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Harbor Island condo board earns its lump of coal
Last Edited: Monday, 18 Dec 2006, 10:39 PM EST
Created: Monday, 18 Dec 2006, 10:39 PM EST
ParkCrest is not exactly looking festive this holiday season. TAMPA - Karen Fernandez is canceling her Christmas plans. She wanted to have the whole family over, but then her condo board banned Christmas decorations.
“I can’t believe they’re taking Christmas from us,” she exclaimed. “We can’t put wreaths on our doors. We can’t put lights out on our balconies.”
She can’t even put a real Christmas tree inside her living room.
Her condo board did let her display a paper snowman, but the board still controls which days she can keep it on her kitchen counter.
“I think it’s crazy. It’s just preposterous,” she continued.
Even a holiday ribbon is a serious violation at ParkCrest Condominiums. The owner was written up for it, and now she’s too scared to talk about it on camera.
“The year before, everyone had their lights out. It was really nice. Now you can’t even tell it’s Christmas,” Karen complained.
In fact, the only outside Christmas decorations you can find are on the flyers that ban the decorations.
Some families say they’re smuggled in Christmas trees anyway and now they’re living in fear behind closed doors.
Others, like Zack Melkonian, say they’re just living like scrooge.
“You can describe it as ‘humbug,’ you know,” he explained. “I’ve just not got the feeling. I’m not getting the Christmas feeling. That’s sad because I’ve got children. And there are just no reminders of what this is all about.”
ParkCrest Condominiums caters to trendy young adults on Tampa’s Harbour Island. They don’t understand why folks can’t spruce it up for the holidays.
“If this is your home, why would you not want to portray and make it a home?” wondered Ashton Krauss.
The condo manager left messages on behalf of FOX 13 with the board members, but they did not call us back.
The manager did say that the board passed these rules for a reason: because Christmas trees are a fire hazard, and they’re dirty. And no one can hang anything on their doors or balconies without permission.
The bottom line is, the board sets the rules.
“Which is something we all want to have — a nice, safe place to live,” Melkonian conceded. “But this board is turning this place into a jail.”
Folks could elect a new board, but that won’t help with this Christmas.
By the way, these rules are nothing new. The Puritans banned Christmas decorations in America for decades.
Christmas trees are a fire hazard, and they’re dirty. And no one can hang anything on their doors or balconies without permission.
The bottom line is, the board sets the rules.