NEIGHBORS FOR NEIGHBORS

(A SIX MINUTE READ)

 

 

INTRO                                                          April 8, 2026
 

Those responsible Pine Ridge voters looking for background should take the time to navigate this website.  This intro article, a six minute read, sets the record straight and catches people up.  Please review before voting.

 

IT’S THE MASTER PLAN 

What started out as a golf course matter became a much larger issue based on the research of the Save The Golf Course Property Committee.  There were seven months of weekly Committee meetings leading up to January 9, 2024.  These meetings defined the depth of the issue.  No one from PRU attended except for Renee Pascouau.  She later gravitated to PRU and based on her candidate forum remarks she has a deep misunderstanding of the issues. 

 

Because of expert advice, and confirmation through the legal process, residents came to understand allowing the developer to succeed begins the erosion of the protection of the 54 year, one of a kind, grandfathered Pine Ridge Master Plan.  If the ordinance facilitated on August 26, 2025, prevails, it becomes the precedent for this and future development.  Until August 26, 2025 Citrus Staff deferred to the Pine Ridge Master Plan.   

  

The developer and his influencers want residents throughout Pine Ridge to believe this is not about his profit plan but rather about people living on the golf course and ‘their views and the money being spent’.  It’s amazing some still take the bait.  They claim it’s about $200-300,000. per year depending on who posts what where:  Nextdoor, Letters To The Editor, Soundoff and other social media.  They constantly refer to large sums of money as a fear mongering tactic.  It's what communication directors, influencers and ‘socks’ can do.  For this assignment they embellish, criticize, and misdirect all the while trying to wear us down.  It is very coordinated negative messaging.  The shame of it is so many friends and neighbors who post on Nextdoor haven’t realized, or worse, ignore this well thought out process.  The developer’s communications director is now part of PRU.  You can’t make this stuff up.  

 

SOCK PUPPETS

To be sure, it is the developer, his communications director, and 'fictitious sock puppets' who have been waging a disinformation campaign since Pine Ridge residents secured a 5-0 unanimous vote in January, '24.  It was a historical vote that protected the status quo and our unique 54-year Master Plan.  But we know this developer doesn’t like to be on the wrong side.  And now you are asking yourself:  What’s a sock puppet?  It’s a fake online identity or secondary account used by a person to create the illusion of popularity, consensus, or to deceive others.   Often used in forums, social media, and review sites, these accounts, or just "socks," allow users to support themselves or harass others anonymously.  We know who they are.  It will be dealt with at the appropriate time.

 

Voices on Nextdoor advise there are two sides to this issue.  This is true.  But never was it expected to be neighbor v neighbor.  The developer needed to manufacture the illusion of divisiveness for the BOCC; this he orchestrated for August 26, 2025 with a very small but noisy group of under informed (and therefore subject to disinformation) Pine Ridge residents calling themselves PRU. His political activism at the BOCC and POA culminated in a dubious 3-2 vote.  This remains under appeal and as the POA lawyer advised: “What occurred that day was a miscarriage of justice”.

 

SAVEPINERIDGE.COM                                                                                            

Occasionally, there are valid questions posted on Nextdoor. Here within are some answers.  A major recurring issue in a social media thread is how some people are more interested in fortifying their thought with a ‘gotcha, rather than being open to verified fact and truth.  This is regularly identifiable by those immediate and emotional posts---followed again by another negatively designed question.  It’s exhausting.  It’s one of many reasons for savepineridge.com. 

 

We agree with some of the opinions on Nextdoor that the nastiness is unnecessary. The reality is it’s intentionally amped up by the developer because there is a lot of money in play; both his and ours.  Whether they were recruited or fell into his business plan, no longer matters:  the developer’s candidates of choice are standing with him rather than the POA, their community and their neighbors.  PRU running interference for the developer with so much misinformation wasn’t anticipated.  He thanks them regularly and continues to need PRU---McCoy, Pascouau, Glick and Kwitowski.

