A Village of Buttonwood couple has been given a deadline of Wednesday to remove a decorative bird from their front yard.
Two weeks ago they got the dreaded knock on the door from Community Watch, advising them that their lawn ornament had been found in violation by Community Standards which launched an investigation after receiving an anonymous complaint.
Jesse and Laura Drews were living in Troy, Mich. when they came down on the Lifestyle Preview Plan. Of course, they were smitten by Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.
Jesse had been wrapping up his career in the automotive industry and the couple kept researching homes online. They discovered their dream home on Bachman Path.
“We bought the house before I had a chance to come down and see it in person,” Laura said.
They got down to The Villages in December and immediately began updating the landscaping.
“We spent time going around and looking at what people had in their yards,” Laura explained.
She was at the Rustic Rose in Brownwood Paddock Square when she spotted the bird and thought it would look perfect in their yard. It cost $100.
“I even went around and checked with the neighbors and made sure they were OK with it,” she said.
But then an unknown person made an anonymous complaint to Community Standards.
Since then, the Drews have been on a steep learning curve about how the deed compliance process works in The Villages.
They were surprised that they had no right to know the identity of their accuser.
“You would think if someone had a problem with it, they would come up and knock on the door,” she said.
Most Community Development Districts in The Villages have restrictions against yard ornaments.
A group of angry residents recently showed up at a Community Development District 4 meeting when they learned little white crosses in their yards were not in compliance. Numerous anonymous complaints about little white crosses were received earlier this year.
Last year, a Villager was forced to dismantle a 12-year-old birdcage at his home after an anonymous complaint was lodged.
