What is our goal?

We get asked this question from time to time and it is a good question.
Our goal is to help MCA Homeowners understand the MCA’s ownership of the sports and dining complex which it purchased from The Meadows Country Club in 2018.

We found that any attempts to have a rational, constructive discussion about MCA’s assets quickly ground to a halt due to a lack of actual information. TMCC closely guarded its results, even from TMCC members. MCA supported them in this regard. Both organizations regularly provided questionable information (footnote 1), and there was no way to identify, question, or counter that information.

Then we stumbled upon the fact that, as a not-for-profit organization, TMCC was required to file its financial results with the IRS and provide them to the public (annual Form 990). Having some concrete financial information on TMCC was a game changer, and sharing that information through this website has allowed MCA Homeowners to begin really understanding the situation rather than just being able to speculate.

Having that information was kind of like having the corner piece and some edge pieces to a puzzle. Once you have that to build off, it is possible to see how other pieces that didn’t have any context now fit in. And we just kept putting pieces together to assemble a clearer picture of the situation. It snowballed, like a puzzle does as you get more pieces in place. As that happened, we were frankly shocked about how bad the situation was for MCA Homeowners. And it will continue to be until there is fundamental change (or at least a thorough investigation of alternatives).

We didn’t know whether MCA Homeowners would care or not, but empowered with actual information and analysis of the situation, they clearly do. A small group providing information through a website was never going to make a difference on its own. But MCA Homeowners have picked up the ball and are carrying it forward through constructive interaction with the MCA Board, who are our decision makers. Participation from MCA Homeowners matters. Do your best to show up and even speak up at MCA Board and committee meetings. You will make a difference.

We believe it has also been difficult for some MCA Board members to be well informed and understand the situation we are in. It is clear that a number of MCA Board members have now found their footing and are empowered with more information to better represent MCA Homeowners when it comes to our largest and most challenging assets (MCA Property and Equipment has grown from $1.2 million in 2017 to $12.8 million in 2024!).

The MCA Board has very recently made a number of changes to increase transparency which is positive. We hope the trend continues:

• Providing email reminders of MCA Board meetings with increasingly clear agendas.
• Providing access to meetings via Zoom for those unable to attend in person.
• Committing to regular town hall style meetings so we can have open discussions, not just closed-door one-on-one meetings.
• Even dedicated email addresses so homeowners can communicate more easily with Board members, without using their personal email addresses. The email addresses will be Firstname.Lastname@meadowsca.com

It all starts with information. With solid relevant information and analysis, MCA Homeowners are able to have constructive dialogue and the opportunity to find a better, less costly, way to utilize MCA Homeowners’ sports and dining complex assets. We hope we’ve helped move MCA Homeowners along this path.

With the MCA Board approving the creation of a Strategic Planning Committee, we are going to be sending out a flurry of information and analysis that will be important for that committee to have in their deliberations. We hope you also find it interesting as well.

Please share this with your friends and neighbors.

Contact us at ForTheMeadows@SarasotaMeadows.com

Footnote 1 – Examples of “questionable information”

Both TMCC and MCA have stated TMCC financial records are private so MCA Homeowners cannot see them. As a not-for-profit TMCC has always been required to provide its financial results via Form 990 to anyone who requests it.

Shift of Renaissance Access Plan from a payment to TMCC instead to paying TMCC operating expenses was just for administrative simplification. Very soon after that change was in place MCA President began telling Homeowners that the cost to them had been reduced    (as we predicted).

Both TMCC and MCA tout the amount of expenses TMCC incurs to strongly imply that MCA Homeowners would have to pay that amount per year if not for the existence of TMCC ($8-9 million per year, but sometimes using 3-year total of $28 million). Of course TMCC has business expenses, but they also have about $9 million of revenues per year. Whoever operates the golf courses will receive both revenues and expenses, not just expenses. Speaking of the expenses without the revenues generated is highly misleading.

MCA President and TMCC President consistently refer to the MCA’s sports and dining complex assets as “TMCC’s assets”. These assets have belonged to MCA Homeowners, not TMCC, since 2018. This framing reinforces the widely held false narrative that if TMCC doesn’t exist, there won’t be golf courses or any of the other facilities.

MCA President stated that TMCC will pay for improvements to the Highlands greens. It is clearly is impossible for TMCC to fund his large capital expense. Also the lease agreement requires MCA to fund all capital improvements over $10,000 unless it is due to neglect by TMCC.