Posted on 03/10/2006 7:00:03 AM PST by ncountylee
The wife of a soldier serving in Iraq is locked in an emotional dispute with her homeowner's association that wants her remove a ''Support Our Troops'' sign from the front yard.
Stacey Kelley, 24, says her husband, Pvt. David Kelley, bought the 2-foot-high sign before he went to Iraq. For her, it's a constant reminder of the sacrifice her husband and other soldiers are making, The Tampa Tribune reported Thursday.
But deed restrictions in her gated Westchase neighborhood northwest of Tampa prohibit all signs except ''for sale'' and ''for rent'' notices. The association sent Stacey Kelley a letter last month threatening to fine her $100 a day unless she removes her patriotic placard.
''I've been crying and everything since I got that,'' she said. ``It's ridiculous that no one can even show their support.''
Caught in the middle is homeowners association President Daryl Manning, an Army reservist who has served in Iraq. He says he's sympathetic, but if Kelley is allowed to display the sign, nothing could prevent others from putting up signs with negative messages about the troops.
Stacey Kelley says she'll follow the advice her husband gave during their last conversation.
''He said even if it comes down to paying the fines, he doesn't want to take it down,'' she said.
This is easy...
Tack a FOR SALE sign and a Support the Troops sign together and see if they will oppose it then!
Sell it and move to a location away from the HOA restrictions.
Good thinking.
Great idea OR get a HUGE sign that says the same thing and put it in her front window on the INSIDE of the house.
Maybe she could get 100 "Support Our Troops Signs" and post a "Support Our Troops Signs For Sale" sign. That should make the association happy! Plus, she could raise money for more signs.
It sucks as I think she should be able to put up any sign she wants, but they did sign the agreement, if they didn't read it... well...
ping
Wha...?
Again, the easiest way to deal with this is to remove the sign and put, in its place, a decent number of willing volunteers holding signs saying "support our troops."
Homeowners Associations are socialist fascists. Not many people read the fine print before moving in. They don't realize that they're now under fascism until they try to exercise some rights they thought were protected in the Constitution. That's when they find out they don't actually own their yard.
Why haven't homeowners associations been OUTLAWED?
Another HOA story. Anyone thinking of buying a home should think very carefully before buying one in a development governed by an HOA. Before even thinking of making an offer, you should read the deed restrictions and the bylaws of the HOA involved.
When you do this, think carefully about how these restrictions and bylaws might affect your life. Always remember that you are at the whim of the current HOA board, which can pass additional restrictions.
My in-laws are in such a development, which has a rule that trash cans must be removed within 15 minutes of the trash pickup. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Nice neat streets and all.
But, my father-in-law recently had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital. His wife put the can out in the morning, then went to the hospital to be with him. She came back around noon and put the can back in the garage.
Yesterday, they got a notice that they had been fined $100 for violating the trash can rule.
Think carefully before investing in one of these little vestpocket-Nazi enclaves.
What? That's a pretty big leap. What's your problem? Bitter much?
"Seems to me that getting a divorce would be more honest."
HUH???
How about a patriotic bedding out scheme, red and white begonias, blue ageratum, taking up most of the front yard? Or do they limit your flower beds too?
Mrs VS
"Seems to me that getting a divorce would be more honest."
What on earth are you talking about? For goodness sakes!
Probably because people are allowed to voluntarily join such things. If people in a community want to cede their property rights to such a board, there is no legal reason they can not do this.
SD
I'm not bitter or anything.........re-read the article, would you? The husband told her to "no matter what" leave that sign on the lawn........what kind of man endangers his wife in his absence? Gotta be a cad or a guy who hopes to lose her, NO?
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