A few weeks back, the Englewood Review covered a story about shakeups in Florida’s homeowners associations, better known as HOAs.
Lawmakers there are pushing for major changes in how the state deals with disputes and oversight in HOAs. One bill, HB 657, sailed through a big hurdle in the House; every single member on the Budget Committee backed it. Miami Republican Juan Carlos Porras leads this effort. He says this bill comes after years of frustration from millions of Floridians who live under HOA rules.
Porras told the committee he represents some of the largest and most problematic HOAs in Florida. “This is just a first step,” he said, and he’s not kidding. Florida’s had its fair share of HOA scandals. One example is the Hammocks case, where $13 million vanished.
HOA Reform Update
The story is moving forward significantly. The Florida House passed a reform bill on Thursday, March 5, 2026, aimed at making it easier for residents to dissolve their HOAs and setting up a special court program just for HOA complaints.
“An HOA board president today is more powerful than a Florida state representative, maybe even a Florida congressman, because of the total autonomy that they have in their communities,” Porras said.
The bill’s next stop is the Senate. If it passes, it goes into effect on July 1.
Florida has more HOAs than any other state. Nearly half the homes in Florida are part of one. Porras, who’s been pushing to hold these associations accountable, says the bill will get rid of pre-suit mediation and send complaints straight to the courts, thanks to a new Community Association court program.
Not everyone’s convinced. Travis Moore, a policy expert with the Community Associations Institute, thinks the bill is unnecessary. He says HOAs already have dissolution procedures built into their documents. “There’s a process already, as well as in any document I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen thousands, there’s a provision in there, ‘hey, if we decide we don’t want to be an HOA, there’s a process we can go through,’” Moore said.
Others, like Cross, worry about the cost. “I think it ultimately costs people more money by forcing them into arbitration and litigation. It’s going to be costlier,” he said.
But Porras isn’t backing down. He says the bill isn’t a threat to well-run associations. “A good HOA wants to have a successful court system to ensure the process, to have the negotiations so all homeowners are happy,” he said.
The Senate is the next step. No guarantee it’ll pass, as similar bills have stalled before. But Porras says if it fails, he’ll bring it back next year.
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Porras said. “HOAs are essentially the biggest form of small government.”
