Florida family fined for putting up Christmas lights "too early"

A Florida family could face a fine of up to $ 1,000 after neighbors complained to the home owners association that they had put up Christmas lights too early in the season, Univision reported on Wednesday.

Michael Moffa hired a company to decorate the patio of his Tampa home on Nov. 6, according to WFLA. Days later, the Moffa family received a letter notifying them that they were facing up to $1,000 in fines for putting up their lights too early and violating their HOA agreement.

Moffa told WFLA that he does not plan to remove the lights and insisted that he put them up weeks before Thanksgiving because of the availability of the company he hired.

“I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It’s Christmas lights,” Moffa, 40, told The Washington Post. “I’m not taking them down, even if the guidelines said I put them up too early. Everything looks so nice and for them to be a Grinch like this, it’s just unheard of.”

Jonathan Ellis, an attorney representing the Westchase Community Association, told WFLA that a neighbor complained about the lights at the Moffa residence, “which led to community manager to investigate it.”

The association's spokesperson maintained that rules surrounding lights were in place, but said the board is open to discussing changes.

Moffa said that the association has not been responsive to his inquiries, even when he offered to keep the lights off until Thanksgiving.