Villager fighting to keep little white cross seeks support of fellow residents at hearing

A Villager is hoping to receive support from his fellow residents during a public hearing later this month.

Wayne Anderson, who lives at 2439 Ansley Path in the Village of Tamarind Grove, has been fighting for months to keep a little white cross in his yard.

In May, he received the dreaded knock on the door from Community Standards, ordering him to remove the cross.

“I told them I would not be discriminated against and declined to remove my cross,” Anderson said.

He had made the same argument when he appeared before the Community Development District 8 Board of Supervisors. At that meeting, Anderson argued that the anonymous complaint system that props up the deed compliance system in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown is discriminatory.

Anderson’s defiance has earned him a public hearing set for 11:30 a.m. Aug. 16 at the District Office at 984 Old Mill Run above Starbucks at Lake Sumter Landing.

He is hoping for support at that hearing from Villagers who also oppose the anonymous complaint system.

“I am challenging The Villages on the legality and reasonableness of these unpopular practices,” Anderson said.