Hillsborough grapples with noise concerns amid pickleball trend

Catch up quick: Commissioner Joshua Wostal (R) introduced two motions to slow the growth of America's fastest-growing sport at last week's meeting.

• One directed county staff to research lawsuits against municipalities over pickleball and determine appropriate noise ordinances and distances between courts and residential properties. That motion passed, 7-0.
• The other would have halted permitting of new pickleball courts within 250 feet of homes, but it failed on a 4-3 vote.

Between the lines: Wostal explained that he decided to make the push after learning there are more than 200 lawsuits nationwide involving homeowner associations (HOA) and municipalities over pickleball courts.

• He pointed out that Hillsborough County has around 1,000 HOAs and said he didn't want residents drawn into "legal turmoil."
• "The decibel levels exceed even our own noise ordinances," Wostal said, adding that "pickleball is a hard racket with a solid ball bouncing on a hardened asphalt."

Case in point: Earlier this month, 10 residents of the Andalucia community in Apollo Beach sued their HOA over plans to convert its tennis courts into pickleball courts.

• The complaint argues that the noise of a pickleball hit is four times louder than a tennis hit, which is "random and stressful" for homeowners, some of whom live less than 100 feet from the proposed courts.

The other side: The HOA told Fox News 13 that it's taking steps to keep noise levels within the county's limits, "balancing the enjoyment of the new amenity with the peace and comfort of all residents."