Florida homeowners sue HOA over conversion of tennis courts to pickleball courts, citing noise and PTSD concerns

Residents of the Andalucia community in Apollo Beach, Florida, have sued their homeowners association over its decision to convert clay tennis courts into pickleball courts, saying the sport’s distinctive noise is disruptive to nearby homes and could harm neighbors who are military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The complaint, filed Aug. 15 in Hillsborough County, says the converted courts are within 100 to 250 feet of multiple homes and that the repeated "pop" sounds produced when pickleball paddles strike a hard ball can trigger fight-or-flight responses in veterans and others. Plaintiffs include combat veterans who told local media the noise resembles a handheld pistol or a pneumatic nail gun and worsens their PTSD symptoms.

The dispute came before the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 20, where actor Robert Davi, 74, known for roles in The Goonies and License to Kill, demonstrated the repetitive sound in a public comment urging officials to act. "Pong, pong, pong," Davi said, repeating the sound and asking whether residents would want that next to their homes. He said he was not opposed to the sport but favored establishing a sound-free distance from residences.

Commissioners split on an initial motion to temporarily halt permitting new pickleball courts within 250 feet of homes; that motion failed on a 3-4 vote. A second motion directing county staff to research the growing number of lawsuits involving pickleball and to study appropriate sound ordinances and distances for courts from residential properties passed unanimously. The board asked staff to recommend measures to protect neighborhoods while balancing recreational demand.

Hillsborough Commissioner Josh Wostal, who has noted at least 200 similar lawsuits nationally, said in public comments that pickleball can produce higher decibel levels than tennis because of differences in equipment and court surfaces. "A tennis racket is hollow plastic, a tennis ball is hollow rubber and bounces on a soft clay court," Wostal said. "Pickleball is a hard racket with a solid ball bouncing on a hardened asphalt. The decibel levels exceed even our own noise ordinances in certain cases."

The Florida suit is the first against an HOA in Hillsborough County, but disputes over pickleball courts have surfaced across the United States in recent years. In 2022, a Scottsdale, Arizona, couple sued their HOA after a tennis court was converted into two pickleball courts, alleging the noise impaired their enjoyment of their backyard and that the HOA failed to consult them. In 2020, homeowners in Austin, Texas, sued an HOA that approved a pickleball court in common space, arguing it would raise noise and traffic. Similar conflicts have been reported in South Carolina and throughout California.

Pickleball has rapidly grown in popularity, and municipalities and homeowner associations have moved to create courts to meet demand. The Trust for Public Land has reported that the number of public pickleball courts in major metropolitan areas rose roughly 650 percent in recent years, a growth that has outpaced infrastructure and regulatory responses in some communities.

Tensions over courts are unfolding against broader friction between residents and homeowners associations. Homeowners pay monthly HOA fees and, in some communities, face increasingly steep assessments or fines for rule violations ranging from paint colors to landscaping. Some state lawmakers have proposed curbs on HOA authority; Florida state Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Republican from Miami, has called for greater limits on what he described as "authoritarian boards."

There are an estimated 365,000 homeowners associations in the United States, governing about 30 percent of the population, according to industry and research estimates cited by advocates and critics alike.

As Hillsborough County staff begin their review, the case in Apollo Beach is likely to be watched by other communities experiencing similar disputes between neighbors, HOAs and the growing base of pickleball players. Plaintiffs in the suit seek remedies through the courts while county officials consider whether local ordinances should be amended to set sound limits or setback distances for new courts.