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Article Courtesy of The
Tampa Bay Times
By Barbara Behrendt
Published November 11, 2022
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TRINITY — Private gated neighborhoods. Exclusive club lifestyle. That’s the
website pitch for the Champions’ Club in Trinity, a community of estate homes
offering residents privacy, the prestigious Fox Hollow Golf Club, its course
designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and an elegant clubhouse.
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But that’s a glossy
image, residents say. In a lawsuit, they describe cracking,
damaged tennis courts, deterioration of the perimeter wall,
erosion on the banks of the community lake and step and
railing issues with the pool and spa.
They also list numerous issues with the club house,
including cracks in roof tiles and stucco, missing hurricane
straps, missing window sealant, corrosion on the bell of the
fire safety system, moisture causing corrosion in the
electrical system and damaged duct work and fasteners in the
heating and air conditioning equipment.
The Champions’ Club Owners Association Inc. filed the
complaint against developer Adam Smith Enterprises Inc.
outlining a host of “defects” in the luxury enclave in July.
In all, they list 62 flaws they say have been “examined and
certified by an appropriately licensed Florida engineer.”
As with other developers, officials with Adam Smith
Enterprises ran the homeowners association from the
beginning in 2003. They had “the responsibility to maintain,
repair and replace the common areas” as required by the
community’s documents, the lawsuit states. |
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The Champions’ Club Owners Association Inc. filed the
complaint against developer Adam Smith Enterprises Inc. outlining a
host of “defects” in the luxury enclave in July. Above is the West
Pasco Judicial Center.
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Adam Smith Enterprises disputes the details. The company is also the developer
of Trinity and was founded by James Gills, who also founded the St. Luke
Cataract and Laser Institute in Tarpon Springs.
“Adam Smith Enterprises is very proud of the Champions Club development,” said
Frank R. Jakes, attorney for the company in an email to the Tampa Bay Times.
“Of course, any lawsuit claiming construction defects in the common areas is
disappointing. Adam Smith Enterprises certainly doesn’t share this opinion, but
is in the early stages of reviewing and responding to the legal claim,” Jakes
wrote. “We are confident that the claims will ultimately prove to be
unsupported.”
Residents of Champions’ Club took over as directors of the homeowners
association in December 2020. That’s when they started bringing in experts to
determine the problems with their common amenities, according to the court
paperwork.
Homeowners have sparred with the developer for several years. In a prior
lawsuit, a neighborhood leadership group had attempted to obtain an accounting
of the association’s financial situation before taking over management.
Community members say their property values have suffered because of the
disrepair in the common areas, according to the lawsuit.
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