H. Gary Morse

Harold Gary Morse (December 19, 1936 – October 29, 2014) was an American billionaire and the developer, along with his father Harold Schwartz, of the active adult retirement community The Villages, Florida.

Personal life Morse was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Mary Louise (née Lee) and Harold Schwartz, who later moved to Arizona. His father was Jewish. After his parents divorced, Mary Louise married Clifford Morse (Morse would later take his stepfather's surname) and moved to Central Lake, Michigan. Morse had three children — Mark Morse, Jennifer Parr, and Tracy Morse— each of whom own and work for the Holding Company of the Villages Ltd. and is the grandfather of actress Megan Boone.

Morse died on October 29, 2014. In 1983, Morse moved to Florida to take over his father's business selling vacant lots to mobile home owners. Morse instead decided to build homes, restaurants, pools, and golf courses, and by 1986, Morse was selling more than 500 homes per year. In 2011, the Holding Company of the Villages Ltd. generated at least $550 million in revenue. Morse was also the proprietor of a bank, an insurance company, a local newspaper, and other properties.

In 2008, Morse settled for a $40 million class-action lawsuit that alleged that he had misused monthly community amenity fees.

The IRS investigated the special tax districts Morse used for The Villages on the basis that the bonds sold by the districts did not qualify for tax-exempt status. However, once the IRS learned that the bonds had been fully redeemed, the investigation was closed as moot.

Political involvement Morse, his children, and The Villages have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of Florida Governor, Rick Scott, and served as significant fundraisers for George W. Bush, In addition, Morse donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Republican National Committee. Morse also used his 147-foot yacht, the Cracker Bay, for political gatherings. Upon receiving news of his death, Scott and United States Senator Marco Rubio issued separate statements on Morse's vision and ultimate realization of The Villages.