The man with the moniker of Prince Mongo and the oddball yard that annoyed Volusia County officials and neighbors ended his code enforcement dispute this week.
But he’s not off the hook yet. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office recently filed a complaint against the Memphis, Tenn., man, whose real name is Robert Hodges, for displaying five paintings of nude women in his front yard — his latest protest against efforts to tone down his outdoor decor, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
The nude portraits were gone Wednesday, but his home still features an eye-jarring, multicolored paint scheme and large sand dunes with plastic Santas and newly planted sea oats. The yard also contains a toilet, a bicycle and several hockey sticks.
When his nephew, Michael Hodges, bought the Volusia beachside home, it had white paint and a manicured front lawn, just like the others on the quiet cul-de-sac. However, a county building official decided a new wooden deck violated setback requirements. That triggered Hodges to protest with an outlandish paint scheme and the hanging underwear — which didn’t violate county rules.
County officials Wednesday dropped most of the code-violation complaints and reduced his fine to $475 for having a junkyard at his beachside home south of Daytona Beach.
Missing, though, were the crisscrossing clotheslines of extra-large boxer shorts and bras. Instead, an American flag hangs. The wood deck pieces, which originally tripped the first code violation, are neatly piled in the backyard.
Check out his year in FloriDUH’s previous posts:
Snowbird ‘Prince Mongo’ turns home into a colorful code-enforcement protest
Prince Mongo might redecorate front lawn — with sand
Photo: Robert Hodges, aka Prince Mongo. April 9, 2010. (Jacob Langston/Orlando Sentinel) (Jacob Langston, Jacob Langston / April 9, 2010)
