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By Debbie Salamone ,4 .. ,"�
OF THE SENTINEL STAFF " 'i-. �' s�
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SANFORD — Ed Gregory never ex-
pected mustard yellow to get him into
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trouble, but when he painted his Win-
ter Springs home that color last year,
his neighborhood sued him.
On Tuesday, a judge ordered him to
pay $1,000 for violating his homeown-
ers association's color sense, even
though he repainted his home an ac- BARBARA VITALIANO/SENTINEL
ceptable off-white six months ago. Gregory must pay $1,000 although he repainted his Winter Springs
Seminole Circuit Judge O.H. Eaton home—from yellow to off-white—to please his neighbors.
Jr. tallied it this way: $675 to the asso-
ciation's lawyer, $103.50 in court costs YELLOW Friedman, the lawyer who pre
and $250 for another lawyer to verify pared and filed the lawsuit.
that the association's attorney was Gregory ignored the bill.
seeking a reasonable amount of mon- From D-1 That refusal to pay landed him
ey. in court on Tuesday. The home-
"Naturally, I am furious," said Greg- "If we do not enforce them we owners association not only,
ory, who did not have an attorney. "It lose control,"he said. work him for the but the
is outrageous." Gregory, work on the lawsuit but for the
James Conger, g ry, a 47-year-old father of preparations in going to court
g , past president of the six, painted his home last July Tuesday to force Gregory to pay.
Highland Homeowners Association, without asking the association to Gregory had tried to argue that
said such rules must be followed to approve the color. Conger, who the charges were unfair. But Ea-
preserve a quality neighborhood. headed the association at the time ton said the only issue Tuesday
Please see YELLOW D-6 of the controversy, said homeown- was how much Gregory owed.
' ers are restricted to earth tones, Gregory failed to challenge the at-
such as brown, gray, dark blue or torney's fees when they were first
pale yellow. levied.
When the association saw mus- Many homeowners associations
tard yellow glaring from the Greg- across Florida have neighborhood
ory home at 658 Tam Court, mem- rules that new residents agree to
bers asked him to repaint it. follow. Conger said his association
When he did not oblige, the as- usually resolves its disputes by
sociation sued him in November. letter instead of in court.
Scared by the lawsuit, Gregory re- Gregory said he moved into his
painted his home off-white about neighborhood eight years ago be-
a month later. With the fresh coat cause he liked the rules. The asso-
of paint, Gregory thought the dis- ciation does not permit chain link
pute was over. fences or clotheslines that can be
But early this year, the associ- seen from the street,he said.
ation billed Gregory for about He did not expect that mustard
$400. Conger said it was only fair yellow would cause such a fuss.
that Gregory,who broke the rules, "I cannot believe the big deal
should pay the expenses of Don they made out of this paint."
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