When Community Development District 12 takes over deed compliance responsibilities from the Developer it will cost residents $254,973 in the first year.
Residents of CDD 12 appear eager for the change to take place later this year, after horror stories have emerged of abandoned neighboring properties in the Village of Fenney and the Village of Marsh Bend.
In anticipation of the switch, $254,973 has been set aside in the CDD 12 budget to fund the services of the Community Standards Department. There are 6,202 lots in CDD 12, so that works out to $41.11 per lot per year. The funding comes from the maintenance assessment fees paid by residents.
As it works in other CDDs in The Villages, the deed compliance process in CDD 12 will rely on complaints. For instance, a yard ornament would be a violation, but if a neighborhood doesn’t object to the homeowner’s yard ornament, it can remain so long as there is no complaint. The person lodging a complaint can do so anonymously or give their name. The anonymity is aimed at “preserving harmony” in the neighborhood.
The Developer is currently responsible for deed compliance enforcement in CDD 12 and many residents have complained that infractions are being ignored. Community Standards logs complaints filed in CDD 12, but at the moment, does not act on them. There were 498 complaints lodged between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 in CDD 12. There were 56 complaints lodged during that same time period in neighboring CDD 13, where the Developer is also responsible for enforcement.
Assistant District Manager Carrie Duckett, who oversees Community Standards, said the District will not be responsible for “internal” deed restrictions, such as complaints about underage children living in the home or a business being operated in the home. That will still be under the purview of the Developer.