Villager in $615,000 home fights to keep her artificial turf

A villager struggling to keep the artificial turf in her home claims the surface is superior to decorative rock in terms of landscaping.

Shirley Schwartz, who lives in the Edgewater Bungalows next to the Waterfront Inn on Lake Sumter Landing, called for a change in landscaping guidelines when she addressed the 6th Community Development District Board of Directors Friday morning.

Schwartz, who bought her home at 1139 Edgewater Lane in 2015 for $ 615,000, told the board that she thought artificial turf would be a better fit with her property.

“What is the difference between rock and artificial turf? You have to use a lot of roundup to kill weeds with stone. You don’t have to use Roundup with artificial grass, ”she said.

A homeowner at Edgewater Bungalows was looking for a policy change to allow this artificial turf in her home.

Schwartz already has an open case on compliance with deeds and wanted a policy change to reflect the work that had already been done.

“I think you have to be careful,” advised the board’s attorney, Mark Brionez.

He warned regulators that if an exception were made, the board could open the door to requests for a variety of man-made surfaces.

“When we took responsibility for enforcing the deed restrictions, we admitted we couldn’t change the deed restrictions,” said John Calandro, CDD 6 chairman.

Another board member agreed that it was pretty clear that artificial turf was not considered a compatible option in the Edgewater Bungalows.

“The question is, ‘Did the developer initially discard artificial turf?’ The answer is no, which means you can’t put on artificial turf, “said supervisor Thomas Griffith.

Schwartz complained that artificial turf was allowed elsewhere in The Villages, specifically pointing out the village of Antrim Dells, which is near Brownwood.

“Do you know how many houses already have that? Of course, you can have this just south of County Road 466A, ”Schwartz said.

After her insurance application was denied, Schwartz stated that she would likely replace the artificial turf with stone. She has been reminded that she must follow the proper application process through the Architectural Review Committee.

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