Environmentally friendly lawn case going to trial.

Lawsuit contends homeowner associations have final say over Florida friendly landscaping law.
In a lawsuit advancing more slowly than grass grows, a new judge is pushing for a trial this summer over a neighborhood association’s complaint that landscaping meant by a resident to be environmentally friendly is not aesthetically appropriate.

Jeffrey and Renee Parker were sued in 2012 by Summerport Residential Property Owners’ Association Inc. after they planted a type of grass they chose because it needs less watering and fertilizing. But it was not specifically permitted by association rules.

The case is seen as a test of the “Florida friendly” law enacted in 2009 to promote yards that conserve the state’s environment. The law says associations can’t prohibit Florida-friendly landscaping but it doesn’t spell out who determines which types of plants qualify.

The Parkers’ lawyer, Barbara Billiot Stage, said during a hearing last week that nearly three years of litigation had accomplished little. Afterward, she blamed Summerport for using its greater financial strength to drag out pretrial proceedings. Read more: