A Community Development District 6 supervisor who suffered in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew expressed concerns about the placement of generators at homes in The Villages.
The Architectural Review Committee is receiving more and more requests involving generators after last year’s Hurricane Irma. CDDs across The Villages have been revising their Architectural Review Manuals to allow generators to be placed near air conditioning units and pool equipment and allowing them to encroach on easements.
CDD 6 Supervisor Thomas Griffith urged caution, recalling his experience in the wake of the 1992 Category 5 Hurricane that devastated South Florida.
“It was the land of generators,” he said.
He said in the wake of the hurricane, all of the homeowners had their windows open. And it was noisy.
“All you could hear was the sound of the generators,” Griffith said.
He added that with the generators, homeowners will have to store large containers of gasoline.
However, ARC Chairman Irv Markley, offered some reassurance.
The Village of Bridgeport at Miona Shores resident said the generators that are being approved are the Generac brand that have muffler systems. The high-end generators run from $8,000 to $21,000.
Homeowners can also install underground propane tanks, but those are regulated by Sumter County and are not under the purview of the ARC.
Regulation of noise for any of the generators would also be a county responsibility.
Markley added that there have been 20 applications for generators in CDD 6.