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Article Courtesy of Channel
6 ClickOrlando.com
By Molly Reed
Published November 23, 2023
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WATCH VIDEO |
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PORT ORANGE -- Dozens of homeowners in the Waters Edge community in Port Orange
got results after fighting their Homeowners Association to keep a big Christmas
tradition going that all started to support a little girl going through a tough
time.
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The residents told News 6 that despite how they have to
start decorating early to get it all done by Christmas,
their HOA was telling them to stop.
Amber Mastantuano and her family started the tradition of
making their home a Christmas spectacle five years ago.
“Every year we do the Port Orange city light contest.
Everybody comes by. My husband, the first two weekends
before Christmas, dresses up like Santa, I write back to all
of the kids that leave letters in the mailbox. We’ve never,
ever had a complaint,” she said.
The Mastantuanos started doing it for their daughter, who
had a severe heart condition, wanting to give her the
biggest Christmas each year.
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“In March, our daughter received her heart transplant and we were absolutely
elated because the last 13 years we always wondered if we would have another
holiday or birthday,” said Mastantuano.
Other residents quickly jumped on board with going all out and now over a
dozen decorate their homes to the point people from around the area pay them
a visit to look at the lights.
On Nov. 5, they all received letters from their HOA. It cited a bylaw that
says homeowners can only place signs on their lawns 30 days prior to a
holiday. The HOA gave them 14 days to take down all of the lights and
decorations that they’d put up so far.
Mastantuano said they typically start decorating in the days around
Halloween with subtle Christmas lights and then after Halloween, start
putting everything up, usually finishing around Thanksgiving.
“I put more lights up,” said resident Geoff Menneto after receiving his
letter to stop.
News 6 reached out to the HOA president and management team Friday but did
not get a response.
The neighbors said the fight wasn’t over and their Christmas cheer wasn’t
going anywhere.
“We’re continuing our tradition. We’re still decorating. We still have a lot
to go and that’s what our plan is,” said Mastantuano.
Around 6:50 p.m. on Friday, Menneto told News 6 that the HOA temporarily
suspended the violations.
The HOA released a statement, which reads:
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In light of the concerns expressed
during the Open Forum at the November 14th meeting, the Board would
like to address the issues raised regarding the time frame for early
decorations and the language outlined in the Signs and Flag Policy.
It is imperative to convey that the Board is cognizant of your
apprehensions and appreciates your engagement in community matters.
We want to assure you that your concerns have been duly noted, and
the Board is maintaining an open-minded approach in assessing the
requests in the context of the broader community.
No definitive decisions will be reached between now and the Annual
Meeting, allowing ample time for a thorough review of the policy.
Consequently, any potential violations related solely to holiday
decorations will be temporarily suspended pending the outcome of the
policy review.
It is essential to highlight that a quorum of the Membership is
indispensable for the Annual Meeting to transpire, as it serves as a
catalyst for meaningful change.
Waters Edge HOA Community Update |
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