Have you ever heard about a new Florida law that could change lives in communities with HOA? In the U.S., millions of people live in neighborhoods that have something called Homeowners Association, and they are in charge of creating rules for communities, collecting monthly fees, and controlling certain decisions that affect daily life.
Now, a new law in Florida has caught many people’s attention because, for the first time, neighbors could be allowed to try to remove their HOA if they don’t want to keep living under their rules. So, let’s find out more about this situation.
What’s HOA ?
An HOA is an organization formed by the residents of a neighborhood, and it can be found it:
- Neighborhoods with single-family homes.
- Condominiums.
- Townhouses.
- Planned residential developments.
Homeowners usually pay monthly fees, and that money is used to:
- Maintain shared spaces like roads, parks, or pools.
- Keep the neighborhood clean and organized.
- Protect property values.
HOAs also create rules that residents must follow. These rules can control things like:
- How yards should look.
- What you can place in front of your home.
- Which items are allowed or not allowed.
If someone breaks the rules, the HOA can issue fines or even take legal action.
Why people are bothered with the HOAs
Even though some people believe HOAs help keep everything in order, others think they have too much power. For example, in some places:
- Residents are banned from owning certain items, like garden sheds or playground equipment.
- People have been fined for changing their front yard, even though they own the land.
- Rules can feel unfair or overly harsh.
For this reason, the HOAs are a very controversial issue in many states.
New Florida law
The new Florida law is called HB 657 and it was introduced by Florida lawmaker Juan C. Porras. It is expected to take effect on July 1. According to the bill, homeowners would finally have a clear legal process to try to terminate their HOA if the community agrees.
However, it’s very important to mention that the law doesn’t automatically eliminate the HOAs, it just establishes a legal process to try it.
The process won’t be easy
Removing an HOA will be very difficult because neighbors must follow some compulsory steps:
- A petition: At least 20% of the residents must support the idea and sign a formal petition.
- A community vote: After that, two-thirds of all homeowners must vote in favor of ending the HOA. A simple majority is not enough.
- Court review: Even if the vote passes, the HOA does not end right away. The case goes to court, and a judge makes the final decision.
The state will also create a new court program where arbitrators help resolve these disputes.
Why Florida is key on this debate
Florida is one of the states with most HOAs in the entire country, more than 4 out of 10 homes in the state are part of a HOA.
Lawmaker Porras has been very critical of these organizations. According to him, HOAs allow a small group of neighbors to control others’ lives, something he considers opposite to the idea of freedom.
Due to this situation, there have been protests and claims to change the system.
HOAs are still legal and very common
Although this Florida law is a new hope for those against these associations, there are some things we should know: HOAs will continue existing and removing them will be strange and complicated, because some homeowners still prefer HOAs since they like uniform rules and shared responsibility.
So…
Now, we know that these associations are a controversial issue in the U.S., but what’s your take? Should HOAs be removed or not?