A longtime resident of The Villages has complied with an order to cut down hedges which protected her from intrusive noise and light for more than two decades.
Last week, the Village Center Community Development District Board of Supervisors ordered Mary Santos to trim the hedges to four feet at the back of her property on Palermo Place in the Village of Valle Verde. Her property backs up to the Rolling Acres Sports Complex, which includes soccer fields, a dog park, a driving range and a baseball field. The complex didn’t exist in 1999 when she and her husband purchased the lot and helped design their premier home.
Santos, whose husband died 10 years ago, said they had been provided assurances that nothing was to be built behind their home. However, when the sports complex was established, the couple decided to let their hedges grow to provide a buffer from the light and noise. Santos claimed she had the backing of Vice President of The Villages Jennifer Parr.
Santos pleaded with the VCCDD to allow her to keep the hedges, but the board refused and threatened fines if she did not comply with the order. She was the target of an anonymous complaint.
Do you agree the hedges should have been cut down? Share your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at letters@villages-news.com
