Did you know that the deed restrictions have a sod requirement in The Villages?
Some units state the lot must be sodded, some have a 51 percent provision and others state that all homesites shall remain finished with the same quantity and style of water conservative, drought-tolerant sod and landscape as originally provided by the Developer.
There are lawns that are not sodded and instead, have installed Florida Friendly Landscaping. Florida State Statute 373.185 states: A deed restriction or covenant may not prohibit or be enforced to prohibit any property owner from implementing Florida Friendly Landscaping on his or her land. However, it does not mean that sod may be replaced with rocks, decorative stone, pine straw, mulch, pine bark or similar nonplant material.
Even though Florida Friendly Landscaping cannot be prohibited, there are certain guidelines for its installation. For all requests seeking to replace sod with Florida Friendly Plantings, said plantings shall constitute “ground cover” providing full ground coverage to maintain a “lawn appearance” in keeping with the aesthetics of the community. Ground cover shall be fast growing, appropriate to the region and have a mature height one foot or less. Full ground coverage shall be achieved within eight months of the architectural review application’s expiration date. The intent is to permit sufficient time for the plants to reach a mature spread.
If you have any questions regarding landscaping or any other external modification to your home in The Villages, you can contact the Community Standards Department at 751-3912.