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Defund the HOA, it’s getting out of control. A homeowners’ association in Florida has banned work trucks and personal trucks from being parked in owners’ driveways. That’s taking things a step too far. 

Florida HOA bans trucks from driveways 

Imagine going home after a long day and being told that you can’t park your truck at your house. You pay for the house, you pay for the truck, and you pay those annoying HOA fees, so what gives? Florida. 

This Florida HOA also banned work vehicles from being parked at home. This may seem illegal but the HOA found a loophole to bypass a state law, preventing homeowners in the community from parking personal trucks and work vehicles in their driveways. 

According to an HOA rule written in 1976, residents of the Meadows subdivision in Sarasota are banned from parking their vehicles at home from 11 PM to 5 AM. Those feel like important hours to be parked at home to me…

Resident, Ryan MacinTyre, shared that he can’t park his 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 in his driveway. 

Instead, he pays $500 per year to park his truck in a fenced-in lot about 0.8 miles away. This is on top of HOA fees and the mortgage he actively pays to live in the neighborhood. 

The 2024 Ram 1500 parked near a home
2024 Ram 1500 | Ram

But MacIntyre agreed to the HOA’s rules and regulations when he moved into the community in 2019. If he parks his truck in the driveway then the HOA’s nightly patrol could give him a written warning, fine, or tow his vehicle. 

MacIntyre quickly grew tired of making two trips every day to drop off and pick up his truck. So, when he learned that Florida House Bill 12,03 prohibits anti-truck parking policies he was relieved. 

But the HOA emailed residents to say that the new law will not affect its current policies. The HOA manager explained that the application of the new law depends on the governing language of the community association at the time it was recorded. 

The 1977 Kaufman v. Share case ensures that future legislative amendments automatically apply to existing documents. Without the Kaufman Language phrases, only laws existing in the document’s recording date are enforced. The Meadow’s rule was recorded in 1976.

I’m a bit confused here, because how can a rule be above the law? Why does an HOA have more power than the government in this case? Aren’t the HOA members voted in? Can people run for office and remove this policy?

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Allison Barfield

Allison Barfield joined MotorBiscuit in 2020 and covers all things trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps. Having grown up on a farm in Rock Hill, South Carolina, she’s no stranger to the “Best in Class” truck and SUV debates; people in her hometown were always gathering to help work on vehicles together, and deliberation would naturally arise.

Allison graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Media Arts. She has helped bring awareness to issues Women In Trucking face and has promoted Truckers Against Trafficking, an anti-trafficking NGO.

A fan of creatively dark literature, Allison appreciates the works of Shirley Jackson and Emily Dickenson. She lives in a mountainous area of the country and enjoys off-roading and camping. Her dog, Bruce, often joins her in testing trucks and SUVs for our site.