BUT. If is isn't broken. Don't fix it. If someone is not in compliance they can be reported. Granted there are a few folks who have driven around reporting people not in their neighborhoods but that is not common at all. Most people see something overdone, too big, too bright, too much and pick up the phone. I have lived here for more than a dozen years and have reported things four times. The first time we were snow birds and came back to find a new neighbor had put a lot of schlocky things in her front yard. You know like stuff around a tree that looks trashy?

There are very few things that can be reported in the historical section. Most everything is allowed.

On another site, there was a plainly stated threat to the anonymous complainer. "Don't get mad, get even." This is exactly why complaints should be anonymous. However, as someone previously stated, Community Standards should require the name of the complainant, not to be disclosed, but to be monitored, to see if these are frivolous or targeted.

:bigbow: You nailed it.

Break a rule your a public Fool...Simple

My opinion
 

It is an interesting issue with no perfect answer. I expect if people choose to they could find a violation on anyone's property. I've never had anyone complain about me. I do freely admit that was someone to complain about me it would not be at all difficult to discover who it is and to start a violation war.

We all seem to think, we are perfect. If, one of your neighbors chose to do it, do you water on the correct day? Do you always pick up after your dog? Is that you mutt barking? Is that your dog illegaly running about with no leash?
Is that your guests blocking my drive? Is that you stopping in the middle of the street to gossip? Is that you parking with your car facing the wrong way? Is that you running your motorcycle with no muffler? If, you think, I'm sure you can find something that you are doing that is a violation?

Current issues that people are posting about-crosses. I would like to believe the right thing to do would be to talk to a neighbor. Sadly we all know there is zero chance that would end well. The same thing is true about political flags, or banners. Heck the same thing is true of sports stuff. Oh there is that guy that illegally expanded his driveway.

So, as I stated, I do the best I can to be a good neighbor. I would not be at all happy if I discovered I had been reported for anything.

People are people. For better and for worse, the Villages is congested not farm country. I recall reading about an island in North Carolina a decent home, five acres and a wild horse herd for a million bucks. Your own kingdom. I have no idea about taxes. I have no idea about cable TV service. Oh and your neighbor. He is looking to buy a boat right now.

Nothing is perfect
 

Years ago I met this guy who lives in Germany. He lives in a castle and is married to a duchess. If , I recall they have over 20 acres. He and a neighbor are fighting over a huge tree that is over the property line. As i recall, he told me if it stays for another 20 years it is grandfathered in.

My point, people are people anywhere and everywhere. Nothing is ever perfect. No solution is perfect. Here, if you see a violation it is your choice to or not to report it. You need to decide if it is really important. You need to expect, it is very unlikely that a person you report will say thanks for letting me know. Unlike the choices made in other planed communities we do not have people patrolling and looking for violations. Another not perfect answer to human problems.

The idea of grandfathering in things is actually not bad. As long as it doesn't violate actual LAW...if it's just a deed restriction -

For example (totally hypothetical) if someone puts pavers along the edge of their driveway leading to their front door, and those pavers weren't ever approved and no application was ever submitted - and the home was then sold 4 years later, and no one complained about it til 4 years after that...

Well, 8 years have gone by since the pavers were installed. And 4 years have gone by since the people who put the pavers in have ceased to even own that property.

It's a safe bet that you could grandfather that walkway in and say "y'know what, that's fine, no worries, but hey current homeowner, just be aware that if you want to change it, you WILL need to get approval first."

I'm all for enforcement of the deed restrictions. It's one of the reasons I chose The Villages. I can understand wanting to remain anonymous when making a complaint about violations and not having face possible, unwarranted retribution. I've seen several posts suggesting that the Neighborhood Watch be trained to assume this responsibility and that makes sense to me. They're already riding around all the neighborhoods and, if it were their job, it wouldn't be taken as personally.

There is always much ado about nothing in all of the FORUMS around here because we like to debate and we have plenty of time to do so.

I doubt you would ever see this happen. First of all, it isn't their job and their job is unlikely to change. Secondly, I doubt that either the Developer or the CDDs wants to be in the violation reporting business for the legal reason associated with selective enforcement that I had outlined earlier. As far as I can tell, the current system works well. It would be unreasonable to expect that there would be zero infractions and that clearly isn't the goal. A vehicle is in place to address any egregious issues. Unfortunately, some people wish to obsess over a few outliers of people behaving badly. Some people are always looking for solutions to imaginary problems. Of course, if everyone followed the deed restrictions there would be nothing to report. Ooops, got to go, I have a tee time.

That was the point I was making with my idea that there are people who do this anyway, they might as well become official. It was in response to someone who was concerned that adding these official positions as paid employment would be very expensive to the community. We have people who already do this and don't get paid. So why not encourage them by making them official volunteers?

If your going to ride all day looking for violations Put your name on the objection . or else don't say anything

I know, I know, I said I was leaving, but, but...

It seems this thread is still going round and round. And the basic premise is someone is breaking the rules, and they should be held to account for it.

But, then no one answered my previous question, "Anyone here ever call the police to report a friend that was driving home and had had too much to drink"? Alcohol is involved in over 80,000 deaths every year. Often those deaths are innocent by standers, children playing in their front yards and yet no one reports a neighbored for that.

But concrete frogs and flamingos, OMG!

The lady with a clip board is not a myth, I saw her and followed her, witnessed her stopping in front of several houses in Tamarind Grove-she stopped in front of a house that had small white crosses, the others had small lawn ornaments , some had small American flags held vertically by lawn frames--I stopped her and asked "what's she was doing"--she said, "she was on a scavenger hunt"
She was driving an older deep red golf cart, with a big black square on the rear and a white swim noodle in the back shaped like an "A"

I thought white swim noodles in golf carts was against the rules.