An 85-year-old Villager made a plea Friday to save the landscaping on the side of her house which she described as a defense mechanism against her neighbor’s problematic property.
Sue Jerrell and her husband purchased their home in 1997 at 1816 Madero Drive in the Village of Santo Domingo. He died in 2009.
Jerrell claims her property has repeatedly been flooded due to a problem with the home next door.
Back in 2003, the neighbor put on an additional golf cart garage and moved the air conditioning unit. Jerrell said that is when the flooding began on her property. She claims that work was done without regard to proper drainage.
She and her husband went to speak with Sumter County officials at that time. Jerrell claims that the recommendation from the county was to install landscaping up to their property line.
“(It) was the only legal action we could take to defend our property from destruction by our neighbors and their lawn company,” Jerrell said.
At one point, a makeshift dike was installed to fight the water war, but that has since been removed.
Jerrell said the home next door has changed hands several times in recent years, including its most recent owner who purchased it in 2018. That owner filed a complaint against Jerrell’s landscaping.
In a public hearing Friday morning before the Community Development District 2 Board of Supervisors at Savannah Center, Jerrell faced the specific charge that she put in the landscaping without approval.
“I understand that the Constitution gives me the right to defend my property from being destroyed by the actions of others,” she said.
The board was clearly impacted by the widow’s plea and would not take a vote on whether to find her in violation of deed compliance.
Jerrell indicated she had hearing difficulties and lip reading was out of the question because all of the officials were wearing masks due to the Coronavirus.
The board voted to table the matter until August. It is hoped that the board will hold that meeting at the District Office at Lake Sumter Landing where the acoustics might be more favorable for Jerrell. She was encouraged to bring a friend, family member, neighbor or an attorney who might be able to help her present her case.
