ODESSA, Fla. — A Tampa Bay couple is organizing a march on the state capitol to protest Florida’s homeowners’ associations.
Paul and Brandy Miller became so fed up with their HOA they filed a lawsuit, started HOA reform Facebook groups, and are reaching out to elected leaders.
“We need to band together, you know, we can defeat this, we can make this right if we band together,” Paul Miller said.
The Millers contacted the I-Team after seeing our extensive reporting on problems with Florida's HOAs.
Outsiders looking in
“There's always this looming dark cloud when I come home in the evening and I turn and I go through that gate,” Paul said.
Paul and Brandy say the dark cloud comes from their HOA.
“I've been on the verge of tears a lot,” Brandy said. “I wish I could take this home and pick it up and move it somewhere else.”
The Millers say the problem comes from inside their gated neighborhood.
“We're on high alert,” Paul said.
“We feel like the outsiders looking in,” echoed Brandy.
The Odessa neighborhood’s HOA is composed of three board members.
State records show three of the Millers’ neighbors have served on the board for 20, 25 and 27 years each, with only two other residents serving as board members since 1999.
Paul says the HOA doesn’t hold annual board elections, as required under Florida’s HOA statute.
When the Millers bought their home, they say they asked a director if they could put up a fence.
“He said, you know, fences aren't allowed, as he stood in front of the neighbor's fence across the road from us,” Paul said.
Paul says the director also told him sheds weren’t allowed, then said a new shed arrived down the street.
And Paul says the same director told another neighbor to get rid of his new landscaping.
“We've had a lot of selective enforcement,” Paul said.
The Millers say when they raised concerns to neighbors, their yard and boat were vandalized.
As a result, they spent thousands on security cameras.
“We have six cameras on our house, and we have four or five cameras out in our yard,” Paul said.
Paul filed a lawsuit in Pasco County Circuit Court against his HOA, Keystone Park Colony Homeowners Association, alleging the board was “enforcing rules that do not exist” and targeted him with “unauthorized restrictions, while allowing others in the community to operate freely.”
A hearing is scheduled for next month.
We contacted the association's president and attorney but did not hear back.
I-Team exposes issues with HOAs
The Millers contacted us due to our reporting on HOA issues in recent years.
We’ve previously reported how homeowners in a Wesley Chapel neighborhood say their vehicles were towed from their own driveways in the middle of the night for having expired tags.
“It’s an abuse of power for sure,” said Brennan Wells.
A Carrollwood HOA Community received six-figure legal bills over HOA elections.
“You add hour upon hour upon hour upon hour, it becomes a sticking point real quickly,” resident John Altman said.
Our investigation into the arrest of a Riverview mom garnered national attention.
She spent seven days in jail after her HOA sued her over brown grass, and she missed a court hearing.
“There was no bond. So, I couldn’t even go home to my family. I sat in there for seven days. Seven days in the jailhouse. Like a criminal,” Irena Green said.
The Millers say they spent seven years fighting their HOA.
“I never dreamed there would be this issue,” Brandy said.
“We got to the point where we said we're gonna sell,” Paul said.
Even that came with difficulties.
Paul said when their Realtor put up a “for sale” sign, she was contacted by a board member.
“Within an hour, she got a call from a director telling her she had 24 hours to take the sign down,” Paul said.
We uncovered their community’s HOA bylaws specifically allow “for sale” signs.
After several months, their Realtor gave up, writing in a letter to the Millers, “at least five serious buyers walked away” due to issues with the HOA.
Millers become activists
Paul took a class and became a licensed community association manager, learning Florida’s HOA law inside out.
He filed that lawsuit in June and started two Facebook groups, called HOA Reform League and HOA Reform League Florida, where thousands of people sound off about HOA issues.
“We want everyone to know that there's help available and that you don't have to deal with that. You're not alone,” Paul said.
“We really want everyone to band together and for it to be a positive change for not only Florida but hopefully nationwide,” Brandy said.
The Millers are calling their followers to action, planning a march on the state capitol on November 15, complete with food trucks and entertainment.
They are hoping to unite some of the estimated 9.5 million Floridians who live in HOA communities.
“And once people start seeing there are a lot of people dealing with this stuff, I think we're gonna have a louder voice,” Paul said.
Florida Representative Juan Carlos Porras recently said he was considering sponsoring legislation calling for the abolishment of HOAs.
“I love the fact that he's doing it because I think it brings a lot of attention to the problem. I wrote him a letter. I told him I said, I'm behind you all the way,” Paul said.
The Millers say they’re pushing for major changes and less power for HOAs, which would help them and other Floridians feel more at home.
“How nice it would be just to be able to make this stroll, to make, you know, to do a walk like this for me and my wife every now and then,” Paul said, as he and Brandy walked through their neighborhood.
He says they currently don’t walk in the neighborhood at all, out of fear of running into HOA directors.
Share Your Story with Adam
Adam Walser has spent more than a decade fighting for what’s right in Tampa Bay as part of the I-Team. He’s helped expose flaws in Florida’s eldercare system and held leaders accountable for how they use your tax dollars. Reach out to Adam with any issue you think he needs to investigate.
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