WESTWOOD COMMUNITY TWO ASSOCIATION, INC., ETC., APPELLANT,
v.
JOHN L. LEWIS AND PETER C. MARTIN, APPELLEES
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
A homeowners association appealed a summary judgment requiring it to cease enforcing an age restriction on community residents. The trial court held that the association lacked authority to amend its bylaws to create a "housing for older persons" exemption after the Fair Housing Act's 1989 amendment prohibited familial status discrimination, because the underlying declaration of restrictions did not grant amendment authority.
The association lacked authority to enact the bylaw amendment because the declaration of restrictions did not reserve to the association the right to amend covenants, and the bylaws themselves provided that no amendment could conflict with the Declaration of Restrictions. The association cannot amend its declaration to come within the "housing for older persons" exemption merely because the Fair Housing Act voided its previous age restriction.
[1] A homeowner's association cannot amend its declaration of restrictions to exempt itself from the familial status provisions of the Fair Housing Act if the declaration doe…
[2] An amendment to a homeowner's association by-laws is invalid if it conflicts with the declaration of restrictions.
Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Although the association's by-laws provide for amendment of the by-laws, they also specifically state that "[n]o amendment shall be made which is in conflict with the Declaration of Restrictions."”
Establishes that the bylaws themselves contained a restriction preventing amendments that conflicted with the Declaration of Restrictions
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceWestwood Community is governed by a 1972 declaration of restrictions requiring residents to be at least 16 years old. In 1989, the Florida Legislature…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Familial Status Discrimination cases and more on FLexlaw
PER CURIAM.
Appellant, a homeowner’s association, appeals from an adverse summary judgment in favor of appellees, who are homeowners in the Westwood community. The homeowners filed suit against the association to enforce the familial status provisions of the Florida Fair Housing Act, sections 760.20-.37, Florida Statutes. The trial court agreed with appellees that the association was without the authority to enact an amendment exempting itself from the provisions of the Fair Housing Act, and enjoined the association from representing that the community qualifies as “housing for older persons” and that residents must be 55 years of age or older, and from further violating the Fair Housing Act. We affirm.
The declaration of restrictions, recorded in 1972, provided in paragraph six that the use of land in the Westwood community was restricted to permanent residents sixteen years of age or older. In 1989, the Legislature amended the Fair Housing Act to prevent discrimination based on “familial status,” thereby nullifying the declaration’s age restriction. See §§ 760.22-.29. In response, the Westwood homeowner’s association amended its bylaws in an attempt to fit within the “housing for older persons” exemption to the familial status provisions of the Fair Housing Act. However, the West-wood declaration of restrictions provides in paragraph 15 as follows:
The foregoing covenants, restrictions, reservations and servitudes shall be considered and construed as covenants, restrictions, reservations and servitudes running with the land, and the same shall bind all persons claiming ownership or use of any portion of said land until the first day of March, 2022.
Although the association’s bylaws provide for amendment of the bylaws, they also specifically state that “[n]o amendment shall be made which is in conflict with the Declaration of Restrictions.”
Unlike the cases relied on by the association, e.g., Holiday Pines Property Owners Ass’n v. Wetherington, 596 So. 2d 84 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992), Westwood’s declaration of restrictions did not reserve to the association the right to amend the covenants or provide for amendment of the covenants by a vote of lot owners. Thus, in amending its bylaws, the association was exercising authority it did not have. See Brookridge Community Property Owners, Inc. v. Brookridge, Inc., 573 So. 2d 972 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991); Blue Reef Holding Corp. v. Coyne, 645 So. 2d 1053 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994); cf. Rogers v. Windmill Pointe Village Club Ass’n, 967 F. 2d 525, 526-27 (11th Cir.1992).
In addition, the authority relied upon by the association, Seniors Civil Liberties Ass’n v. Kemp, 965 F. 2d 1030 (11th Cir.1992), and Massaro v. Mainlands Section 1 & 2 Civic Ass’n, 3 F. 3d 1472 (11th Cir.1993), cert. denied, — U.S. —, 115 S.Ct. 56, 130 L.Ed.2d 15 (1994), does not support the con tention that the association should be allowed to amend its declaration of restrictions to come within the “housing for older persons” exemption.1 Contrary to the association’s argument, it cannot amend its declaration of restrictions simply because the Fair Housing Act voided its previous age restriction. As the Eleventh Circuit stated in Massaro, “[t]he declaration’s restrictions on residency by children cannot show that the community intended its housing to be for older persons because then any policy against families would suffice for the exemption, swallowing the rule against such discrimination.” Massaro, 3 F. 3d at 1479. Therefore, the trial court properly entered summary final judgment in favor of the appellees.
Affirmed.
WARNER and KLEIN, JJ., and HAZOURI, FREDERICK A., Associate Judge, concur. . Seniors Civil Liberties Ass’n did not involve amendments to a declaration of restrictions. Massaro is also distinguishable. In that case, the homeowner's association was raising its inability to amend an age restriction before a certain date pursuant to the declaration of restrictions as an explanation for its failure to meet the requisite burden under the Federal Fair Housing Act to come within the "housing for older persons” exemption. Massaro, 3 F. 3d at 1479-80. Thus, Massaro did not address the validity or enforceability of a bylaw enacted prior to the date after which the declaration of restrictions could be amended.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
THE Florida BAR v. Klein, 774 So. 2d 685 (Fla. 2000)…being held in contempt of court. The judgment in favor of Lewis and Martin in the state litigation which permanently enjoined the Westwood HOA from enforcing the amendment was appealed and affirmed. See Westwood Community Two Ass’n, Inc. v. Lewis, 687 So. 2d 296 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997). However, notwithstanding this legal status of the restrictions, Klein proceeded to file another legal action on behalf of the successor corporation to the Westwood HOA against Linda [*688] and Mark Menzano, seeking to enforce th…1 / 2
Authorities Cited
- Massaro v. Mainlands Section 1 & 2 Civic Ass'n, Inc., 3 F.3d 1472 (11th Cir. 1993)
- Seniors Civil Liberties Ass'n, Inc. v. Kemp, 965 F.2d 1030 (11th Cir. 1992)
- Sec. Ins. Co. OF Hartford v. Sapienza, 596 So. 2d 84 (Fla. 4th DCA 1992)
- Fetrow v. Agrico Chem. Co. & Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 645 So. 2d 1053 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994)
- Rogers v. Windmill Pointe Vill. Club Ass'n, Inc., 967 F.2d 525 (11th Cir. 1992)
- Brookridge Cmty. Prop. Owners, Inc. v. Brookridge, Inc., 573 So. 2d 972 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)