Palm Beach County pickleball boom sparks lawsuits, recall fights

Pickleball’s rapid expansion in Palm Beach County has triggered lawsuits and recall efforts among homeowners and HOAs. Residents in two gated communities have sued over pickleball noise, while a third neighborhood seeks to recall board members who approved converting a tennis court into four pickleball courts. At Parkside at Boca Trail in Boca Raton, plaintiff Richard Kitt claims the “pop” sound is so intrusive it’s like playing “in my kitchen,” and court filings say the HOA’s own acoustical study exceeded daytime noise limits. The Parkside case is expected to go to trial in September and could become a statewide precedent. In Polo Trace, west of Delray Beach, homeowners allege the HOA opened courts to the public, with play reaching as late as 11 p.m., and they argue the board did so without a community vote and without a nuisance noise study. Efforts to get HOA comments were unsuccessful, though the HOA warned a lawsuit could affect the conversion timeline.