Priest told to remove Virgin Mary Statue from Villages Home
 

Controversy brewing over statue of the Virgin Mary in The... | www.wftv.com

I think the most interesting thing about this is the claim that the HOA has any authority to fine or sanction. Also, I think it is more about lawn ornaments than religious statues, although the complainant might have an anti-religion agenda....just speculating.

Uh oh. There goes my buddha.

Unfortunate for them, but them's the rules......however, I thought you could have it out front if it was under the eaves line. St. Francis adorns a yard on our street.....it's nice to see him. So far, no complaints about this.

Typical poor reporting.

There is NO HOA in The Villages.

As far as fines go, I so far have not read of any specific structure for fines. Has anyone else?

Dependent upon which village these guys live in, the Statue is OK under the eaves of the home, front or back.

Something is not right about this article.

Lawn ornaments aren't allowed south of 466 unless they are under your eaves or an approved part of your landscaping. I don't think it smacks of anything more than that. Just a deed restriction.


Where do these boys live?

The heading on this thread is misleading.
In fact, the Villagers were not asked to remove the Virgin Mary from their home. They were asked to remove a statue from their front yard.
If they live south of CR 466, my understanding is that lawn ornaments are prohibited by deed.
There was a complaint, and they were asked to remove the lawn ornament.

I'm not sure how I feel about seeing the Virgin Mary turned into a water feature!

According to the intent of the water feature approach, I would guess that you could simply incorporate the statue into a water fountain. I don't think it is necessary for the water to pour forth from within the statue.

What is bad about this situation is the misinformation regarding the HOA fines. That is not possible since we do not have a HOA. We are CDDs with deed restrictions.

There are HOA's in the Villages

It would be interesting to know if there are restrictions on water features.
Bogie probably knows.
Does the statue have to be actively involved in water distribution?
Or can it just sit close to the water fountain.
In this case it's difficult to criticize ex Priests wanting to express their religiosity.
Who wants to criticize a statue of the Virgin Mary? I sure don't.
But is someone wanting to express their religiosity different than someone who wants to decorate a fountain with plastic flowers?

Where? Would they be on the OLD side where they are not a CDD?

Everything West of 441 are CDDs. Those are the only governing bodies I know of.
If you are referring to the Villages Homeowner Association. That is little more than a club. It is not a legal HOA. It has no authority.

I think it's a statue thing and not an attack on a religious statement.

Maybe they could put it on the front porch.

Both the HOA and the POA have absolutely NO POWER. They could have some minimal influence just like any other group that has a number of members. If you are a resident, which I question, you should know that.

Xavier

However, Community Standards does have the power of enforcement, as do some CDD"S north of 466, where the owners make up 100% of the boards. They have enacted a schedule of fines and penalties which may become leins upon property.

Most of the fountains that I know of that have been approved incorporate some sort of a statue in the center on top. They are all usually earthtone, concrete-like structures that must have moving water. Pretty sure plastic flowers would not fit in.

Something like this with a virgin Mary statue instead:
Attachment 42315

I thought all the villages are CDD controlled and any HOA's are mainly a homeowners group you may join mainly for information or advocacy as a homeowner.