Villagers got the chance to sound off on signs in their neighborhoods Tuesday evening at a special town hall meeting at Mulberry Grove Recreation Center.
The town hall meeting was scheduled after Community Development District 4 Supervisor Cliff Wiener complained earlier this year that residents are abusing the leniency the board adopted several years ago when it comes to signs.
“For Sale” signs at homes in The Villages were a major issue in 2011. All of the community development districts took a look at how they would handle the issue here in The Villages. Thus the rules and enforcement are different, depending on where you are in The Villages.
Effective November 2012, CDD 4 opted not to enforce a prohibition on signs.
CDD 4 Supervisor Cary Sternberg stood up for the original prohibition on signs.
“I bought into a deed-restricted community. I knew what I was getting into. I drove around and saw manicured lawns and nice-looking houses. I didn’t see signs,” Sternberg said.
CDD 4 Supervisor Don Deakin took the opposite view, and raised concerns about residents’ First Amendment rights. He said previous legal counsel warned the CDD 4 Board that residents could wind up footing the bill for legal fees if there was a challenge about the restriction of signs.
“Our home is our castle,” Deakin said.
CDD 4 Chairman Jim Murphy remembered the bygone days of “the Developer’s patrol” that was “writing up notices and knocking on doors for little frogs and such.”
He noted that hasn’t been in place for many years.
Today, he said, the enforcement is up to the residents.
“People have to take ownership for the property we have,” Murphy said.
Residents also had a chance to express their views.
“My home is my castle. I am here since 2003. I want to have the legal right to put a sign in my yard when I go to sell my house. I want maximum visibility,” said John Chipriano of the Village of Chatham.
Villager Bob Bassett said he was not fearful of litigation and pointed to community development districts where the prohibition on signs is being enforced.
“I am not aware of any litigation going on with regard to signs anywhere in The Villages,” Bassett said. “I want to see our neighborhoods pristine.”
He called for a Villages-wide poll on the topic.
The board did not take a vote on the matter.
How do feel about signs? Express your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at this link: https://www.villages-news.com/submit-letters-editor/