THE VILLAGES, FL - A Florida homeowner won a $70,000 settlement after a five-year dispute with its community development district over a 12-inch white cross displayed on their yard. Now, more and more white crosses have popped up throughout the neighborhood.
On April 1, 2019, Wayne and Bonnie Anderson were served a notice from the Village Community Development District 8 (CDD 8), the entity that oversees the Andersons' neighborhood within The Villages. The notice stated that the couple violated community standards regarding lawn ornaments, FOX 13 reported.
The couple said that someone had anonymously complained about their 12-inch-tall white cross placed in the front of their yard. "I thought it was an April Fool's Day joke," recalled Anderson. "We call it a religious icon; they call it yard art — like the same with pink flamingos."
Anderson said he refused to move his cross, so CDD 8 issued a $25 fine every day the cross remained in the yard. "The last I heard (the fine) was $44,000 for us," Anderson said. When the fines weren't paid, CDD 8 filed 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."
After five and a half years of legal back-and-forth, a judge ordered both sides to settle the matter out of the courts. According to the release of all claims/indemnity agreements, the terms of the settlement are: CDD 8 must pay $173,000 in court and legal fees; CDD 8 must also pay $70,000 to the Andersons; and the 12-inch white cross gets to stay where it's been.
The white cross has since been affixed to a plant pot. "Quarter of a million dollars nearly... over a little white cross," Anderson said. "Can you believe that?"
Anderson said the majority of the money they were awarded will go toward paying for their attorney. "In the end, we get to display [it] as is our constitutional and God-given right," Anderson said. "This should never have happened, and it should never happen again."
Many of the Andersons' neighbors now have the same cross displayed in their front yards. FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie counted about one dozen in the direct vicinity. None of the homeowners she spoke with wanted to appear on camera out of fear of retaliation, and none of them said they had been asked to remove their crosses.
"It's selective enforcement, one, and it's just ridiculous in common sense," Anderson said. In an effort to make sure his neighbors don't have to have the same fight, Anderson has since joined the board of CDD 8. He hopes this settlement will serve as a precedent for the rest of The Villages community.
When Villager Phillip Barburek found out how much money was spent to finally bring a conclusion to the battle over the white cross, he was astounded. "Perhaps someone much smarter than I am can explain how spending almost $250,000 in our assessment money, nearly a quarter of a million dollars, to get a little white cross removed from a yard, benefits our community," said Barburek.
"I'm thinking that if there had been some people involved, not so narrow-minded and obstinate, a compromise could have been worked out much earlier and at a much less expensive cost. But that's just me," he added. Villager Caroline Brown said the CDD8 should be hanging their heads in shame after this embarrassing defeat, Villages-News reported.
"Congratulations to this man! Shame on CDD 8. That is the problem with the system that is in place, that if someone makes a complaint against someone and everyone or many have the same thing, but there is no complaint made against them, it proves how unjust this system is," she said.
Peggy McKinney lives in the Village of Rio Grande and is not a resident of CDD 8. But that did not stop her from being outraged. "I think anyone who wants to place a cross in their yard should be allowed to. We need people turning to Jesus in these difficult times. Quit spending our money on legal fees for such petty things," she said.
On April 1, 2019, Wayne and Bonnie Anderson were served a notice from the Village Community Development District 8 (CDD 8), the entity that oversees the Andersons' neighborhood within The Villages. The notice stated that the couple violated community standards regarding lawn ornaments, FOX 13 reported.
The couple said that someone had anonymously complained about their 12-inch-tall white cross placed in the front of their yard. "I thought it was an April Fool's Day joke," recalled Anderson. "We call it a religious icon; they call it yard art — like the same with pink flamingos."
Anderson said he refused to move his cross, so CDD 8 issued a $25 fine every day the cross remained in the yard. "The last I heard (the fine) was $44,000 for us," Anderson said. When the fines weren't paid, CDD 8 filed 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."
After five and a half years of legal back-and-forth, a judge ordered both sides to settle the matter out of the courts. According to the release of all claims/indemnity agreements, the terms of the settlement are: CDD 8 must pay $173,000 in court and legal fees; CDD 8 must also pay $70,000 to the Andersons; and the 12-inch white cross gets to stay where it's been.
The white cross has since been affixed to a plant pot. "Quarter of a million dollars nearly... over a little white cross," Anderson said. "Can you believe that?"
Anderson said the majority of the money they were awarded will go toward paying for their attorney. "In the end, we get to display [it] as is our constitutional and God-given right," Anderson said. "This should never have happened, and it should never happen again."
Many of the Andersons' neighbors now have the same cross displayed in their front yards. FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie counted about one dozen in the direct vicinity. None of the homeowners she spoke with wanted to appear on camera out of fear of retaliation, and none of them said they had been asked to remove their crosses.
"It's selective enforcement, one, and it's just ridiculous in common sense," Anderson said. In an effort to make sure his neighbors don't have to have the same fight, Anderson has since joined the board of CDD 8. He hopes this settlement will serve as a precedent for the rest of The Villages community.
When Villager Phillip Barburek found out how much money was spent to finally bring a conclusion to the battle over the white cross, he was astounded. "Perhaps someone much smarter than I am can explain how spending almost $250,000 in our assessment money, nearly a quarter of a million dollars, to get a little white cross removed from a yard, benefits our community," said Barburek.
"I'm thinking that if there had been some people involved, not so narrow-minded and obstinate, a compromise could have been worked out much earlier and at a much less expensive cost. But that's just me," he added. Villager Caroline Brown said the CDD8 should be hanging their heads in shame after this embarrassing defeat, Villages-News reported.
"Congratulations to this man! Shame on CDD 8. That is the problem with the system that is in place, that if someone makes a complaint against someone and everyone or many have the same thing, but there is no complaint made against them, it proves how unjust this system is," she said.
Peggy McKinney lives in the Village of Rio Grande and is not a resident of CDD 8. But that did not stop her from being outraged. "I think anyone who wants to place a cross in their yard should be allowed to. We need people turning to Jesus in these difficult times. Quit spending our money on legal fees for such petty things," she said.
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Comments
2025-11-23T16:05-0500 | Comment by: Dawn
Good on the Andersons for not buckling to a bunch of mindless bullies. If a simple, very small cross offends you, don't look it. Good grief. I hope the residents in that community verbally eviscerate the CDD board who pushed this and don't let them live it down. What a colossal waste of money on the board's part. Sadly, pretty much exactly the sort of nonsense I expect out of HOAs, though. Petty, childish, and vindictive.
2025-11-23T17:32-0500 | Comment by: arthur
Freedom of speech, expression, as well as Christian Religion...it's a real thing and a VERY big part of our Constitution, and people need to get behind that. Good for these people for standing their ground, we need a LOT more like them.