November 4, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

We’ve all heard of HOAs having to deal with major structural failures that affect their properties. Roof damage from storms, a leaking pool, even sink holes have all made the news. But a collapsed bridge?

Fox 35 TV in Orlando reports that an HOA on the far north side of the city lost a bridge from a storm that eroded storm culverts, causing the structure to collapse. The result was 21 homes being evacuated and the water main being damaged and eventually shut off. Emergency services are also severed with no access to certain parts of the HOA.

So a private engineer has been hired to figure out the problem:

The Spring Ridge Estates Homeowners Association hired a private FDOT engineer to evaluate the current state of the bridge and form a plan for repairs. Eustis officials are also working with private contractors – who were hired by the HOA – to identify a temporary solution to restore safe access to residents.

Apparently the remaining bridge structure continues to shed pieces, and getting the thing stabilized in order to be repaired has been problematic. Imagining how an HOA board would deal with such a thing is perplexing. Who pays? How does insurance factor in? The questions many. The answers few.

“We have contingency plans in place should the main sewer line fail, and equipment is already staged in the event the bridge deteriorates further,” Fire Chief Michael Swanson said Monday. “Our goal is to do everything possible to prevent a full evacuation of the community.”

As the erosion continues, anxiety for the HOA is running high. Their concern is a worsening condition that could impact everyone in the HOA.

This means the city could lose the lift station, meaning the neighborhood will lose water and sewer. The entire neighborhood would be evacuated if this happens, Swanson said.

Read the Fox story HERE.