A Plantation family that was sued by the city will be allowed to keep their over-the-top annual Christmas display after a judge ruled in their favor Thursday.
In a nine-page final judgment issued Thursday, Broward Judge Marina Garcia Wood said Mark and Katherine Hyatt's "Extreme Christmas" display is not a nuisance, as was claimed in the city's lawsuit.
"We should be able to do what we want on our private property without interference from city government," Mark Hyatt said after the judgment was issued. "When does city government feel that they have the strength and the ability to take a citizen to court over something as beautiful as a holiday display."
The display draws thousands to the Hyatt family home on Northwest 14th Street every year and features more than 200,000 lights, a 20-foot Ferris wheel and other decor.
The city had said the attraction is a nuisance and safety threat as visitors walk between cars parked on a nearby street.
Some neighbors said the lawsuit was personal.
"I felt it was a personal vendetta and absolute flagrant waste of taxpayer money for something that wasn't necessary," neighbor Nina Fornalsky said.
