One of the worst-kept secrets in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown is that businesses are being run out of homes in The Villages.
The businesses can run the gamut, from a low-key tax preparation service to pet sitting in a residence.
Running a business in a home in The Villages – which is forbidden – falls under an internal deed restriction. That means it is the responsibility of the Developer to enforce the rule.
Many residents believe the Developer blatantly turns a blind eye to one of the most irritating violations which occurs in The Villages – underage children living in homes in the age-restricted retirement community.
Likewise, many residents are concerned that businesses are being run out of homes in The Villages. They say the Developer isn’t doing much to enforce that internal deed restriction, either.
Frustration on this topic spilled over at a recent meeting of the Community Development District 2 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supervisors specifically pointed to heavy-duty work trucks that are visible in driveways on nights and weekends and absent during the day.
“It’s running the neighborhood down,” said CDD 2 Board Chairman Bryan Lifsey.
He and other supervisors pointed to a work truck regularly parked in a driveway in the 700 block of San Marino Drive in the Village of De La Vista.
The supervisors made the point that lettering on the truck made it clear that it is a work truck.
However, the District has no authority over lettering on vehicles parked in driveways.
“Where would it end? What if someone had a bumpersticker that said, ‘My granddaughter is an honor roll student?’” asked Candice Dennis, head of Community Standards.
What do you think about businesses being operated out of homes in The Villages? Share your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at this link: https://www.villages-news.com/submit-letters-editor/
