Quote:
Originally Posted by Rapscallion St Croix
Are these crosses religious statements or yard art?
To the person who placed the cross in their yard..............Religious Statement or possibly an act of defiance
To the person who complained...............................Probably seen as Religious Statement which offends their sensibilities
To the Deed Compliance Staff..................................Probably Yard Art which is in violation of deed restrictions
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Very true that people view these crosses and whether they are a problem from different angles. Whatever your feeling about these, the fact remains it is a violation of the deed restrictions everyone agreed to when purchasing your home. As others have said, if the restrictions are too onerous, don’t buy the house.
The deed restrictions are not a violation of your freedom of religion. That freedom is a guarantee that the government cannot establish a national religion over others and restrict your practicing your chosen religion. However, like other “rights” it can be waived by private establishments. An example frequently used is your right to free speech does not allow you to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater. Or your employer can certainly discipline you for what you say to a customer. In this case, you agreed that all lawn ornaments (which these crosses are) cannot be placed in certain positions in the front yard. It has nothing to do with religious tolerance.
For those who feel this is much ado about nothing, to allow these ornaments is a slippery slope that I feel The Villages will not risk. As others have said, allowing these, even by ignoring the violation, could mean that all restrictions on lawn ornaments become unenforceable. There is a provision in law that if an entity shows a pattern of ignoring a rule or such, it becomes moot.
If you want to change the restriction, it would appear it would have to be done CDD by CDD. And perhaps finally by the VCCDD and SLCDD. I would not hold out any hope that could be accomplished. As an example, I brought to the AAC a proposal that active duty service members visiting family in TV have their greens fee/cart fee waived by presenting their service ID and guest pass at the starter shack. TV has always shown support for the military, so I thought it would be a no-brainer. Wrong. It was turned down for the reason that there are many groups such as police, sheriff, fire fighters, etc., who are also deserving of our appreciation and who could justifiably ask why they were not included. The slippery slope.
Please place your cross under the eaves of your home or in the back yard. Then no one can tell you to remove it as it meets the deed restrictions. Problem goes away.