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Lawn Police Stir Debate

BEAUTIFICATION TASKFORCE FIELD QUESTIONS

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Laura Cone

Published: March 31, 2009

SUN CITY CENTER - Walt Cawein, the chairman of the volunteer Beautification Task Force, has heard many of the rumors about his task force called everything from the lawn police to the lawn Nazis.

But Cawein, who was put on the hot seat during a recent quarterly membership meeting at Community Hall, said he is hoping to spread a little common sense and respect when it comes to curb appeal. He says he does not want to make anyone's life miserable with endless rules and regulations.

"We are not spying on people," he said. "We don't want vigilantes. This is a neighborhood issue. If they think about their neighbors maybe their neighbors will think about them."

He said volunteers for the task force came together a few years ago at the request of former Community Association board president Paul Wheat. The task force recommends grass height should be kept no higher than 6 inches. They want people to limit fences to 4 feet in their back yards and not put up fences in their front yards. They want people to properly dispose of their pet feces.

Bob Black, a member of the Sun City Center Community Association Board of Directors, said people were "violently opposed" to many of the task force's ideas during the membership meeting.

Black said most homeowners associations in Sun City Center set lawn maintenance standards, and people don't want additional restrictions.

Members of the committee hope to receive support from homeowners before asking Hillsborough County officials to amend their lawn care ordinances for the Sun City Center community.

"In my homeowners association I have to get the color of the mulch approved," Black said. "There are homeowners associations where they don't let you use mulch."

Black said the task force is targeting areas of Sun City Center that do not have homeowners associations by setting minimum landscaping standards.

"The key word they are talking about is curb appeal," he said, adding the issue drew a crowd of more than 300 people.

"It's another layer of laws on them," Black said. "People who might want to put a little fence out back for a dog run, they can't do that. The trouble with this kind of business is once they start to make ordinances they can change them and change them until they are tougher and tougher."

But Cawein said much of the problem does not stem from residents of Sun City Center, but rather the non-residents. He said it's the small percentage of abandoned or foreclosed homes that are creating a problem.

"We want to maintain the curb appeal," Cawein said, adding the recommendations are "benign."

Molly Tenney, the president of the Elegant Gardeners Club of Sun City Center, said she wishes she had been of more assistance to the people on the taskforce. While she likes the ideas of keeping lawns beautiful, her concern is whether the ordinances would promote water conservation and prevent water pollution and problems due to fertilizer and insecticides.

"I think it's good to have standards," Tenney said. "I drive on the north side I see there are several really rough looking yards. That's difficult for the other homeowners. That depreciates their homes when you go to sell."

Tenney said members of her group support the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program and other local and state programs that promote conservation and native landscaping.

Cawein said the task force, which won't bring their recommendations to the board for possibly another year, does not plan to encourage excessive watering.

"If the lawn is brown, that's fine as long as the weeds are cut," Cawein said.

Ed Barnes, the president of the CA board of directors, said for the most part, he thinks most properties in Sun City Center are well maintained overall.

"I think there was a lot of controversy," Barnes said. "A lot of people expressed their opinions, which is what those membership meetings are all about. I was glad we had a big turnout."

Laura Cone is the editor of The Sun. She may be reached at lcone@mediageneral.com.

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