DAYTONA BEACH — During the holidays, many deck out their homes and yards with lights, inflatable snowmen and Nativity scenes. But if you live in a condominium or homeowners association community, you better check the rules first.
“When you live in a condominium, you generally can’t decorate the outside of your unit,” said Rick Durgin, who lives at the riverfront twin-tower Marina Grande condos in Holly Hill with his fiance/business partner Jami Gallegos. “The reasons you live in a condo or even an HOA is because you have rules that protect your property values and beautification standards. If you don’t want conformity, don’t live there.”
Durgin and Gallegos own the Lifestyle Realty Group, which helps people buy and sell homes and condo units. “Our agents very clearly explain the need to understand the (homeowners or condominium association) rules and bylaws before you buy a home in an HOA community or condominium.”
Decoration rules may differ from one HOA to the next
Doug Smith and his wife Deb have been residents of the 29-story oceanfront Peck Plaza condo tower on A1A in Daytona Beach since 2020. Up until recently, Smith served on his condo association board. He stepped down to become the tower’s licensed condo association manager.
“At Peck you can do whatever you want to the inside of your unit, but you’re not allowed to hang towels on the balcony,” he said. In terms of holiday lights, he added, “The rules do say you can’t change the look of the building, so technically big lights could fall under that category. In general, we don’t mind as long as it’s not over the top.”
Smith, who has lived in a number of condo complexes, said, “Every building is different. What might be allowed at one (condo complex) might not be allowed at another.”
No inflatables allowed at Latitude Margaritaville
The Jimmy Buffett-themed Latitude Margaritaville “55-and-better” community off LPGA Boulevard in Daytona Beach is made up of single-family homes, cottages and townhomes.
While outdoor Christmas decorations are allowed during the holidays, there are some restrictions, said Tiffany Moen who along with her husband, Eric, still own a house at Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach, but recently moved to the LPGA International golf community on the other side of LPGA Boulevard because they needed a bigger place to live.
“I know with Margaritaville that you can’t have inflatable (outdoor) holiday decorations,” she said. “You can string up lights, but after the holidays you have to take them down pretty quickly. You can’t leave them up year-round.”
Moen and her husband run a business called Tropical Funk Studio that paints and sells outdoor and indoor tropical art in various shapes, including seahorses and fish. “They allow them in the yards (at Latitude Margaritaville). We’ve sold thousands of them in the neighborhood.”
At LPGA International, Greg Cardino, a former member of the HOA board for the Lionspaw section, said there are rules regarding outdoor holiday decorations, but didn’t know them off the top of his head.
“I went to our HOA meeting a couple nights ago and they were talking about some homes starting holiday decorations early,” he said. “We have specific guidelines for when they can be put up.”
In the Sanctuary at Spruce Creek HOA community in Port Orange, Ray Donadio and his wife Deb have been residents for many years. While there are rules in place regarding holiday decorations, he did not know exactly what they were.
“We have a lot of yards decorated for the holidays, both secular and religious,” he said on Thursday, Nov. 20. “At our house, we have a snowman (made out of wicker), colored lights and a winter scene.”
Why have rules regarding holiday decor?
Durgin, who lived in an HOA community in Ormond Beach before he and his fiance moved to the Marina Grande, said HOAs and condo associations have rules for a reason. They ensure that certain standards are kept regarding the appearance of homes and condo units, which is actually part of the appeal of living there, he said.
But such rules are especially important when living in a condo complex, especially where the units are all under the same roof.
“In a condominium, you live in the same building as your neighbors, as opposed to side by side,” he said. “Personalities are intertwined more in a condominium than in a master-planned community. That can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. If you can get along and work in unity toward the same shared goals, it can be a great experience. If you can’t, it can become very bad.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Do I check with my HOA before I decorate my Daytona condo balcony?
Reporting by Clayton Park, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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