An Arizona man has been fined repeatedly by his homeowners association for offering free cold water to neighbors—and now he’s fighting back.
David Martin, who lives in the Canyon Trails community in Goodyear, has been handing out bottled water from his driveway since 2020. Goodyear, Arizona is a rapidly growing suburb located about 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix, nestled between the Sierra Estrella and White Tank Mountains. He started the gesture with his wife during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to bring people together during the hot summer months.
“I thought, what better way to help the community than by offering cold water,” Martin told 12News in August 2024.
But over the past year, Martin says tensions with the HOA have escalated. The trouble started when the HOA and its management company, FS Residential, fined him $50 for keeping water and storage containers visible from the street. The fines later increased to $100 each, despite Martin’s continued efforts to be a good neighbor.
Martin declined to pay the bill and was fined $100 each month for three consecutive months due to non-compliance.
“Here we are in July, the hottest day of the year, and we are still talking about a water cooler with free cold water,” said Martin. “It’s ridiculous that they are adding violations to a total that’s not going to get paid because I’m giving out free water.”
The HOA said it had no issue with Martin giving out water, but took issue with him advertising it using a visible ice chest on his lawn. In a statement, the board explained that community rules prohibit such displays.
To fight the ongoing fines, Martin came up with a creative solution—he started a petition to remove three board members from their positions. His goal is to replace them with people who support his efforts.
“I’m not paying the fines, and the cooler isn’t going anywhere,” Martin told 12News.
A special meeting was held on July 10, attended by two non-targeted board members, Martin, and about two dozen residents.
Out of 210 ballots, 190 residents voted to remove the three HOA board members, a result the board initially acknowledged as a supermajority per the New York Post.
However, the targeted members pushed back, questioning whether Martin had gathered enough valid signatures. The board later held an emergency meeting to invalidate the vote, claiming proper notice wasn’t given and that 210 votes might not meet the quorum for a community with over 1,000 homes.
Martin, meanwhile, shared a letter from FirstService Residential and its attorneys confirming the vote followed state law. He’s now preparing for a legal battle he’s confident he’ll win.
