Couple agrees to pay $12,000 to settle lawsuit over home destroyed by fire

A couple has agreed to pay $12,000 to settle a lawsuit over a home destroyed by fire in 2022 in The Villages.

James and Christine Noonan agreed to pay the money to settle the lawsuit which had been filed by the Community Development District 9 Board of Supervisors. The supervisors agreed to the settlement when they met Thursday afternoon at SeaBreeze Recreation Center.

The board had been under pressure from neighbors who were unhappy that the Noonans had been slow to replace their home at 3000 Luraville Road in the Village of Gilchrist.

In the lawsuit, CDD 9 had alleged that the couple ignored repeated warnings about deed compliance violations at the property and created a “danger to the public health, safety, welfare and property value of citizens of Sumter County, particularly those located within VCDD No. 9,” the lawsuit states.

Supervisors believed that the Noonans drug their feet and took advantage of their compassion. Promises were made about the reconstruction of the home, but those promises were not kept. Supervisors said the neighbors put up with the eyesore much longer than necessary.

Property records show the Noonans bought another home in The Villages while the problems persisted at the home that was destroyed by fire. The Noonans still own the home on Luraville Road. They bought it in 2021 for $800,000. The home has been fully restored.