City condemns man's
purple house

A South Florida city has ordered a man to repaint his house an acceptable "muted" color after he had it painted purple and gold in a show of pride for his college fraternity.

The city of Lauderhill, Fla., passed a new law that controls the colors residents can paint their homes and compels the man to repaint within three years, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

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City commissioners' first pass at the new law gave residents five years to repaint, but that was deemed too lenient by some. Only homeowners who can prove financial hardship will be granted the full five years, the paper reported.

"I almost jumped out of bed when I read we'd have to wait five years for someone to repaint a purple house," Commissioner Wally Elfers said during Monday's meeting, according to the paper. "My God, that's a lifetime."

After the man's neighbors complained to City Hall about his new paintjob, officials contacted the homeowner asking him to repaint using a more muted color. The man refused, saying he had paid professional painters to do the work.

The report says a consultant will help the city create a color palette with hundreds of shades from which homeowners can choose. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the palette in January.

"You have to set a certain tone within your neighborhood," Assistant City Manager Desorae Giles-Smith told the paper. "It's a nice house. Clean. Nice landscaping. It's just a really different color."