Flashback: Man Tries to Park $100,000 Electric Truck in His Own Driveway, HOA Says No Way
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
The homeowners association of Weston Hills Country Club near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, apparently has an issue with a six-figure truck’s presence in the neighborhood, according to WPLG-TV.
The type of truck in question is a Rivian R1T, and it’s owned by resident Glenn Gordon.
This particular type of truck is not just an electric vehicle; it was the 2022 MotorTrend Truck of the year.
It wasn’t built with the intent of being a commercial vehicle, rather, it’s intended to, “appeal to a wealthier, active-lifestyle audience rather than the blue-collar crowd,” according to MotorTrend.
One of its more practical aspects is that it can travel 315 miles on a charge.
It’s also a self-driving truck when on the highway, with 11 cameras on board.
Those features did not impress the HOA, however, as it threatened to slap Gordon with fines if he continued to park his truck in his driveway. Because it’s a truck, the association said it violates the vehicle policy.
The HOA insisted that it must be parked out of sight, saying he could store it in his garage.
Gordon told WPLG reporter Jeff Weinsier that he ordered the truck over a year before it was delivered.
“I felt like a little kid waiting for it. The first one I saw was mine,” he said.
He hadn’t had the truck for even two weeks when he received a notice from the property management informing him that parking the truck in his driveway was a violation of the HOA policy on vehicles, and he must keep it in the garage.
The neighbors apparently didn’t have a problem with it.
“Some are taking pictures of it. They say, ‘Beautiful vehicle, can I see it?’ That’s the only comments I have got,” Gordon said.
Gordon hoped to be able to resolve the issue peacefully. It’s not like he’s new to the neighborhood. He’s lived there for 27 years.
He called the property management, but they weren’t willing to negotiate.
Jerry Engelhard, the president of the HOA, simply reminded Gordon that the HOA has strict rules regarding trucks, trailers, RVs and commercial vehicles. These rules have been in place since the 1980s.
“He said we will wind up getting fines and penalties, and until we remove it, they can even lien our house,” Gordon said. “We could even lose our house over this.”
Gordon said he never imagined there would be a rule like that.
“There are trucks all over the place… We don’t have room in our garage to put it in there,” he said.
Gordon obtained the services of an attorney, Andrew Ben, to assist in this situation.
“There are judges that have ruled that these vehicles are regular vehicles, they are not inherently a commercial vehicle just because it is a pickup truck. If it doesn’t have commercial markings or anything else like this does not — it’s a regular vehicle,” Ben said.
In a similar case in the Villas of Bonaventure, a pickup truck owner sued his HOA.
The pickup truck owner won the case, and his HOA had to pay his attorney’s fee of $40,000.
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