We have had this in our neighborhood, I suspect. As long as they aren't causing a nuisance, throwing wild parties, trash out front, etc., I don't worry too much about it. Pretty much my standard for any place I've lived. Live and let live.

It also wasn't right next to me. I figure if the permanent residents that live on either side of them don't care, I shouldn't either. However, if they approached me and said it was a problem, and asked for my assistance reporting them, keeping an eye on their activities, etc I would gladly help.

There is no such document, because the Declarant (the Developer) is not OBLIGATED to enforce their deed restrictions. They MAY enforce them. They have granted themselves permission to enforce them, if they so choose. It's an option.

Just like you, the homeowner, are not -obligated- to seek enforcement if your neighbor has a lawn ornament. You MAY seek it. But you don't have to, if you personally don't object to it being there.

No, it's not. This is the rule:
So - it's not a prerequisite at all. They have to learn it, but they don't have to show up already knowing it. And there are exceptions, as specified above. A mute won't be required to know how to speak English. A blind person won't be required to know how to read English. A deaf person won't be required to know how to understand English.
A deaf blind mute won't be required to do any of the three.

If they're over 50 years old, they're exempt from the requirement.

There are other exemptions. But generally speaking, "it'll be on the test." It's something they have to learn as part of the process of becoming a citizen. It's not something they have to know when they get to the border.

The ability to read and write English does not make it someone's first language. An immigrant may very well speak non-English in his home and in his neighborhood yet still know English well enough to pass the citizenship test.

That's even if the people in the villa are US citizens and not green-card holders or here on work visas.

Well, maybe not "all";

1. Age and Residency Exceptions to English

An applicant is exempt from the English language requirement but is still required to meet the civics requirement if:

The applicant is age 50 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and has lived as an LPR in the United States for at least 20 years; or

The applicant is age 55 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and has lived as an LPR in the United States for at least 15 years.

The applicant may take the civics test in his or her language of choice with the use of an interpreter.

2. Special Consideration for Civics Test

An applicant receives special consideration in the civics test if, at the time of filing the application, the applicant is 65 years of age or older and has been living in the United States for periods totaling at least 20 years subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence.[3] An applicant who qualifies for special consideration is administered specific test forms.

3. Medical Disability Exception to English and Civics

An applicant who cannot meet the English and civics requirements because of a medical disability may be exempt from the English requirement, the civics requirement, or both requirements.

Chapter 2 - English and Civics Testing | USCIS.

Exactly my point. Those who say, "the Developer is not enforcing the restrictions," don't seem to understand what you wrote.

They don’t need to know anything when they get to the border except how to cross illegally, thereby committing a felony against the citizens of the United States. Talk about not enforcing “deed restrictions” 😂😂😂

@ OP: we have had workers on occasion staying in the rental next door to us. it gives the worker a place to stay while working on construction nearby. the last time, it was 1 guy, possibly late 20's, early 30's, & was very quiet, bothering no one. so i guess it's not unheard of, but i never saw 6 of them, lol.it would be pretty small for that many workers!

REALLY? Bet you don't live 'next-door'!

Lol
 

Except all tests and directions are in English. One of the examinations is an English proficiency exam. There is also a detailed civics exam. Essay answers must be written in English. An applicant has two chances before being denied citizenship.

Please take a moment to research the claims you are making:

From the USCIS Exceptions and Accommodations page:

You will be permitted to take the civics test in your native language.

N-68
 

Of course if you have a mental, special needs or physical disability, you can apply for a special exemption. You must apply for the exemption on a US Form N-68.

What % are actually denied?

So maybe not ALL US citizens must be able to read and write English. And maybe not ALL tests and directions are in English. And maybe not ALL essay answers must be written in English.

And from the link above, the exceptions to the English requirement are:

You are exempt from the English language requirement, but are still required to take the civics test if you are:

Age 50 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident (Green Card holder) in the United States for 20 years (commonly referred to as the “50/20” exception).
OR
Age 55 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident in the United States for 15 years (commonly referred to as the “55/15” exception).

Again, please research the claims you are making.

Yes, that’s what I thought. Six people in a villa? When I rented a villa before moving here it was made clear the rental was for two people only and you needed to pay more and get permission for one or two more occupants.

