JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local HOA President is warning that legislation moving in the Florida House allowing homeowners to dissolve their HOAs could wreak havoc in neighborhoods across Florida.
Scott Lara has been the President of his neighborhood HOA for four years.
He told Action News Jax he understands where the frustration with HOAs is coming from, but he argued that allowing neighbors to dissolve their HOAs isn’t the answer.
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“Playgrounds, ponds who is gonna maintain those? That’s why HOAs are here,” said Lara.
He warned those who abolish their HOAs would likely end up with buyer’s remorse.
“If HOAs are dissolved, homeowner values will plummet,” said Lara.
State Representative Juan Porras (R-Miami) is behind the bill, which he filed after a major corruption scandal came to light in his own district.
But he argued it’s not an issue isolated to South Florida.
“I’ve heard from frustrated homeowners from the Panhandle to the Keys that feel so frustrated and don’t know where to turn to when it comes to dealing with these corrupt HOAs,” said Parras.
And right now, Porras argued, there’s no real recourse.
Even under his bill, dissolving an HOA wouldn’t be easy.
50 percent of neighbors would have to sign off on a petition, and then 60 percent of neighbors would have to vote in favor of dissolution.
“And even if that election were to pass, the homeowners then would have to propose a plan of dissolution in front of a judge, in front of one of these new HOA court judges that we’re creating, to ensure that the common areas are still going to be maintained and certain debts or outstanding leans are taken care of,” said Porras.
Lara said he would like to see some compromise, but he argued that opening the door for dissolution is akin to opening a pandora’s box.
“I’m all in favor of making sure that HOAs are run effectively, that the money is accounted for, and that people are held accountable, but we gotta work together,” said Lara.
Porras’ HOA bill still has two more committee stops in the House.
No identical bill has been filed in the Senate.
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