LITERAL LAWSUIT OVER LITTORAL AREA. PAID FOR LAKE VIEW BUT THERE’S NO LAKE!
PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Delray Beach couple is suing national homebuilder Pulte Home Company and its community management firm, claiming the “lake view” they paid a $165,000 premium for simply dried up and disappeared after they closed on their home. Eric and Debra Seidel purchased Lot 48 at the Enclave at Sherwood Park on Zelda Lane in January 2024, paying more than $1.1 million total for a Mystique floor plan home that backed up to what was designated a “littoral area” — a lakeside wetland zone — directly to the west of the property. According to the lawsuit, Pulte explicitly told the Seidels the lot would have a lake view at all times, and the couple relied on that promise when they signed on the dotted line.
But the lawsuit just filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court and reviewed by BocaNewsNow.com says that after closing, the littoral zone behind the home “eroded and dried up,” leaving the couple without the view they paid for. The suit names Castle Management, LLC — the firm Pulte used to manage the community prior to turnover — as a co-defendant, alleging Castle failed in its duty to maintain the retention pond banks and littoral zones. The Seidels’ attorneys sent a formal notice of defect to Pulte in June 2025 and a follow-up letter in October 2025. The lawsuit says Pulte never made the problem right.
The complaint levels seven counts against the defendants, including fraud in the inducement, negligent misrepresentation, breach of express warranty, violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, unjust enrichment, violation of the Florida Building Code, and negligence by Castle Management. The Seidels argue they would not have agreed to the purchase — or would have paid substantially less — had they known the lake view would not materialize. Pulte’s own purchase agreement, attached to the suit as an exhibit, acknowledged that littoral zones within the community “may alter the lake view” and are maintained by the association — language the plaintiffs say makes Pulte responsible for what happened. The couple is seeking direct, special, and consequential damages, along with attorney’s fees.
The Seidels are represented by attorneys John A. Chiocca and Nicholas M. Cardamone of Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. in West Palm Beach. Pulte Home Company and Castle Management have not yet responded to the lawsuit in court records. Pulte is one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, with significant operations throughout South Florida.
