A Villager with Florida Friendly Landscaping at her home has demanded an apology from an official who called her property “a dump.”
Donna Connor who lives at 2113 Sanores St. in the Village of Santo Domingo said she has devoted “500 back-breaking hours” to her environmentally friendly yard.
Her property was being discussed in a Community Development District 2 meeting earlier this year, when Supervisor Jim Cipollone expressed sympathy for a couple who complained they were having trouble selling their home because of Connor’s Florida Friendly Landscaping.
“I sympathize with these people. They are living next door to a dump. They are trying to sell their home,” Cipollone said in January.
Connor was back and spoke out at Friday’s CDD 2 Board of Supervisors meeting at Savannah Center and demanded an apology from Cipollone for his earlier comments about her property. She also said he should resign from his supervisor’s seat, for which he is paid $200 per meeting.
She called his comments, “inappropriate” and “disrespectful.”
However, Cipollone showed no sign of remorse.
“There were a lot of people on your street who complained about it and talked to me about it,” Cipollone said. “I don’t owe you any apology.” He added that photos of her yard provided by Community Standards also fueled his comments.
He added that he has received fresh complaints about bags of mulch stacked near Connor’s driveway.
Connor, who splits the year between The Villages and her home in New Jersey, hinted she might extract revenge in another way.
“I am going to drive around the neighborhood and inundate this board with complaints about weeds, paint colors and bags of mulch,” Connor said.
