{"id":100947,"date":"2025-12-31T08:07:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T08:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/100947\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T08:07:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T08:07:23","slug":"florida-plan-to-shut-down-hoas-could-backfire-for-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/100947\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Plan To Shut Down HOAs Could Backfire for Residents"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new bill introduced by a Florida<\/a> Republican could give homeowners in the state the power to terminate homeowners associations (HOAs) much more easily than they can now, in a move that experts fear could backfire on residents.<\/p>\n

Newsweek contacted Representative Juan Porras for comment by email on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/p>\n

Floridians have been struggling with higher HOAs in recent years as a result of new regulations, inflation and rising insurance premiums<\/a>, with many being forced to pack up and leave a state they can no longer afford.<\/a><\/p>\n

While HOA fees are necessary to maintain shared community resources and keep up the value of a property<\/a>, the increases faced by homeowners in the state\u2014especially in South Florida\u2014have gone far beyond what many find reasonable or can afford.<\/p>\n

Between 2019 and 2023, the median monthly condo association fee surged by nearly 60 percent in Miami-Dade County, from $567 in 2019 to $900, according to Florida Realty Marketplace. In Broward County, fees climbed more than 56 percent during the same period.<\/p>\n

What To Know<\/p>\n

While terminating a HOA is already allowed in Florida, it is not an easy feat\u2014nor a quick one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But a new bill introduced by state Representative Juan Porras, HB 657<\/a>, would allow homeowners to dissolve their association by majority vote, among other changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under the proposed legislation<\/a>, if 20 percent of HOA members sign a petition, the board would be required to hold a communitywide vote. The petition would then be allowed to move forward if two-thirds of all homeowners\u2014including those behind on dues or otherwise “suspended”\u2014back it.<\/p>\n

In that case, the proposal would then go for review to the Community Association Court Program, a figure created under the bill and which would confirm the legal requirements are met before finalizing the HOA\u2019s dissolution.<\/p>\n

The bill prohibits HOA boards from using association funds to campaign against the HOA\u2019s termination, imposing fines on those who circumvent this ban.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The bill, if passed, could have huge consequences on the state, which has the second-highest number of HOAs in the country, according to the Foundation for Community Association Research.<\/p>\n

While the bill could be welcome news to many Floridians fed up with their HOAs and with rising fees, this reform could come at a dangerous time for the state, which is already expected to see home values drop nearly 2 percent in 2026, according to Realtor.com\u2019s forecast.<\/p>\n

A study from George Mason University<\/a> found that homes run by HOAs usually sell for 5 percent to 6 percent more than comparable properties without one.<\/p>\n

Not only properties without HOAs would risk losing value on the market<\/a>\u2014but experts also warn that the cost shouldered by HOAs will not disappear but will simply shift onto owners.<\/p>\n

What People Are Saying<\/p>\n

Porras wrote on X: “Floridians have been asking for real HOA reform, and we\u2019re delivering. HB 657 creates a transparent, fair, and efficient Community Association Court system that protects homeowners and allows for the people to decide if they want to continue living in an HOA. Proud to lead on this effort.”<\/p>\n

Attorney Erin Glover-Frey told Spectrum News 13: “What this new bill does, it eliminates all of that. It eliminates all the mediation process and creates a special dedicated Community Associations Court. Homeowners would have the ability to get to the decision maker a lot faster. The mediator doesn\u2019t make decisions; they just facilitate an agreement.”<\/p>\n

Senada Adzem, a top agent with Douglas Elliman in Delray\/Boca Raton, told Realtor.com about the bill and the possibility of terminating HOAs: “It changes how a community functions. Costs do not disappear, they simply shift, and responsibilities become more individual.”<\/p>\n

Adzem added: “While some homeowners value the freedom, others may struggle with uneven standards and shared decision making without a formal structure. Before voting, homeowners should carefully consider how the change could impact their property value, their relationships with neighbors, and how attractive the community will be to future buyers.”<\/p>\n

What Happens Next<\/p>\n

Porras\u2019 bill, if passed, would come into effect as early as July 1, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, at the moment, one of the proposal\u2019s biggest weaknesses is that it has no companion bill in the Florida Senate. Without one, it is unclear how, even if it passes the House, it could pass the full state legislature.<\/p>\n

The new legislative session starts on January 13.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new bill introduced by a Florida Republican could give homeowners in the state the power to terminate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":100948,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,1042,14912,1644,8188,128,481,52905],"class_list":["post-100947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-hoa","tag-homeowners-association","tag-housing","tag-juan-porras","tag-legislation","tag-property","tag-property-value"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}