 

FINANCIAL TOWN HALL

If you attended the Financial Town Hall, you learned legal fees for the last 3 years were calculated as $10.00 per year per lot.  What you also learned is no resident has been billed one cent because of this ongoing legal matter.  Three Boards and ten Directors (only two ever lived on the course) were unanimous in the decision to fund a legal defense. They were doing their honorable fiduciary duty making fact based decisions---defending not suing.  They expected there would be heat from the developer but not from their neighbors.  They are deserving of extreme praise for holding steady.  The developer has heaped intensive criticism through his candidates of choice in a relentless smear campaign to get the POA to defund their legal defense. Remember that whenever you see:  McCoy, Pascouau, Glick and Kwitowski. It bears repeating:  the criticism leveled at the POA Board through proxies is to get the POA to stop defending residents and property owners.  He threatens legal action hoping the POA will fold.  Pretty sophisticated stuff.  And there was the misinformation regarding $600 per month to buy, refurbish and manage the golf course.  A total smear campaign some neighbors bought into. So the Neighbor For Neighbor candidates went a step further.  Read on.

 

Remember the PRU slogan “Not Buying You a Golf Course”? This was another nugget of misinformation.  In this election cycle Bob Farmer, John Hyde and Diane South have restated their position by pledging on video not to raise dues or have assessments for the purpose of purchasing, refurbishing, or managing the golf course.  

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Here is another intentionally omitted fact.  The minimal (much exaggerated) legal payments were from reserves built up through the years; the same reserves that funded a dog park, pickle ball courts and other amenities. The recent rise in dues, after more than twenty years, had nothing to do with legal expenses as explained in the Financial Town Hall and fireside chats.  Dues were kept low because previous Boards used the same reserves rather than raise fees in accordance with financially sound COLAs.  They continued to kick the can down the road.  You can only do that for so long.  That the adjustment happened this past year was untimely but necessary.  The Board was doing their duty.

 

NEGOTIATE NOT LITIGATE

It was Mr. James Dicks, first in an offer to the POA followed by an open letter to residents, combining the properties publicly.  The POA has legally binding agreements limiting what Dicks can do on Amber Ridge West and Black Diamond Reserve. This is exactly why the POA secured a professional negotiator.  It was this consultant who informed the POA of this very important, almost lost, data point.  

 

The ARW and BDR properties are no longer part of the Pine Ridge Master Plan.  They were legally 'vacated' but have binding agreements as part of the Special Warranty Deeds.  In the candidate forums you watched as the developer’s candidates: McCoy, Pascouau, Glick and Kwitowski tried to bluff their way toward an answer.  It was obvious they have no understanding of these vital points.    

 

It was Mr. Dicks who intentionally combined the golf course, Amber Ridge and Black Diamond in his first offer---not the POA.  This was the primary reason the Board secured a ‘contingency based consulting contract’ with Pine Ridge Community Partners headed by Mr. Shannon Smith.  He is a practicing business professional and his financial background as a CPA has leveled the playing field.  The Board needed professional guidance to ensure negotiations were providing the best possible outcome for all Pine Ridge residents--particularly those in close proximity to Amber Ridge, Black Diamond and the golf course.   As you can see, this is not a simple one off problem; it has many moving parts.  That the POA has become so educated to the matter remains a major frustration---which is why the developer needs someone on the Board.  We invite you now to peruse the balance of this website.  Come to it and look for answers.  Or look to pineridgeassn.com.  Or reach out to the candidates.  

 

TIME TO CAST AN INFORMED VOTE

Please remember:  this election comes down to three Neighbors For Neighbors candidates who are protecting the Pine Ridge Master Plan, property values and their neighbors----and four who aren’t.  To put McCoy, Glick, Pascouau, or Kwitowski on the Board is the same as putting the developer there.  This is why we respectfully suggest in the moment you are casting your vote ask yourself:  am I pro neighbor or pro developer?   The names Farmer, Hyde and South should pop as your most informed candidates.  

 

CHOOSE WISELY