You’re missing the point of the OP’s post. The issue is there are workers who aren’t vacationing in TV so it’s akin to a boarding house and there are six people in one very small house coming and going perhaps in various vehicles. The part about them not speaking English might be the OP’s frustration attempting to communicate with them and trying to ascertain what’s going on.

True, low IQs, those over 55 and the physically handicapped are waived from knowing English. “All” is a generalized term. The exception window is very limited, thank you.

Obviously the OP seems to imply these are able bodied, cognizant immigrants who work in the original post. There is no indication of several handicapped, special needs immigrants living together that as contracted workers?

Village hotel
 

The home next me was sold in January. It is a ****. Sometimes one night rentals. This is not what I signed up for when I moved in.

It makes me wonder. Why doesn't The Villages fix this problem with a few rental rules.

Had the same thought about what language the renters speak, (assuming you were thinking along the lines of cultural prejudice ?) what would it matter what language people speak who come here to rent in a retirement community. But then as I considered it further: perhaps the person asking was not really coming from some kind of "racist" position (it seems that is the only conclusion we "jump to" these days), so I thought about it much further:

I've met many people from many countries, over the years, who own or rent property here in the V's and every single one of them spoke excellent English. They met and talked with all the neighbors, and seemed happy to do so and share interesting aspects of their country. Next thought was, the renters specified are working here on short term projects, not "snowbirds or vacationers here for the golf, which to me would indicate they are (probably not ?) 55 or older. Which made me think, doesn't at least one occupant of the residence have to be over 55 (if I understand correctly, this is a requirement to gain certain state and federal advantages to being a 55 "community", but I could be wrong on that), so on the surface this would appear to be younger workers (crews that often stay in motels and not private homes ?), and finally, although it's not certain, I've noticed that those individuals who are legal U.S. citizens (among them, restaurant owners, motel owners, and an account I met from Ukraine, and many others I've talked with) seem to learn to speak English in a reasonable period of time. None of these circumstances mentioned, seem, in isolation, to indicate anything "wrong", but together things like working daily, speaking do English, probably not meeting age requirement, short term renting, and didn't state, but how MANY living in one home ? I consider myself open minded, but this really does not seem to belong in a restricted community for seniors ? When the camel gets it's nose under the tent... we all know how that one ends.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill14564 (Post 2224794) Thank you. This is the first time someone has pointed out that the Villa restrictions are different than the other restrictions.

It's great to see a Poster take his own advice, do some research and change his tune.

Or, they might be Puerto Ricans. Which would make them US Citizens and not in need of a green card or work visa to be here at all. Did the OP check their IDs, or did he just assume they must of COURSE be undocumented immigrants because they had brown skin and didn't speak English?

Also - if it's a 3-bedroom home, then you can absolutely have 6 people staying in it short term. I don't recall reading anywhere in this entire thread how many bedrooms are in the home in question.

That would require a change in deed restrictions. People buy properties here intentionally as rental investments. A deed restriction would need to grandfather them in, otherwise they'd be looking at a LOT of lawsuits. They were ALLOWED to do this, because there was no restriction forbidding it, when they purchased the properties.

They could make no-rental restrictions on future development but - then they'd also have to eliminate their own Lifestyle visits because those are short-term rentals for up to 7 days each, in those new development areas.

Perhaps the POA (property owner's association) members might be interested, we've been here many years now and they have taken up many causes. We never thought we'd see such a spread of this "in and out", one to three night kind of motel/hotel renting in our neighborhood of larger designer homes, but little by little our block of only 10 homes, are dealing with 4 of them constant in and out renting activity. Surprised the owners are not concerned about how this type of rental is much harder on a property than say, a 6 month lease to "snowbird" type seniors ! ?

Where? What did I miss?

My position is exactly the same: Most deed restrictions do not prohibit rentals. Today I learned many Villa restrictions do. (and no, I am not going to count to determine if "most" is correct).

Someone provided the villa restriction language but I noticed that it wasn't you. You also don't seem to have looked at Florida law or provided a case where a rental in the Villages was found to be in violation of the restrictions.

If they're -renting- the properties, then they need to pay tourism tax. You need to get in touch with the county the property is in, to make sure the tourism tax is being paid. If it's not being paid, then the landlord will have a moment with the authorities about it.

