An Arizona man says his homeowners association is punishing him for a simple act of kindness: handing out free water to people during an extreme heatwave.
“It’s for the kids, the delivery drivers, the couple holding hands walking down the street,” David Martin, who lives in Goodyear, Arizona, near Phoenix, told KPHO. “It’s for the little kid who has to walk his dog in the heat.”
Martin said he’s received multiple $100 fines from the Canyon Trails Homeowners Association and its management company, FirstService Residential, for placing a cooler full of bottled water on the sidewalk near his home.
Martin did this last summer, too, but said the violation letters stopped arriving after local media covered his story. But a few months ago, they returned.
An attorney for the HOA told the outlet in a statement last year, “The Association does not object to a resident providing water bottles within 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.”
Despite the rule, Martin continues his efforts. Video shows him handing out bottles from his coolers in his driveway with a sign that reads “free cold water.”
“Here we are in July, the hottest day of the year, and we are still talking about a water cooler with free cold water,” Martin said Thursday. “It’s ridiculous that they are adding violations to a total that’s not going to get paid, because I’m giving out free water.”
Martin is now fighting back against the HOA by launching a petition to remove three board members. He has gathered over 100 signatures in support of the effort.
Even his neighbors are baffled by the fines.
“I have no idea why they are coming down on him,” Rich Koustas told the outlet. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense.”
A special HOA meeting was set for Thursday night, where residents voted on whether to oust the board members. The results were unknown at the time of publication.
“I am hoping with three new board members that get elected, they’ll see that wasting time and money on a water cooler that’s helping the community is just that: a waste,” Martin told the outlet.
The Independent has contacted FirstService Residential for comment.
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