PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — For years, homeowners across Florida have voiced concerns about rising homeowners association fees, and new data shows those worries are well-founded.
With everyday items costing more at the store, HOA fees are putting additional strain on household budgets. A recent analysis by Realtor.com found that Florida home and condo owners face the heaviest HOA fee burden in the country.
WATCH BELOW: Port St. Lucie ranked 5th highest for HOA fees in US, report says
The study looked at 300 metros in the U.S., calculating what percentage of the monthly principal and interest of median home listings that the typical HOA fee represents.
Seven of the top 10 metro areas are in Florida, and Port St. Lucie came in at fifth behind Miami, Panama City, Naples and Cape Coral. Sebastian/Vero Beach was No. 9.
WPTV spoke with homeowners in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday about their monthly HOA costs.
"$450 a month," one homeowner said they are paying.
Another resident told us they pay even more due to multiple HOA fees.
"I actually pay two, I pay one to my community and one to Tradition, so between the two it comes out to around $500 to $600 a month, so it's a lot, it's pretty steep," said Kathy LaGrange, who moved to Port St. Lucie four years ago.
Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com, said the high fees weren't initially expected when they began their analysis.
"We just kind of randomly ran these numbers agnostically, but it turned into a Florida story pretty quickly when we looked at how high those HOA fees are," Berner said.
Berner attributes the steep costs to reforms following the Surfside condo collapse, focusing on repairs and reserve funds. In Port St. Lucie, just under 19% of monthly mortgage payments go toward HOA fees.
"I think people are doing the math, looking at what it would cost to buy a home in a new development and seeing those HOA fees really stacking up and that monthly cost," Berner said.
This year, state lawmakers have introduced several bills aimed at reining in or dissolving HOAs.
Despite the costs, some homeowners see value in the services provided.
"I can't complain because I like not having to maintain yards, and common areas and that kind of thing, but if I didn't have one I wouldn't miss I could take care of the other stuff," one resident said.
Rising HOA fees, combined with increasing property taxes and insurance costs, continue to make living in Florida more expensive for homeowners.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.
