TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Davis Islands group voting on Jeter's fence request

News Channel 8 file photo by PETER MASA

Built with two sprawling wings connected by a center section, Derek Jeter's home will wrap around a pool on the waterfront side.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JEFF PATTERSON | News Channel 8
and CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 5, 2009

Updated: 08/05/2009 05:51 pm

TAMPA - To discourage prying eyes, New York Yankees star Derek Jeter wants to put up a privacy fence in front of his new 31,000-square-foot mansion on Davis Islands.

Before Jeter's builder can construct the 6-foot, wrought-iron and concrete-pillar fence, he needs permission from Tampa's Variance Review Board. City code allows only a 3-foot solid wall and a 4-foot "transparent barrier" on street-facing parcels.

Today, board members of the Davis Islands Civic Association are taking up the issue – voting by e-mail on whether to ask the variance board to oppose or support Jeter's request.

Calls to several board members were not immediately returned.

Even if the 17-member board votes to oppose Jeter's request, there is little it can do short of forwarding the decision to the variance board for consideration.

Jeter's seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom waterfront house dwarfs nearby mansions and when completed could be the largest residence in Hillsborough County.

The Maitland-based company overseeing the home's architectural design declined to comment.

Wallace Sawyer lives just down the street, but has no objection to the fence.

"I think with all of the exposure he gets, he would probably like to have his privacy. I'm not a next door neighbor, but I have no problem with that and we have fences here and people like their privacy and I respect that."

Charles Harris lives in a one-story home just across the street from the megamansion, but also doesn't have a problem with the fence.

"Some of the younger people around are against it, but I have no objection. A man should be able to do on his property what he wants to do," Harris said.

Norma Lurie, who lived in her home since 1972, and is directly across the street from Jeter's home, said Jeter deserves a fence.

"I think at this point, the man deserves privacy and if he wants to build a fence, I see no problem with it, I have no problem with it," he said.

The request will go before the variance board Tuesday.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT