Five-year fight between homeowner and HOA over 12-inch tall cross ends with $70,000 settlement

A five-year fight between a Florida homeowner and his local homeowners’ association over a 12-inch-tall cross displayed in his yard has ended in a $70,000 settlement, according to a report.

Wayne Anderson and his wife Bonnie received a complaint about the small, decorative cross on display in their yard in 2019 from the Village Community Development District 8, which oversees the central Florida community known as The Villages, Fox 35 reported.

Anderson said someone had anonymously complained about the 12-inch-tall cross, which has been affixed to a potted plant in their front yard. The notice they received said the cross violated community standards related to lawn ornaments, even though about a dozen of their neighbors also had small crosses on display, according to the report.

“I thought it was an April Fool’s Day Joke,” Anderson said. “We call it a religious icon; they call it yard art – like the same with pink flamingos.”

After the Andersons refused to remove their cross, the homeowners’ association began issuing a $25 fine for every day that it remained in their yard.

“The last I heard [the fine] was $44,000 for us,” Anderson said.

As the fines began to mount, the Village Community Development District 8 took things even further, filing a lawsuit against the couple.

“It’s not hurting anybody – there’s no harm,” Anderson said. “In law, there has to be harm – what’s the harm, what’s behind all this? Something sinister, I guess.”

Following a five-year back-and-forth over the decorative cross, a judge ordered both sides to settle the matter outside of the court.

The Village Community Development District 8 was ordered to pay $173,000 in court and legal fees, as well as $70,000 to the Andersons. The couple will also get to keep their 12-inch cross in their front yard.

Anderson expressed shock over the lengthy legal ordeal, telling Fox 35, “Quarter of a million dollars nearly – over the little white cross. Can you believe that?”

While Anderson said they were relieved the dispute was over, he noted that most of the money they were receiving would go toward paying their attorney.

“In the end, we get to display it, as is our constitutional and God-given right,” he said. “This should never have happened, and it should never happen again.”

To help ensure it doesn’t happen again, Anderson has joined the board of the Village Community Development District 8.

The Independent has contacted Village Community Development District 8 for comment.