It’s 2025, and yet some condo boards are still acting like it’s 1985—when pickup trucks were only for contractors and cowboys. Today, they’re for families, professionals, and yes, even retirees who just want to haul a kayak or a Costco haul. But try telling that to our condo board.
🧾 The Law That’s Shaking Up HOAs
In 2024, Florida passed a law (HB 1203) that prohibits HOAs from banning personal vehicles—including pickup trucks—from being parked in driveways or other legally designated spaces. It was a long-overdue correction to outdated rules that treated personal-use trucks like eyesores or threats to property values.
But here’s the kicker: the law doesn’t explicitly mention condominiums. And now, some condo boards, including the Hills of Inverrary board, are using that omission to keep enforcing their anti-truck rules.
⚖️ Why That Interpretation Doesn’t Hold Water
Let’s be clear: the legislative intent behind the law was to protect homeowners’ rights, not just HOA members. The spirit of the law is about modernizing community rules to reflect how people actually live today. Pickup trucks aren’t commercial vehicles—they’re personal vehicles, and they’re everywhere.
To say this law doesn’t apply to condos is like saying the First Amendment only applies to people in single-family homes.
🧠 This Can—and Should—Be Challenged
Legally: Courts often look at legislative intent, especially when a statute is ambiguous. A legal challenge could argue that the law’s protections should extend to condo owners.
Politically: Residents can petition lawmakers to amend the statute to explicitly include condominiums.
Publicly: Media attention and community pressure can force boards to back down from enforcing outdated, arbitrary rules.
🎨 Enter: Rules and Regs Guy
To illustrate the absurdity, here’s our old friend “Rules and Regs Guy,” caught in the act of measuring a Silverado’s bed to determine if it’s a threat to the community aesthetic:
Because nothing says “community harmony” like a guy with a clipboard and a tape measure trying to ban your vehicle based on its wheelbase.
🗣️ Let’s Push Back
If you’re a condo owner being told your personal-use pickup truck is “unsightly,” don’t just accept it. Challenge it. Question it. And if you need help drafting a petition, a letter to your board, or a media pitch—I’ve got your back.
Let’s bring our communities into the 21st century. One Silverado at a time.
By Mike, Hills of Inverrary Watchdog-in-Chief
“The Hills of Inverrary News Blog – Where Facts Live and Spin Stops.”
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