Villager Phillip Baburek couldn’t believe the amount of money spent to finally bring a conclusion to a nearly six year battle over a little white cross.
In Wednesday’s morning edition of Villages-News.com, the Community Development District 8 resident learned that his elected supervisors had agreed to pay $70,000 to Wayne Anderson, who in 2019 was the subject of an anonymous complaint due to a little white cross on display in his yard in the Village of Tamarind Grove. On Tuesday, the CDD 8 board voted to approve the $70,000 settlement with Anderson. It was also revealed that CDD 8 incurred a $173,000 legal tab in its attempt to force Anderson to remove his little white cross.
“Perhaps someone much smarter than I am can explain how spending almost $250,000 in our assessment money, nearly a quarter of a million dollars, to get a little white cross removed from a yard, benefits our community,” said Baburek.
“I’m thinking that if there had been some people involved, not so narrow minded and obstinate, a compromise could have been worked out much earlier and at a cost much less expensive. But that’s just me,” he added.
The inbox at Villages-News.com was filled with similar reactions as the news of the costly settlement spread through Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. Anderson was also interviewed by Fox 35 Orlando and featured in the Wednesday night newscast.
Villager Caroline Brown said the CDD 8 supervisors should be hanging their heads in shame after this embarrassing defeat.
“Congratulations to this man! Shame on CDD 8. That is the problem with the system that is in place, that if someone makes a complaint against someone and everyone or many have the same thing, but there is no complaint made against them, proves how unjust this system is,” she said. “If a neighbor gets upset with another neighbor, then all they have to do to make their life hell is make a complaint about their home.”
Peggy McKinney lives in the Village of Rio Grande and is not a resident of CDD 8. But that did not stop her from being outraged.
“I think anyone who wants to place a cross in their yard should be allowed to. We need people turning to Jesus in these difficult times. Quit spending our money on legal fees for such petty things,” she said.
Dinah Bayliff applauded the fact that common sense seemed to prevail.
“The Villages could have saved thousands of dollars by allowing the cross! This is America, after all. Land of the free!” she said.
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