A resident victimized after making an anonymous complaint is making a plea for Community Watch to take over deed compliance in The Villages.
The Village of Duval resident described her experience Thursday morning before the Community Development District 7 Board of Supervisors meeting at SeaBreeze Recreation Center.
The Villager, who is not being named by Villages-News.com, said she made an anonymous complaint, but the target of that complaint figured out she had made the report to Community Standards. The homeowner who had been the subject of the anonymous complaint retaliated by dumping cigarette butts and garbage on the anonymous complainant’s lawn. When she made major modifications to her home, Community Standards repeatedly showed up to ensure she was doing everything properly. She believes it was retaliation for her original anonymous complaint. She was never found to be in violation any of the times Community Standards turned up at her home.
The woman said, “The Villages has gotten too large and too divisive.”
She said forcing complainants to divulge their identity would make it open season on those who object to violations of the rules. She said The Villages can no longer expect residents to be responsible for turning in neighbors.
CDD 7 Board Chairman Jerry Vicenti pointed out that prior to 2009, The Villages had patrols which were used to identify deed compliance violations. It was in 2009 that the anonymous complaint process was put into effect.
“We have to take it out of the residents’ hands, because this is not going to go away,” Vicenti said.
He also said he is not ready to go the way of Community Development District 5, which no longer accepts anonymous complaints. In order for complaints to be acted on in CDD 5, the person lodging the complaint must provide his or her name.
Vicenti said simply because complaints are down in CDD 5, it isn’t evidence that the system is working.