Right.... and the way they are not enforced and/or are "unevenly" enforced, I think most of us here had some reasonable expectation as to what a 55 plus community actually means. What ever the actual laws/rules are, most of us (?) can see things are changing rapidly and certainly the plan and process for enforcement should all be very well developed before any rules, laws, or deed restrictions are drafted. Seems to me we are very reactionary here. Is it legal to rent in this manner (no lease or long term agreement) and NOT have to charge local sales taxes like hotels and motels ? I honestly don't know, but would seem the owners would be responsible to charge and turn over, such taxes ?

My belief is that most of the properties being rented are through a service like AirBnB, ****, The Villages Hometown Properties, or something like that. I would have thought that these services would help the homeowner/landlord to stay legal. It's certainly possible that I am wrong and rentals aren't through a service or that the service doesn't help the homeowners in this way.

Not sure why you would consider it "hypocrisy" ? In these troubled times, and yes, even in The (perfect) senior community, it is wise to let the police settle such issues rather than approach a neighbor you already know is not exactly an ideal senior citizen for "America's Friendliest home town" ? By now haven't most people realized the Villages security personnel are mostly our own neighbors, working part time to fill some retirement hours or pay for an upgrade improvement to their home, and have no authority (or desire to risk their lives) to get involved in anything more serious than calling someone to tell them they need to shut their garage door. No, not hypocrisy at all, but very good advice. In a community like ours, a few minutes to find the owner of the car blocking your drive, can mean the difference in life and death in a medical emergency, or, even if not that serious, it is a police matter... do not take a chance on handling such things yourself !

OH NO!!!! Lock your children up!!!!

The only ones I recall over the last 18 years were a couple huge "raids" in the middle of the night by local and state officers on "meth lab" houses... and NOT in the villages on what they call the "historic side", which seems to be targeted as the cause of all things undesirable, and once the police shut down, also in what the real estate agents advertise as a "desirable village", where a "chop shop" for stolen golf carts was operating and sending parts all over the country. One block over there was a guy, very good at wood working, who was making small pieces of custom wood cabinets, shelves, etc. The neighbors on that block got a petition up and he was shut down....not sure by who, doubt our Sumter Co. sheriff's deputies take care of deed restriction violations ??? Do they ? ? I'd think not. Only other ones I know of, are neighbors who were forced to remove the small crosses given out at their churches. Again, doubt police were involved, probably no human involved, just fine them daily perhaps until the die or the home is sold, and they try to collect all the fines ? All told, we just have a TERRIBLE and ineffective process for all of these types of things.

Honestly I don't think the things you mentioned have If that is the standard for enforcement of deed restrictions, law, and enforcement, than it is as far afield as "solving" a retail theft problem by deciding NOT to enforce the law against theft, and thereby "solve" the problem of high rates of theft. ! Rape ? Murder ? Broken into cars ? Not even loosely related to what was being discussed (enforcement of deed restrictions) . Don't think language spoken has anything to do with it either of these. The fact that someone has not killed or raped (is that what we really should use as the standard for deed restriction enforcement ?) is so illogical it defies the ability of the human brain to do an analysis and draw a logical/probably conclusion.

Thank you. This is a very helpful community bulletin board most of the time, but sometimes.... really frightening to think people would read certain things and think, well, if it's posted on TOTV's it has to be true...LOL !

Easy to fix for future sales. Retroactively? I don't know...

Did you just ASSume that he assumed "they must of COURSE be undocumented immigrants"? And where did he say they had "brown skin"?

Are you ASSuming they did? Why would you ASSume such a thing?

Florida law 509.032(7)(b) appears to prohibit any post-2011 local laws attempting to affect rentals.

You are right again. By "non English speaking day workers" he surely meant Swedish bikini models.

Thanks for the info. Most likely to protect against any discrimination against renters?

Ahhh, the unintended consequences of good intentions...

I HATE it when they move next door! They won't leave me alone! :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

The Developer is not making laws. They're making rules. It's not against the law to rent property in the Villages. And your Florida law, above, will support that. But the law doesn't prohibit owners of private property from allowing or forbidding rentals on their own property. The law can't force me to rent my property out, and the law can't prevent me from renting it if I want to. The rules of this community, however, can. It doesn't prohibit it in my part of the Villages, but it might in others. And it can be prohibited in new construction, if the Developer wanted to prohibit it.