TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Tampa Bay couple fed up with their homeowners association turned years of frustration into a protest at Florida’s Capitol on Tuesday, pushing lawmakers to take up major HOA and condo reforms next session.
Paul and Brandy Miller of Odessa rallied a small but determined crowd on the Capitol steps, joined by Floridians who say they’ve been mistreated by their associations through selectively enforced rules, blocked home sales, surprise fines, or overwhelming legal costs.
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The Millers, now leading a nonprofit and online group called HOA Reform League – Florida, say they’ve heard hundreds of similar stories from across the state.
“We’re here to have a voice,” said Paul Miller. “And to all the people that are out there on our social networks, cheering us on… thank you so much for being our voice. That’s what we’re doing.”
The couple delivered a stack of letters from homeowners detailing disputes they say current state law doesn’t adequately address. They’re calling for tougher enforcement and a way to hold what Miller described as “corrupt” or “abusive” boards accountable when they break the rules.
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At least one lawmaker is listening. Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Miami Republican, met with the group and says HOA reform is his “number one issue” heading into the 2026 legislative session. He’s drafting an overhaul that would allow homeowners to dissolve their HOAs and create a new independent court-style system for resolving disputes.
“What I would like to see — whether it be an independent court structure or an independent process — [is] where homeowners have the ability to take their concerns to a mediator or to a judge,” Porras said. The goal, he added, is to “create a whole new structure” for HOA and condo oversight, separate from the state agency (DBPR) that many homeowners say is overloaded and ineffective.
But even as the push for reform grows, new polling shows broad support for HOAs among those who live in them.
A Tyson Group survey of 1,000 Florida HOA homeowners found:
- 80% enjoy living in their association
- 61% say the benefits are worth the dues
- Three out of four believe a ban would raise local taxes and increase neighbor disputes
Mark Anderson, executive director of the Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies (CEOMC), says eliminating HOAs isn’t the answer. Doing so, he said, would likely drop property values and raise taxes.
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“To dissolve a concept of living that people really like is gonna make things worse, not better,” Anderson said.
As lawmakers prepare to return in January, it remains unclear how far reform efforts will go — or whether Porras’ proposal will gain traction amid a divided public.
In the meantime, the Millers say they aren’t slowing down. They plan to take their protest on the road, organizing a larger rally in Miami this February to keep pressure on lawmakers during the session.
Rep. Porras says his legislation is coming “very soon,” with details expected in the days and weeks leading up to the 2026 session, which starts in January.
