Florida homeowners sue HOA over new pickleball courts, part of a nationwide wave of disputes

Residents of the Andalucia community in Apollo Beach filed a lawsuit on Aug. 15 against their homeowners association after the HOA converted clay tennis courts into pickleball courts, saying the sport's repetitive noise has unsettled neighbors and could aggravate post-traumatic stress disorder for nearby veterans.

Plaintiffs in the suit contend unpredictable "pops" from pickleball play rise frequently and suddenly and that at least 10 properties lie within 250 feet of the new courts. "Those unpredictable pops triggers fight or flight response. This is similar to the sound of a handheld pistol or a pneumatic nail gun for construction," Lori Sessano, a resident and a combat veteran, said, describing why she joined the legal action. Another plaintiff, Vietnam veteran Michael Wasielewski, said he supported recreation but not at the expense of what he called a neighborhood "not designed or zoned to withstand pickleball's continuous industrial-level noise."

The suit in Hillsborough County is among hundreds filed nationwide by residents objecting to local pickleball facilities. Commissioner Josh Wostal told the county board that at least 200 similar lawsuits have been filed across the country as communities confront the rapid spread of the sport. Wostal said decibel measurements in some cases exceed local noise ordinances and attributed that to equipment and surface differences between tennis and pickleball: "A tennis racket is hollow plastic... a pickleball is a hard racket with a solid ball bouncing on a hardened asphalt."

Actor Robert Davi, 74, who has appeared in films including The Goonies and License to Kill, spoke at a Hillsborough County commission meeting on Aug. 20 and mimicked the repetitive sound of pickleball play, urging officials to restrict where courts may be located. "Pong, pong, pong... Would you like that next to your community?" he asked, and called for an ordinance to set a minimum distance between courts and residences.

The county commission considered two motions during the meeting. A proposal to impose a temporary ban on permitting new pickleball courts within 250 feet of homes until staff could recommend an appropriate distance failed on a 3-4 vote. A separate, unanimous motion directed county staff to study the issue, review the growing number of lawsuits, and recommend potential sound ordinances and distance standards for new courts.

Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in the United States in recent years, prompting communities and HOAs to add courts to meet demand. The Trust for Public Land has reported a 650% increase in the number of public pickleball courts in major metropolitan areas. That growth has coincided with an uptick in disputes over noise, traffic and use of common areas, particularly in neighborhoods governed by homeowners associations.

Legal challenges have appeared in multiple states. In 2022, a couple in Scottsdale, Arizona, sued their HOA after it converted a nearby tennis court into two pickleball courts, saying noise interfered with their enjoyment of their backyard and that the HOA failed to consult homeowners. In 2020, a group of Austin, Texas, homeowners sued their HOA over plans to build a pickleball court in a community common area, raising concerns about increased noise and traffic. Similar complaints have been reported in South Carolina and across California.

The conflicts also highlight broader tensions between some residents and HOA governance. Homeowners associations — an estimated 365,000 nationwide, housing roughly 30 percent of the U.S. population — collect fees and enforce community rules, and critics say some boards have become overreaching. In Florida, State Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) has called for eliminating what he described as "authoritarian boards," arguing for increased accountability or even abolition of some HOA powers.

For now, Hillsborough County staff have been asked to study noise impacts, review litigation trends and propose potential regulations. No countywide ordinance restricting pickleball near homes was adopted at the August meeting, and the lawsuit in Apollo Beach remains pending as officials and residents weigh competing interests in recreational amenities and neighborhood livability.