An official is questioning the expense of replacing flowers four times per year in The Villages.
Community Development District 4 Chairman Cliff Wiener said he recently watched as flowers were changed out in his district.
“They looked perfectly fine and we were replacing them,” he said.
The flowers in common areas, particularly along busy thoroughfares, are changed out four times per year.
However, Wiener said CDD 4 could save $55,000 per year if one of the four annual flower replacements was eliminated. He said that considering CDD 4 residents will be facing another hike in their maintenance assessment, $55,000 is a lot of money.
In addition to the replacement of the flowers four times a year, there is also the cost of irrigation.
Deputy District Manager Carrie Duckett cautioned against making a change to the four-times-per-year flower replacement schedule.
“That is probably the most visible thing you have in your district,” Duckett told Wiener during Friday’s CDD 4 board meeting. “The flowers coming out now may look perfect. But that’s not always the case.”
When a frost hits and the flowers suffer damage, residents aren’t happy.
“It’s the first thing we hear about,” Duckett said.
Do you think it’s time to dial back on the flower replacement or should the schedule be kept in place? Share your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at letters@villages-news.com
