SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- Autumn Garick says she believes her little lending library will be allowed to stay in her Oviedo front yard despite months of battling with her homeowner’s association.
- Garick fights to keep free library
- Garick told to remove library for aesthetic purposes
- Library issue forwarded to legal counsel
Garick says the entire HOA board recently resigned, and now Garick is one of three board members.
When Garrick put up the ''Little Free Library'' she says most of her neighbors liked it.
''The best hopes I had were realized,'' said Garick.''
Little lending libraries like Garick’s have become common across the country. They work on an honor system. Someone can take a book out and they are encouraged to lend a book of their own.
Garick says the Bentley Woods homeowners association – and ultimately her property manager – asked her to remove the library saying the board had the responsibility to preserve the community’s ''aesthetic appearance.''
The board offered Garick the option to keep the library running, but only if it was moved to a common area in the neighborhood – not in her front yard.
Garick says the common area is far from her home and it would’ve been too difficult to maintain the library there.
When Garick refused to move the library, the HOA board forwarded the issue to their legal counsel.
''Unfortunately we’ve had a difficult few months,'' said Garick.
But then, at an HOA meeting on July 11th, Garick says the HOA announced all seven of its members were resigning without giving a reason why.
Garick says she was one of three people who volunteered to serve on the board until homeowners can elect new board members.
She says with new board members and community support for keeping the library, she’s confident her library will be allowed to stay where it is.
''I think there’s a pretty good reason to believe the library is here to stay,'' said Garick.
Garick says battling her HOA was not fun, but she believes the issue got more of her neighbors engaged in how their neighborhood was being managed.
She says only one or two people used to show up to HOA meetings. She says the last few meetings have drawn dozens of homeowners.
''And that can only lead to a better neighborhood, not just with one little library, but all of the other amenities and all the other things we need to take care of,'' said Garick.
And Garick believes her library is helping her neighbors get to know each other better.
Spectrum News 13 tried reaching out to several of the neighborhood’s former HOA board members for comment, but none of them could be reached.