HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Homeowners associations—everyone's got their opinion.
“I think an HOA is really important because they keep up the community,” said Anita Long.
Watch Full report from Mary O'Connell
“HOAs are a mixed bag,” said Ryan Munson.
Love them or hate them, millions of Floridians are tied to one in every corner of the Sunshine State.
"It might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary,” said Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami). “Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole."
A Florida lawmaker floating that idea led to hundreds of viewers commenting on Tampa Bay 28’s social media in a heated debate over whether to ban HOAs.
That's where Tampa Bay 28 reporter Mary O’Connell found Anita Long, who wrote to us: "I appreciate our HOA."
"Could you imagine your neighborhood not having an HOA?” O’Connell asked.
“Oh, I can't no, because it's so important for the vibrancy of the community,” said Long.
Long has lived in an HOA community in Temple Terrace for the last 36 years.
She shared the work they do and how they've stepped in when there's been problems.
"It's really important to get a board that is responsive to your needs and who will help you keep it up,” said Long. “This community is a nice community. I love living here."
"A board at an HOA can take your home in three months,” said Munson. “It'll take a bank six months to do it. They can do it in three."
Over in Carrollwood, Tampa Bay 28 spoke with Munson, who also lives in an HOA community.
We featured him in our I-Team’s previous story involving HOAs, so we wanted to get his thoughts on a possible ban.
“Maybe a reboot of how they're run may not be a bad idea,” said Munson. “Completely getting rid of them, I think it'll then turn it all over to the county. The county won't be able to handle it. It's going to be too much."
At the end of the day, Munson thinks HOAs in Florida need some reform.
"Make sure that you're happy with them,” said Munson. “You gotta go to the meetings. You can't just let them do whatever they want to do. They're very powerful. People don't realize how powerful the boards are at the HOA."
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
