T.S. from Pinellas County, Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
My condo association cut of the footing bolts located on my deeded seawall location without my permission or knowledge. Are they liable to replace them?
Mister Condo replies:
T.S., I am sorry that you had your seawall damaged in such manner. I am not an attorney and offer no legal advice in this column. That being said, this was clearly damage to your personal property. As you have stated, you did not give permission for the association to damage your seawall and my guess is they are fully responsible to replace the footing bolts. I have no personal experience with this type of repair but I am assuming it could get a bit expensive if divers are needed to perform the repair. I think I would get an estimate for the repair and approach the association with the request that they repair the damage they caused. It is quite possible that the association has insurance that will cover the repair, less the deductible, of course. If the association refuses to pay for the repair, you will have to decide if the cost of the repair merits a lawsuit against the association. A locally qualified attorney would be worth a phone call at this point to discuss the cost/liability issues with you. All the best!