TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Florida House passed a homeowners’ association reform bill Thursday that would make it easier for residents to dissolve their HOA and create a dedicated court program to handle complaints.
Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami, has been pushing to hold HOAs accountable and sponsored the legislation. Florida has more HOAs than any other state, and state data shows nearly half of all homes in the state are part of one.
The bill creates a dedicated Community Association court program and eliminates pre-suit mediation, sending complaints directly to the courts.
“Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Porras said. “HOAs are essentially the biggest form of small government.”
Travis Moore, a policy expert with the Community Associations Institute, said the bill is unnecessary because HOAs already automatically dissolve.
“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.
Florida politics:
Rep. Lindsay Cross, D-St. Petersburg was one of the two no votes, citing concerns about the removal of pre-suit mediation.
“I think it ultimately costs people more money by forcing them into arbitration and litigation. It’s going to be costlier,” Cross said.
Porras said the bill is not 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,” Porras said.
The bill now heads to the Florida Senate, where its future is uncertain. Comparable bills have not made it to the Senate floor. Porras said he is prepared to bring the bill back next year if it does not advance.
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