Derek Jeter is no fan of being harassed by paparazzi, and he’s taking extra measures to protect himself at home in Tampa, where he’s constantly being pursued.
According to Richard Danielson of the Tampa Bay Times, the New York Yankees legend got special permission from Tampa City Hall to build a special eight-foot tall opaque gate to keep people from taking photos of him and the people who visit.
“People hang out there,” Jeter’s representative on the request, Stephen Michelini, told the city’s Variance Review Board. “They’re looking for snapshots. They come at all times of the day and night. … The neighbors themselves have become the enforcers here, and frankly, they’re getting a little tired of it.”
Long known as a man who values his privacy, this isn’t a particularly surprising move. And it’s not surprising that Tampa is happy to help him keep nosy people away from his front door.
“It’s a residence where an individual lives and he wants to protect himself and his property,” Variance Review Board chairwoman Susan Long said. “I just don’t have a problem with that.”
People were reportedly going so far as to “damage landscaping, antagonize neighborhood dogs and even fly drones” to get shots of Jeter being Jeter. The tall gate won’t keep drones away, but it surely will help keep people from being able to simply see into his property from outside the fence.