When I set out to learn more about the Coleman Prison, I discovered the following.
The prison complex sits on 1,600 acres and as of 2010 was the largest correctional facility operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It housed more than 7,100 prisoners and had 1,300 employees.
The prison has housed a variety of high-profile inmates over the years. Convicted pedophile Larry Nassar, the former US Gymnastics and Michigan State University team doctor, was moved there in August 2018. Somalia pirate Gabul Abdullah Ali and al-Quaida sympathizer Amine El Khalifi also were believed to have served time there. And the late James Whitey Bulger, the famed Boston crime boss, was moved there in late 2014.
It’s a good place for bad dudes, and The Villages is expanding right next door. I used to joke about the prison when I saw the signs directing visitors to the area. Now I drive right past when I head to Disney World. It’s a small world after all.
With The Villages’ history of naming villages and streets after people and places from the local area, or near to their hearts, why not name at least one village and its corresponding golf courses, recreation centers and streets after famous federal crime fighters and members of the federal list of 10 Most Wanted. The Village of J. Edgar Hoover would be a good place to start. The novelty of the name might draw new villagers to the area. Who wouldn’t be enticed to visit a recreation center called “The Pen”? The conference and card rooms within might be “the cell” and “the hole”. The championship golf course could be named “The Yard”. The name alone would encourage even the newest golfers to play a round.
The corresponding street names could be Bugsy Segal Boulevard, Al Capone Drive, John Dillinger Way, and Bonnie and Clyde Circle. Ma Barker, and her gang, met their demise just a few miles from here so naming a pool after her wouldn’t be out of the question. We’ve got a multitude of bad guys and gals that could be remembered in such a way.
I know my thinking may be a bit out of the box, but people thought Harold Swartz and Gary Morris were a bit out of the box when they set out to build what The Villages has become today. It’s just a thought.