A little white cross defiantly remains in the front yard of a home in the Village of Tamarind Grove despite a legal war being waged against it by The Villages.
The home of Wayne and Bonnie Anderson at 2439 Ansley Path will be the subject of a closed door meeting next month in which Community Development District 8 supervisors will huddle with their attorney to consider what legal options are at their disposal.
The battle began back in 2019 when an anonymous complaint was lodged about the cross in the Andersons’ front yard. The couple has racked up thousands of dollars in fines for their refusal to remove the little white cross.
The Andersons claims they are victims of discrimination and selective enforcement. They have been ordered to remove their cross while many other little white crosses continue to stand in CDD 8. The difference is that those homeowners have not been the subject of anonymous complaints.
In this case, the cross is considered a lawn ornament. The rules governing lawn ornaments are “content neutral” in CDD 8. That means the content doesn’t matter, the cross is a lawn ornament and under the rules of CDD 8, it is not allowed.
The anonymous complaint process is aimed at preserving “harmony” in the neighborhood. If no one objects to a lawn ornament, it can remain. However, if someone files a complaint, the homeowner will hear the dreaded knock on the door from Community Standards and be asked to remove it.
So where did the idea come from for the little white crosses?
Legend has it that years ago, an atheist living in Frankenmuth, Mich. complained about two crosses on a bridge in town. He said the crosses violated the separation of church and state. So the town removed them. He then asked the city to remove a cross on the Frankenmuth crest, which includes a Luther Rose with a heart, flower and cross, in honor of the community’s Lutheran origins.
At that point, the residents decided they’d had enough. Hundreds of residents made their opinions known by placing small crosses in their front yards. Seeing this quiet, but powerful statement from the community, the man removed his complaint. Many of those crosses are said to remain in those front yards today in Frankenmuth.
Share your thoughts on little white crosses in a Letter to the Editor at this link: https://www.villages-news.com/submit-letters-editor/
