EVs in America are still so expensive that they are status symbols. The Rivian R1T is probably one of the higher-status vehicles around; they are pricy and hard to get your hands on. Even still, a Florida HOA demanded one homeowner that his Rivian R1T couldn’t be parked outside. What reason could they possibly have?
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Why would an HOA tell a homeowner not to park their truck out front?
Well, according to the HOA’s rules, “Trucks, trailers, Recreational Vehicles (RVs) and/or commercial vehicles of any kind are not permitted to be parked anywhere… except inside of your garage during overnight hours.” Glenn Gordon, the Rivian R1T and the homeowner says that “These were written in the 1980s by Arvida, and it said no trucks and no vans. Since then, trucks have become a popular vehicle for personal use.”
According to CarScoops, the HOA in question is the Weston Hills Country Club, a neighborhood just outside of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Gordon is not taking this laying down. Gordon has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years and says he’s never had an issue like this.
Do HOAs have rules about trucks?
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Back in the 1980s, when the HOA rule was said to have been written, pickup trucks occupied a very different place in our culture. Trucks were work vehicles primarily driven by a certain perceived class of people. These days, pickup trucks are far more common as daily drivers and can also be one of the most expensive and luxurious cars in any given parking lot. The Rivian R1T is the perfect example of this.
Trucks today are far less focused on hauling, towing, and other work and more about just being a truck. This is what makes the HOA getting upset about a six-figure vehicle feel pretty strange.
The president of the HOA left Local 10 News a voicemail saying, “If the gentleman would have read the documents when he bought the house, he would have seen that, and there is a possibility that he would not have bought the truck.”
What is the real motive?
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Guessing someone’s motive can be a tricky thing to do. However, given that it’s Florida, there is no shortage of speculations one could come up with as to why an HOA might sweat someone for having a high-end truck (that happens to be electric) in their driveway. CarScoops goes further to point out that in the news story, there is a Kia Telluride and an old Mazada 3 also parked on the block. You would think the Telluride would catch similar heat, or at least the old Mazda 3, if it were really about appearances. I digress.
No matter the reason, Gordon seems hell-bent to fight the HOA. In fact, his attorney has cited a similar case where a man sued his HOA over a similar dispute.
“Is there anything that is going to make you get rid of that vehicle?” Gordon was asked. “No,” he said. “We are ready to take it … It is just wrong.”