A trial date has been set for a couple in The Villages fighting to keep their little white cross.
Community Development District 8 has been waging a protracted legal war with Village of Tamarind Grove residents Wayne and Bonnie Anderson over the little white cross in their yard.
CDD 8 maintains the little white cross is a lawn ornament and therefore its placement in their yard is a violation of the deed restriction.
CDD 8 supervisors huddled in secret with their legal counsel on Friday at SeaBreeze Recreation Center to discuss the status of the case and potential strategy. Also attending the meeting was the attorney representing CDD 8’s insurance company. The public and the press were prevented from attending the meeting.
A trial date has been set for Aug. 14 in the case of Community Development District 8 vs. Wayne and Bonnie Anderson before Judge Michelle Morley in Sumter County Court. Of course, the two sides could settle prior to the trial, but that appears doubtful. CDD 8 maintains the cross must be removed, but the Andersons refuse to remove it.
The case dates back to 2019 when Wayne Anderson appeared before the CDD 8 questioning why he had been singled out, when many of his neighbors also had little white crosses and were not ordered to remove their crosses. The Andersons were targeted by an anonymous complaint and contend they are the victims of “selective enforcement.”
Since the Andersons’ case began, the anonymous complaint policy has been under siege. Community Development Districts 2 and 5 are no longer accepting anonymous complaints. A Village of Duval resident spoke to the Community Development District 7 Board of Supervisors this past week and argued that the only policy that will work is returning to the practice of having Community Watch patrols looking for deed restriction violations.
