A Villager is pleading with officials to get tougher on junk cars in driveways.
The Village of De La Vista resident spoke out Friday morning before the Community Development District 1 Board of Supervisors.
The Villager complained about a rusty car that is apparently inoperable in a driveway in his neighborhood.
“If anybody asks what the color is, they would say ‘rust,’” he told the board.
The vehicle is located in the driveway at 551 Carrera Drive.
He said the vehicle’s tires had been flat, which would be a violation of deed compliance. However, the tires have been pumped up, so now the vehicle is back in “compliance.” He said the standard falls short of having a vehicle that is operable and in use.
“Can’t we ask the owner to turn the motor over?” he asked.
Supervisor Judy Biebesheimer was sympathetic to the situation, and cited a longstanding problem with a junk car in the driveway of a home in the Village of Palo Alto. That situation was finally resolved after a son living in the home was arrested and his mother was removed from the home by ambulance. She died a few days later. The home was later sold. But the junk car was a neighborhood eyesore for many years.
“I actually think the man has a valid point. I think there is nothing wrong with asking someone to get in a car and turn it on,” Biebesheimer said.
However, the CDD 1 board does not have that authority.
Under current rules, the only requirements are that a vehicle must have a current registration and the tires cannot be flat.
Frustration with junk cars in driveways in The Villages has been an ongoing problem. Earlier this week, the Village Center Community Development District Board of Supervisors held a public hearing with regard to two junks cars in the driveway of the home of a dead Villager. The daughter who has been living in the home has been ordered to remove the vehicles or get their registrations properly updated.
Have you had a problem with a junk car in your neighborhood? Share a photo and story at news@villages-news.com.