A man in Florida fought for five years to keep a tiny cross in his yard, and he finally won.
We live in a world where standing up for our faith can cost us more than we ever imagined. But some things are worth fighting for, no matter the price.
Wayne Anderson put a small white cross in his yard in The Villages, Florida. The cross stood just 12 inches tall. It sat in his front yard like dozens of other crosses in the neighborhood. Nobody thought twice about it.
The Anonymous Complaint That Changed Everything
Then in 2019, everything changed. Someone filed an anonymous complaint about Anderson’s cross. Not a neighbor’s cross. Not any of the other crosses on the street. Just his.
Village Community Development District 8 oversees the neighborhood. They sent Wayne a warning. The cross had to go. The district called it yard art that broke community rules. Anderson called it something else entirely.
“We call it a religious icon. They call it yard art. Like the same with pink flamingos,” Wayne Anderson said.
Daily Fines and a Lawsuit
Wayne refused to remove it. The district started charging $25 every single day. The fines piled up to $44,000. Then the district took him to court.
Wayne saw the situation clearly. “It’s not hurting anybody. There’s no harm in law. There has to be harm. What’s the harm? What’s behind all this? Something sinister, I guess,” he said.
The lawsuit claimed three lawn ornaments on his property broke the rules. But Anderson knew this was about more than decorations. This was about his right to display his faith.
“It’s selective enforcement one, and it’s just ridiculous and common sense,” Anderson said.
Five Years of Fighting for His Faith
Five and a half years passed. Legal bills mounted. The stress took its toll. But Wayne wouldn’t back down.
A Settlement at Last
Finally, a settlement came. District 8 agreed to pay $173,000 for legal fees and court costs. They paid another $70,000 to Anderson. That’s almost a quarter of a million dollars. All because of a 12-inch cross.
The cross gets to stay. The settlement says it can remain as long as it’s attached to a plant pot. It still sits front and center in Wayne’s yard today.
“In the end, we get to display, as is our constitutional and God given right. This should never have happened, and it should never happen again,” Anderson said.
Standing Firm No Matter the Cost
Wayne didn’t stop there. He joined the neighborhood board. He wants to make sure no other neighbor has to fight this same battle.
Sometimes doing the right thing costs us everything. Wayne spent five years and watched tens of thousands of dollars in fines stack up. He could have just removed the cross and moved on with his life. Nobody would have blamed him.
But he stood firm. He believed his freedom to display his faith mattered more than convenience or money. And in the end, he won.
WATCH: Man Wins 5-Year Battle to Keep a Tiny Cross in Their Yard
