TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s long-simmering fight over homeowners associations is hitting a turning point.
A sweeping reform bill was officially filed this week, answering months of growing calls from residents and protesters who say the system is broken.
After months of rising frustration from homeowners, news investigations, and a rally outside the Capitol, Florida’s HOA reform debate now has a bill number, HB 657.
Filed by Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Miami Republican, the 32-page package would overhaul how HOA and condo disputes are handled, create a new community association court and, for the first time, give homeowners a legal pathway to dissolve their HOA.
“This is going to be one of the largest HOA reform packages of our state's history. We're completely reinventing the wheel when it comes to HOA and condominium disputes,” Porras said.
State
'Failed experiment': South Florida lawmaker floats statewide HOA ban
Porras says the bill directly responds to the outcry from residents across Florida who say they’ve been trapped by abusive boards, runaway fines, or overwhelming legal costs. Many of the concerns, he said, often directed at the state’s main enforcement agency, DBPR.
“Homeowners are going to have the ability to petition that court and be able to sue their HOA without having to deal with the bureaucracy of the state,” he said.
If homeowners want to eliminate their HOA entirely, the bill outlines strict requirements: 20% of homeowners must support a dissolution petition, then two-thirds must vote to approve it. A judge would then review a final plan before an HOA could be legally wound down.
The filing comes just weeks after Paul and Brandy Miller, a Tampa Bay couple leading the HOA Reform League – Florida, rallied frustrated homeowners outside the Capitol. The couple delivered lawmakers a thick stack of letters from residents who say current laws offer them little protection.
“We’re here to have a voice,” Paul Miller said. “To all the people that are out there right now that are on our social networks, that are cheering us on via text messages and posts on our Facebook group—they're saying, you know, ‘Yay, thank you so much for being our voice.’”
WPTV Investigates
Legislator renews calls to abolish HOAs following deadly dispute
But industry leaders aren’t sold. While they’re monitoring the bill, they’ve previously warned that major overhauls may be unpopular and unnecessary.
Polling cited by management groups shows 80% of HOA residents enjoy living in their communities and believe the benefits are worth the dues. They argue the real solution is enforcing existing laws—not dismantling associations or creating new systems.
“We think enforcement is the right answer, not more laws that may or may not get enforced,” said Mark Anderson, executive director of the Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies (CEOMC). “To say nothing of, obviously, the legal contracts that it would violate to try to dissolve and ban a form of living that people have chosen to form for themselves.”
Porras maintains he has support lined up in both legislative chambers and says the bill reflects years of homeowner complaints and a system that, in his words, “has failed too many.”
“I do think that once HOAs or HOA board members start being sued or start having their day in court or have a judge subpoena them, things are going to start to change,” he said.
HB 657 now heads to committee assignments, with its next hurdle being securing a hearing date. Lawmakers return to Tallahassee on Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, the Millers plan to keep the pressure on. They have another rally scheduled in Miami this February and say more events are coming as the session unfolds.
MORE WPTV COVERAGE:
Let's Hear It
Can an HOA be dissolved? Why it might be 'almost impossible'
Palm Beach County
'Buyer beware': Local homeowners mull pros and cons of abolishing HOAs
State
Pushback builds against lawmaker’s call to abolish HOAs in Florida
Real Estate News
