Arizona man's HOA keeps fining him $100 for giving out water in heat -- lawyer for HOA explains. Do you agree?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

David Martin of Goodyear, Arizona, says he just wanted to help his neighbors stay hydrated during triple-digit temperatures — but now he’s being fined for it by his homeowners association.

Martin has been placing a cooler filled with free bottled water near the sidewalk outside his home since May of 2020.

“It’s for the kids, the delivery drivers, the couple holding hands walking down the street,” Martin told local outlet KPHO. “It’s for the little kid who has to walk his dog in the heat.”

-snip-

An attorney for the Canyon Trails HOA released a statement to KPHO last year saying:

"The association does not object to a resident providing free water bottles to the community; however, the community's rules do not allow a resident to advertise water bottle distribution from a portable ice chest, located next to their garage that is visible from neighboring property."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/arizona-man-hoa-keeps-fining-172500244.html

[LonePirate]

1. Typical asshole HOA and neighbors

[Johonny]

2. I've never experienced or read a good HOA story

You know, where the HOA did something actually good for the community. Never. And I'm president of one.

[Iggo]

3. Fuck HOA's, is what I think.

[kimbutgar]

4. I was looking at condos when my husband and I were house hunting and my Mother who was a real estate

Broker said don’t buy a condo because HOA groups are insane.

[Wild blueberry]

5. HOA is wrong in this case

No one I know who lives where there is an HOA likes them. They are a blight.

[electric_blue68]

6. I have no experience w HOAs, but this sounds pretty stupid/unhelpful under those circumstances (triple digit heat)...

Err.... letting people know that the water is available there: ie "advertising" - is, imho, needed so more people who could potentially use it are aware.

[Biophilic]

7. Ah, more great thinking from MAGA. There is no way a Democrat would support this.

This is one of the places it begins. When empathy is seen as dangerous and against the rules.

[Intractable]

10. The president of my HOA is a Democrat.

And since becoming president, has become a total authoritarian asshole.

She was our friend. Then power corrupted her.

[Biophilic]

11. Power does tend to do that, except there has to be a weakness for it to enter.

I think very few of us are safe from the corrupt of power.
I’m honestly sorry about your neighbor. There is a deep sadness when power takes control.

[PCIntern]

8. When I lived in a condo 40 years sgo

this asshole who lived on my hallway was stealing my morning newspaper and not even pretending to conceal what he was doing. He was buddies with the entire HOA/condo association and when I complained they laughed me out of the room and told me it was none of their business.

So I knocked on his door and when he answered I told him that as far as I was concerned, he was in charge of me receiving my newspaper or, failing that, I would see to it that for whatever years he might have left, not a day would go by that he would not realize the mistake he made of me opening the door to no newspaper. When he smiled and said “what are you going to do?” I told him that my gangster patients and some of my roofer union guys had told me that if anyone gets on my nerves, just give them the name, because sometimes they don’t have anything planned on Friday or Saturday and need something to do.

I never missed my paper after that and the HOA assholes wouldn’t look up when I walked past.

[OC375]

9. Lawsuit

Last edited Mon Jul 14, 2025, 02:23 PM - Edit history (1)

Most everything is weighted heavily in favor of the board and association, and generally no one wants to join in with other strangers in a lawsuit, and piss off the cool kids that run everything. Bad culture inevitably takes root as more and more small things are overlooked and become "normal". Once established as "how we do things here", the shareholders, especially the new ones, don't really know what's the right or wrong way to do things anymore.

Best bet is to move, or sue them badly enough they are forced to close their nonprofit. The old "When you go for the king, you must kill the king" holds true. Suing them just a little and hoping they get the hint to straighten up just invites the ire of every shareholder in the HOA that desperately wants to believe they made a good call buying into the HOA. You will not reform a corrupted HOA... You can either live with it or destroy it. My 2 cents based on personal experience.

[GiqueCee]

12. And THAT...

... is why I'd set up housekeeping in a rusty dumpster before I'd EVER live anywhere with an HOA.They're all run by tin-pot Nazi wannabes.

If the Arizona man tells 'em to shove it where the Sun don't shine, I'll hold 'em down while he does the honors.
And NO, I don't agree.

[deRien]

13. I'm sorry so many of

you have negative reactions to HOA Board members. I'm on a HOA board and I just got a request to get rid of bees. The owner knows that I will respond quickly. Our biggest issues are parking and messy balconies. We try our best to listen to owners. Our Board meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend.
We organize putting out de-icer and shovels during winter months, call the garbage company when there is an issue with not picking up the garbage, etc. The Board is currently dealing with voles and now bees, irrigation issues, etc. So not all HOA board members are terrible...