A group of residents in The Villages is unhappy with a decision by officials to begin negotiating fine forgiveness with a couple at the center of a neighborhood war.
Steven Walls and Debbie Gammon who live at 4540 Pearlman Way in the Village of DeLuna are facing $10,000 in fines for deed compliance violations at their home. They appeared Monday before the Community Development District 12 Board of Supervisors, seeking forgiveness of those fines. Their home was the subject of a deed compliance hearing in 2025 after they put in landscaping and made other modifications without the approval of the Architectural Review Committee. In the ensuing months, the neighbors have been at war, with as many as 24 cameras pointed at the Walls/Gammon home and accusations being traded via social media.
Despite all the animosity and a couple of civil engineering studies examining a drainage issue on the Walls/Gammon property that has enraged the neighbors, the supervisors have decided they are willing to consider fine forgiveness for the couple. District Counsel Mark Brionez, with the assistance of Supervisor Phil Montalvo, will begin negotiating with them.
Neighbor John DiFerdinando objected to the idea that fines could be forgiven.
He also responded to accusations made by Gammon in a lengthy email to the District.
“The security cameras referenced were installed for a good reason. The choices they captured on video—rocks thrown at my house, paintballs/projectiles hitting our property, laser pointers aimed at cameras was an over the top reaction to a stormwater complaint and daily middle fingers as to each camera as they walk by. — This behavior completely unmasks the victim narrative perpetuated for the last year that has flooded social media. Security camera footage and other incidents like these are being handled by the proper authorities. They will be a matter of public record once the investigation is complete. Police reports confirm the existence of the videos,” he said.
But what really has upset the neighbors is the unresolved drainage issue. The neighbors are worried about potential flooding on their properties.
District counsel pointed out that resolving the drainage issue could be part of the negotiations with Walls and Gammon.
Supervisor Dale Martin said he has some concerns that the potential Walls/Gammon drainage alteration could come back to haunt the CDD 12 board, which oversees assessment fees collected from residents.
“If somebody has done something that would make us liable for something we should not be liable for, they ought to fix it,” Martin said.
Walls told the board that he and Gammon have been the victims of “slander,” due to their neighbors’ allegations.
As the couple left the meeting room at Everglades Recreation Center, it was clear that the neighborhood battle is far from over.
“Lies! False accusations!” Gammon could be heard muttering as she walked out the door.