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Article Courtesy of News Channel 8
By
Shannon Behnken
Published April 15, 2023
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CLEARWATER — A battle over who is responsible to repair a private road that
connects several neighborhoods has taken an unusual turn. Pinellas County has
sued the HOA and the original developer.
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The county filed a lawsuit against Estancia Townes HOA and
Sunfield Homes Inc. The developer filed a motion to dismiss,
and the HOA has maintained through attorneys that they don’t
own this road.
Ellen Connolly, who lives nearby and travels the road daily,
is discouraged by the lawsuit and says she just wants the
road fixed.
“They’re spending so much time and money suing when I feel
that somebody just needs to take the responsibility of
fixing it,” Connolly said.
It’s complicated. Part of Estancia is a county road, but the
hole is on the other side of a sign, marking it a private
road and proclaiming it is the end of county maintenance.
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Homeowners in Estancia Townhomes say they want the holes fixed, too, but they
don’t want to pay for it. Many say they rarely use the road and instead use
another street for the most part.
Everyone wants the holes fixed, but who’s responsible?
In 2014, the county went after a Canadian company that owned the road, and then
in August of this year, the county cited the “Estancia Towns Homeowner’s
Association” saying it has responsibility and must make repairs. That’s
something the HOA is fighting.
A Pinellas County spokesman sent this statement in December:
“According to Pinellas County Code Enforcement records, the area of Estancia
Blvd. is subject to the responsibility of the Estancia Towns Homeowners
Association and continues to remain in violation. Pinellas County has been in
contact with legal representatives of the Association. At this time, the parties
have been unable to reach a mutual resolution. In an effort to protect the
public, Pinellas County will continue to seek a remedy through all available
enforcement and legal avenues.“
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