which in turn would provide an argument for re-zoning the golf course for residential use. A challenge to the development plan by the residents created a running feud with the owner of the amenities and the future of the golf course at Burnt Store Marina looked bleak at best.
When the rezoning was unsuccessful, the Master Association approached the owner of the amenities with a plan to lease the golf course for 5 years. The lease would be contingent on the residents voting to support a yearly assessment. The subsequent vote ended with the residents supporting the assessment and the golf course re-opened under the management of the Master Association. The residents began to use the club with renewed excitement. However that excitement was not to last. A small group of residents began a series of law suits questioning the legality of the assessments which resulted in over a year of litigation, court cost and legal fees; again the golf course was at risk of closure.
Enter in a group of determined and concerned residents who came up with a plan to form a not-for-profit entity that would run the golf course and use the club house as an activities center. There would be no assessments. Membership to the Golf Club would be voluntary and limited to only those who joined the "activity center". To join, a member would have to agree to pay a one time initiation fee and yearly dues. Only Activity Center members would be eligible to join the golf course as a member. Activity Center members would also get discounts in the pro-shop and in the club house restaurant. The new corporation would rent the facilities from the owner under a lease that was similar to the one the Master Association had negotiated. The only block to the plan was getting enough members to agree to join in advance to make the plan work. With a very short deadline to get this done, the new committee reached out to the local residents and within a very few months had enough commitments to save the golf club!
Thank you everyone, the golf course has been saved. In fact, after only a few months, the activity center and golf course are being well used. Activities are being planned monthly for the club house and the course is in great shape. The biggest benefit to this whole situation is the added sense of community that resulted from everyone getting together to save the course.
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