To the Editor:
I am writing this letter to set the record straight for our rocks in our front yard which we put there without a permit.
We didn’t realize a permit was needed thinking we owned our property. We later found out that the first 3 feet from the street belonged to The Villages and we shouldn’t have removed it. When we did file our permit for the rocks we where told by an ARC employee that if there was anything wrong with our permit they would get in touch with us. Thirteen months after we presented our permit, I get it back in the mail disapproved. When I called the ARC department i was told by a female employee that the person who accepted my permit retired and my application was put on the bottom of the pile and it took 13 months to get to me. Also, when I tried to fix this problem in 2020, COVID-19 broke out and we had to head back home instead of staying in Florida. We went in front of board number 8 to try and lower are fine of $6,600.00. The board called me a liar and said we where using COVID-19 as an excuse for not fixing the property. There were 74,500 people who died in Florida, and we are using this as an excuse.
I an a Marine Corps veteran and was called a liar concerning this misunderstanding.
The Villages are run by arrogant board members and money-hungry owners who don’t care about their residents. I am not going away and when I come down in January 2023, I will let all potential buyers be aware of the disrespect you will receive from The Villages even if you are a veteran of the military. All The Villages wants is your money no matter how they can get their hands on it.
Daniel Kelso
Village of St. Charles