Florida Supreme Court: Law protecting builder went too far

The Supreme Court says Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature went too far when it tried to settle a legal dispute on behalf of a developer being sued by a homeowners association. The ruling Thursday said a bill Scott signed into law last year can’t be retroactively applied to the dispute between Lakeview Reserve Homeowners Association and Maronda Homes of Florida, Inc. The association sued because defective road and drainage design and construction caused erosion and flooding that damaged roads and properties in the Orange County development. The legislature passed a bill that prohibited homeowners associations from suing over similar problems and made it retroactive to protect Maronda Homes.  The Supreme Court also sided with the association in the overall dispute, saying it could sue over the defects.