When David Martin put a cooler of free water in his Arizona driveway during a pandemic-era heatwave, he thought he was doing the right thing. Instead, it launched a $650 standoff with his homeowners association, sparking a neighborhood movement, USA Today reported.
Martin, who lives in the Canyon Trails neighborhood west of Phoenix, started setting out water, a dog bowl, and a sign reading “Free Water” back in 2020. It was a simple gesture inspired by a personal health scare and a desire to help neighbors beat the brutal heat.
But by 2022, his HOA hit him with a warning for “storing items out of view.”…