South Florida’s flooding woes are well documented, and the flood warnings at the start of this year’s rainy season in mid-May were a reminder that the problem continues to grow worse with every passing year. For HOAs governing sprawling communities, maintaining the property’s drainage and water management system is a vital requirement of their covenants with their unit owners.
The case of Coconut Key Homeowner’s Association v. Gonzalez pitted a homeowner against her HOA, which she allegedly breached its governing documents by failing to properly maintain the surface water management system for the community. This caused chronic flooding problems in her own backyard whenever it rained and led to significant damage to her home.
