Article Courtesy of TV Channel 7 -- WWSP Suncoast News

By Todd Dunn

Published May 9, 2014

LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. -- Home Owners Associations usually exist to manage a neighborhood’s recreational amenities and to make sure yards are properly maintained and look good. But a Lakewood Ranch man says his HOA is breaking the Federal Fair Housing Act by asking him to remove gravel he installed to help his disabled son.

Three years ago, Mike Groves installed a strip of gravel beside the driveway of his Lakewood Ranch home because of his autistic son. “My stepson has been diagnosed with autism since he was age four. He recently in his teens became epileptic and started having seizures.”

Groves said like most autistic children, his son does not like change and does the same thing every day. “And he has taken the path along the side of the driveway since he was four years old.”

That made it difficult to grow grass beside his driveway resulting in warnings from his HOA, the Summerfield/Riverwalk Village Association.

“When he started having his seizures, I started looking for means that would be.. anywhere I could protect him on my property. And since he plays a lot right here under this big tree in my front yard I thought it was necessary to use something other than a really hard surface in case he had a fall.”

Groves decided on beige pea gravel for a couple of reasons. “I used a material that would absorb impact yet still matched the color palette of the home so it was still tasteful.”
 
But after three years, his HOA served him notice that gravel was not allowed in the neighborhood. Groves says he went to the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall to appeal to the Summerfield/Riverwalk Village Association board.

“I explained to the board my situation. The board all voted no, said that my only option was concrete or paver and that was my only option that I was going to be given.”

ABC 7 reached out to the Summerfield/Riverwalk Village Association but they had no comment. Groves reported the association to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for violating federal fair housing laws.

“A few days later after they were served notice that I turned it into the Housing for Urban Development, their attorney sent me a letter saying now they are considering my request after denying it.”
 
Groves says this story is bigger than him and his son. He says he knows of other families with disabilities that have been discriminated against by the HOA and he wants the HOA to be in compliance with the Fair Housing Act.