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, filed a lawsuit Aug. 15 against their homeowners association after the HOA converted clay tennis courts into pickleball courts, saying the sport's noise levels have become disruptive to nearby homes and could aggravate conditions among military veterans who live nearby.

Plaintiffs contend that the repetitive pops of pickleball — played with a hard paddle and a solid plastic ball on harder surfaces than tennis — are unpredictable and trigger distress for some neighbors. "Ten properties are located within 250 feet of the proposed courts," Lori Sessano, a member of the lawsuit and a combat veteran, told media outlets. She said the sounds "trigger fight or flight response" and resembled "the sound of a handheld pistol or a pneumatic nail gun for construction." Mike Wasielewski, a Vietnam veteran and resident, said he was not opposed to recreation but worried the neighborhood was "not designed or zoned to withstand pickleball's continuous industrial-level noise."

The dispute drew public attention Aug. 20 when actor Robert Davi, 74, spoke at a Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners meeting, imitating the repetitive sound by repeating "Pong, pong, pong" and urging commissioners to act. "We need you guys to step up," he said, adding that he had nothing against pickleball but thought it should be played at a distance that minimizes noise for nearby households.

The commission debated two motions. A proposal to temporarily halt permitting of new pickleball courts within 250 feet of residences until county staff could determine an appropriate separation distance failed on a 3-4 vote. A second motion passed unanimously, directing staff to study the growing number of lawsuits involving pickleball, to research sound ordinances, and to recommend appropriate distances for new courts from homes.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal, who has discussed the issue publicly, said in remarks why pickleball can register at higher decibel levels than tennis: "A tennis racket is hollow plastic... a tennis ball is a hollow rubber and then it bounces on a soft clay court. Pickleball is a hard racket with a solid ball bouncing on a hardened asphalt." Wostal noted that at least 200 similar lawsuits have been filed nationwide.

The Apollo Beach case is the first pickleball lawsuit against an HOA in Hillsborough County but echoes litigation across the country. In 2022, a couple in Scottsdale, Arizona, sued their homeowners association after a nearby tennis court was converted into two pickleball courts, saying the noise hindered use of their backyard and that residents were not consulted. In 2020, homeowners in Austin, Texas, sued an HOA over approval of a pickleball court in a community common area, arguing it would increase noise and traffic. Similar disputes have been reported in South Carolina and across California.

Pickleball has surged in popularity in recent years. The number of public pickleball courts in major metropolitan areas rose about 650 percent, according to the Trust for Public Land. The sport's rapid expansion has put pressure on municipalities, park agencies and homeowners associations to add courts to meet demand while addressing neighbor complaints about noise, parking and hours of play.

The fringe of the debate touches on broader frustrations with homeowners associations. HOAs — estimated at roughly 365,000 nationwide and governing communities that house about 30 percent of the U.S. population — collect monthly fees and enforce rules that some residents call overbearing. Critics point to fines for minor violations and, in some cases, threats of foreclosure for unpaid assessments. In Florida, State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) has proposed measures aimed at curbing what he described as "authoritarian boards," saying residents should not be subject to unchecked HOA authority.

Legal challenges over pickleball are prompting local governments to weigh sound studies, buffer distances and permitting controls as they balance demand for recreation with the rights of nearby homeowners. County staff directed by the Hillsborough commission are expected to return with research and potential ordinance recommendations, but officials did not set a timeline for those findings.

Plaintiffs in the Andalucia lawsuit are seeking relief through the courts, and the case adds to a string of legal disputes that local officials and community groups say will influence how municipalities, HOAs and park systems plan for the sport's continued growth.

As courts and county boards confront these disputes, the debate is likely to affect how new pickleball facilities are sited, designed and regulated in communities where close proximity to residences raises quality-of-life concerns.