HIGHLAND BEACH, FL — A Highland Beach couple has filed a civil lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against the condominium association that governs their oceanfront building, alleging the board retaliated against them after they reported a fellow board member to police, refused to accommodate an assistance dog, and enforced rules that discriminate against families with children.
The verified complaint was filed July 2, 2026, by Renata Fernandes Barros and Roberto Delli, unit owners at Parker Highland East Condominium, a 26-unit building in Palm Beach County. The couple lives in Unit 7B with their minor daughter, according to the filing.
The case, Barros et al. v. Parker Highland East Condominium Association, Inc., Case No. 502026CA007438XXXAMB, was assigned to Division AE of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit. The plaintiffs are represented by Perez Mayoral, P.A. of Coral Gables, with attorneys Steven V. Llarena and Lucia Liens signing the complaint and Steven B. Grant listed as co-counsel. The lawsuit demands a jury trial and seeks damages exceeding $50,000, along with declaratory and injunctive relief.
According to the complaint, the dispute traces back to an April 5, 2026, Easter gathering the plaintiffs hosted in the association's social room. The lawsuit alleges Barros was accompanied by her dog Chablis, which the complaint describes as an assistance animal that provides disability-related support. Several children, including the plaintiffs' minor daughter, were briefly in the first-floor fitness area while adults prepared an Easter egg hunt.
The complaint alleges that board member Robert Grosso photographed the plaintiffs' minor daughter and other children without parental knowledge or consent. According to the lawsuit, Grosso later acknowledged to Highland Beach Police that he had taken the photographs. The complaint says the plaintiffs reported the incident to the Highland Beach Police Department, and that an updated police event report concluded their report was not a false one because the conduct they described was confirmed.
The lawsuit alleges that on April 16, 2026, the association's board of directors adopted a resolution suspending the plaintiffs' common-element use rights for three months. According to the complaint, the resolution cited three grounds: "Unauthorized Pet in Restricted Common Area," "Unsupervised Children in the Fitness Center," and "Filing a False Police Report and Retaliatory Conduct."
According to the filing, the association later issued a notice of trespass barring the family, guests, and invitees from a broad list of common areas including the social room, fitness center, pool, spa, beach access, lobby, elevators, stairways, hallways, and parking areas. The complaint alleges that suspending access to the elevators, stairways, hallways, and parking areas is barred by Florida law, which excludes those elements from any suspension of use rights.
The complaint brings eight counts. It alleges failure to produce official records under Section 718.111(12), Florida Statutes; unlawful retaliation under Section 718.1224(3); breach of the condominium's governing documents and selective enforcement under Section 718.303; and disability discrimination and failure to make a reasonable accommodation under the Florida Fair Housing Act and Palm Beach County Ordinance 90-1. Two counts allege familial-status discrimination targeting association rules that require adult supervision of children under 16 in the fitness room, common areas, and elevators. Two additional counts allege failure to investigate a board member's conduct and seek a declaratory judgment that the April 16 resolution and the trespass notice are unlawful and void.
The lawsuit states that on or about June 5, 2026, the plaintiffs filed a housing discrimination complaint with the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity, dual-filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under PBEO Case No. 2600215. The complaint states the parties attended pre-suit mediation on June 10, 2026, as required by Section 718.1255, Florida Statutes, and that the mediation concluded at an impasse.
The plaintiffs are seeking an order restoring their common-area use rights, an order requiring the association to grant the reasonable accommodation for the assistance animal, an order requiring the association to amend rules that impose supervision requirements on children under 16, actual and compensatory damages, statutory damages for the records violation, and attorney's fees and costs.
The filing reviewed by Boca Post does not include a response from the defendant. The claims are allegations that have not been proven in court.
Boca Post reviewed the complaint, Barros et al. v. Parker Highland East Condominium Association, Inc., Case No. 502026CA007438XXXAMB, filed July 2, 2026, in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County. The case is newly filed, a jury trial has been demanded, and no hearing dates are listed in the reviewed filing.
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