FAQs

 

 

 

 

10 Things Every Owner Should Know:  Please click here to read this helpful, one-page document

 

Annual Dues:  The 2026 dues within RGA were set at $160 per lot, unchanged from 2025. Dues are payable in January of each year and become delinquent and subject to penalties if unpaid after the close of business on the last business day of January. Checks should be made payable to "River Gardens Association, Inc." and delivered to our Treasurer, Rhonda Iserman, at 3471 River Gardens Cir, Pensacola, FL 32514.

 

Annual Meeting:  The RGA annual membership meeting is held in October. Please see the "Notices" tab for information on all meetings.

 

Boats, Trailers, Motorhomes, etc:  Other than personal vehicles (your car, pickup, or SUV), all vehicles in RGA are to be kept out of view. An exception is made for very short-term purposes, such as loading or unloading. If you need more than 4 hours, please contact the Covenants Committee chair.

 

Contractors and Guests:  You are responsible for ensuring that your contractors and guests abide by the Covenants and HOA rules. Please be sure they are aware!

 

Covenants & Rules:  Generally speaking, approval of the covenants committee is required prior to making ANY changes to the external appearance of your property, except for changes that nobody outside your property can see, or changes that are returning your property to its original state. See the Covenants Administration Policy & Procedure for complete information on the exceptions.

There are three sets of covenants within RGA's portion of River Gardens: one set for the Original Section, one for the 1st Addition, and one for the 2nd Addition. While the three sets share quite a bit of language, generally, as the three sections were developed, the developer made the covenants increasingly specific. 

 

If you don't know which covenants apply to a specific property, please refer to this material, which will help you determine which covenants apply. The association's rules, which are also called its policies & procedures, are the same in all three sections of RGA. Please see the rules/policies, which are available in the "Documents" tab.

 

By statute, approval for a covenant variance cannot happen quickly. The Florida HOA statute requires the covenants committee to meet to approve a request and further requires that all our members receive at least a two-week notice of these meetings. To minimize the challenges placed on our members, the Covenants Committee meetings occur on a fixed schedule, which is published on the "Notices" tab. Generally, those meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 6 pm, but there are exceptions due to conflicts with holidays and with other meetings. Meetings are canceled if the committee chair has no requests in hand by noon on the preceding Friday. Please visit the "Notices" tab for more information about the RGA Covenants Committee meetings.

 

There are three other important covenants issues to bring to your attention:

Digging in Your Yard:  Florida law requires that before you dig in your yard (for example, installing a fence or mailbox, starting a garden, or building a deck), you contact Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before digging to get public facilities marked and located. For more information, visit Sunshine 811's website at:  https://sunshine811.com/homeowner-lp.  You can either call 811 or 800-432-4770.

 

Dumpsters & PODs-type units:  Placement of a dumpster or PODS-type unit on your property within RGA requires the approval of the covenants committee.  Before having either of those placed, contact the Covenants Committee chair. As noted above, this approval takes time. Please plan accordingly!

 

Estoppels:  RGA's Treasurer handles estoppels for properties within RGA. Please send your estoppel request to our Treasurer via email or via US Mail to 3471 River Gardens Cir, Pensacola, FL, 32514. You can find additional information about estoppels here, and contact information for all board members here.

 

Fines:  The RGA board has the ability to fine up to $100 per violation, per day. PLEASE don't put us in a position where we have to issue a fine. We are all neighbors, and we don't want to do that! However, because Florida's HOA statute requires the board to act in the best interests of the association as a whole, fines will be issued if we believe it is necessary to gain compliance with the covenants and association rules.

 

Noise & Animal Issues:  Because Escambia County regulates noise & animal issues by county ordinances, RGA seldom chooses to be involved in these areas. If you have a noise or animal issue, please try first to resolve it with your neighbor. If that is unsuccessful, please contact Escambia County Government for assistance.
 

Power Outages:  Electrical service in River Gardens is provided by Florida Power & Light.

 

        View FP&L's outage map     Report an outage to FP&L

 

Rentals:  Rentals are highly restricted in River Gardens. The covenants in all four sections require single-family occupancy, which means that you cannot rent your home to a tenant who will be having non-family members living with them. A group of college students, for example, or any other group of unrelated people, cannot live together in a River Gardens home. The covenants also do not allow for outbuildings to be occupied as homes or apartments, nor do they allow a portion of your home to be rented out.

 

The covenants in RGA also include additional requirements for rental or lease agreements, including a requirement that you provide a copy of any proposed agreement to rent or lease your property to the Covenants Committee for review. (This review is to ensure compliance with the covenant requirements for property rentals.)  Please see Article V of your covenants if you have plans to rent all or a portion of your River Gardens home.

 

Road Maintenance:  Potholes or other road issues can be reported at the Escambia County website.

 

Streetlights:  Contact Florida Power & Light (FP&L) to report a streetlight problem.  

 

Trash:  At this writing, the ECUA scheduled trash pickup day is Friday, although that is sometimes moved due to holidays or other reasons (storms, labor issues, mechanical issues). You can find the pickup schedule at the ECUA site. Trash should be placed at the curb no sooner than the day before pickup. Garbage cans, plus any leftover debris, should be gone no later than the day following pickup. Your neighbors appreciate your bringing out your trash later in the day before pickup, and your collecting the cans reasonably soon after the collection has occurred. When not at the curb, trash cans must be placed out of sight from the road and from neighboring homes.

 

Trees:  In RGA, approval is required before trees are planted or removed, except in the case where an existing tree presents an imminent danger, in which case notification is all that is required. Routine trimming of a tree, including "lifting", does not require approval.

 

Utility Providers:  The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) provides water, sewer, and trash service. Florida Power & Light provides electrical service. For internet, Cox serves the entire neighborhood, AT&T provides fiber service in some portions of the neighborhood, and T-Mobile has 5g wireless service available in most of the neighborhood. Other providers may also make services available. See the "Governmental Agencies & Utilities" tab for contact information.