A Villager who fought to keep his little white cross has been awarded $70,000 in a settlement.
The Community Development District 8 Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to settle with Wayne Anderson of the Village of Tamarind Grove.
The battle began in 2019 after an anonymous complaint was lodged about the little white cross on display in his yard. Anderson claimed he was the victim of selective enforcement as other neighbors had little white crosses, but their crosses had not been reported as violations.
Anderson refused to remove his little white cross and waged a court battle with CDD 8 for more than five years. CDD 8 maintained the little white cross was a yard ornament and therefore in violation of the deed restriction.
Last year, Anderson ran for and was elected to a seat on the CDD 8 board.
The board agreed to the $70,000 settlement on the advice of its insurance company. The settlement is being paid for through the insurance company. Anderson did not vote on the matter, which passed 4-0.
Anderson had been facing thousands of dollars in fines due to his refusal to remove the little white cross, but those fines have been waived as part of the settlement.
The CDD 8 board, also at its Tuesday meeting at SeaBreeze Recreation Center, approved a special budget resolution to pay for the $173,000 in legal fees that the CDD 8 board incurred in its battle with Anderson.
He will be able to continue to display a planter with a white cross in his yard. Anderson had proposed it as a compromise earlier this year.
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