Homeowners in The Villages are being asked to move white crosses in their yards after anonymous complaints about them.
- Villages residents asked to remove crosses in their yards
- Anonymous complaints came in about white wooden crosses
- Community officials say deed restriction doesn't allow lawn ornaments
Officials with the community's standards department say the wooden crosses aren't allowed on lawns because under a residential deed restriction, they're considered a lawn ornament, which aren't allowed unless it's a temporary seasonal ornament, though they can be under the roof line.
They said they have gotten 397 lawn ornament complaints within the past year — 87 of those being about the crosses.
Dick Walsman, 84, has had his cross up for a year.
"We're told to be witnesses for Christ, and we could have people that would be influenced positively to know that we're Christians, and we're not ashamed," Walsman said Tuesday.
Across the street on Orangedale Terrace in The Villages, three of Walsman's neighbors have crosses too, but some said they had to move them last week after anonymous complaints were made about them.
"There are lawn ornaments up and down the same street no one seem to complain about those, but to single out the cross seems to be very much a target," resident Tom McCulloch said.
Neighbors said they were disappointed about the situation.
"Why someone would be offended by it, if you're not a Christian, I don’t why you would object to someone else being it," McCulloch said.
Officials with the community standards department said they are a complaint driven department.