Community Development District supervisors are providing guidelines to the Architectural Review Committee with regard to Florida Friendly Landscaping.
The ARC has been operating without specific guidelines when it comes to applications for Florida Friendly Landscaping. That has made it difficult to enforce compliance of occurrences in which Florida Friendly Landscaping has not lived up to its billing.
What has resulted in many instances is landscaping dominated by rock that doesn’t fit in with the aesthetics of The Villages. In those cases, the resident’s interpretation may not be in synch with Florida Friendly Landscaping as defined by UF/IFAS Extension.
The guidelines would set a maturity date within eight months for the Florida Friendly Landscaping.
Some of the Florida Friendly Landscaping which has received ARC approval has taken years to mature, according to Community Standards.
A resident of the Village of Buttonwood complained on Friday to the Community Development District 8 board about Florida Friendly Landscaping that has been approved in his villa community.
“In both cases these yards became gross weed beds,” Cardillo said.
He spoke for more than 10 minutes before the CDD 8 board, detailing his concerns about the definition of Florida Friendly Landscaping. He brought along neighbors who prepared to concur with his views.
It is hoped that the revision to the ARC manual with respect to Florida Friendly Landscaping will set standards where to date, few have existed.
District Counsel Valerie Fuchs reminded supervisors that the deed restrictions are designed to protect all homeowners.
“You want to protect what they bought into,” she said.
You can read the language put to the CDDs ARC revision