PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Neighbors in a Pinellas County community are outraged after finding out the golf course they live on was sold without anyone telling them.
Bill Nobles grew up in Tarpon Woods, a community in Pinellas County.
He said his aunt built the first house in the neighborhood and his parents built the second.
“I’ve got a lot of connection and a lot of heart for the neighborhood,” Nobles said.
Later in life, Nobles bought the lot next to the house he grew up in and built a home of his own.
It’s a dream that came to a skidding halt when he found out the golf course he lives on had been sold.
“Nobody notified me,” Nobles said. “I found out on Aug. 14.”
News Channel 8 took his concerns to Kyle Parks, the public relations professional representing the new owner(s).
“When was the property officially sold?” News Channel 8 reporter Nicole Rogers asked.
“2 years ago,” Parks said.
Tensions were high as Parks met with the community, hoping to clear up a few things.
“Probably the biggest one is that there are going to be houses on the golf course,” he said. “That is not accurate.”
He said, instead, they plan to turn the golf course into a wetlands mitigation bank.
But residents feel like they were left in the dark, and they want answers to questions like: who are the new owners?
“They prefer to remain private,” Parks said.
When homeowners like Nobles went to the Pinellas County property appraiser’s website, it shows the Jan Stephenson’s Crossroads Foundation still owns the golf course, which brought even more questions.
“Why did you not report the sale to the clerk of the court or the property appraisers office and continue receiving 501(c)(3) tax benefits?” Nobles said.
“The owners told me there have been concerns about that if there is something that needs to be rectified, they will rectify that,” Parks said.
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