Wekiva community residents cited for Pride flags want HOA to answer for ‘selective enforcement’

Article Courtesy of WFTV Channel 9

By Sabrina Cupit

Published November 15, 2023

SEMINOLE COUNTY — Members of the Wekiva Hunt Club Community Association believe HOA rules are unfairly singling them out.

The HOA rules dictate what kinds of flags can and can’t go up in the community and residents say those rules are not being applied equally.

Wekiva Code says any flag that’s not already approved by the state needs pre-approval from the HOA Board.

According to those rules; state flags, military flags, and American flags are okay, but Pride flags are among the many that would need pre-approval.

Currently, sports and holiday flags are scattered across the neighborhood.

However, internal HOA records show most of the citations for violating this rule in 2023 were for Pride flags.

Data shows as of September, seven homes were cited for violating the rule, and six of those homes had Pride flags on the property.

Some residents now want the board to answer for what they call, “selective enforcement,” since not every flag in the community has received a violation notice.

“Until it’s equally enforced, or the rule is changed, we don’t feel we have to abide,” said Wekiva Community resident Carolyn Wallick.

Wallick received a citation for displaying Pride flag her property in August without first getting approval.

She’s since reached out to the HOA raising concerns about enforcement.

“We’re married, we’ve got kids, everybody puts up things that represent them in their own home. And that’s all were trying to do,” said Wallick.

We reached out to the HOA for comment on resident concerns.

In response, the HOA attorney told us, “Based on the concerns raised by the members, the Board intends to review the current rules and determine whether any changes need to be made.”

A letter sent out by the HOA says that the Board will be reviewing flag rules in a future board meeting.

The HOA attorney also told us that the association follows up on resident complaints as well as reports from investigators who inspect the entire community.