Barnes v. District Board of Trustees

A state college’s stormwater management system is the focus of this dispute. Charles and Virginia Barnes sued the District Board of Trustees of St. Johns River State College for damages to their property from water alleged to have overflown from a retention pond on the District’s campus. The trial court ruled the District was entitled to immunity under section 373.443, Florida Statutes. We affirm.

I

The Barneses’ lakefront- home, constructed in 2000, is on Cedar Road, Orange Park, Florida. Nearby at a significantly higher elevation is St. Johns River Community College, owned and operated by the…