After hours of testimony, committee advances broad HOA reform bill that would create specialty community association courts

Representative Porras introduced House Bill 657 as an effort to address long‑standing homeowner concerns about lack of oversight, transparency and accountability in homeowners associations (HOAs) and condominium communities. She said the measure would establish a specialty "Community Association Court" funded through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) general revenue allocation diverted to the program and would eliminate the presuit mediation requirement that many homeowners cannot afford. "This bill directly addresses the lack of oversight, the lack of transparency and accountability in those that live in homeowner associations," she said.

Sponsor priorities and key provisions cited in committee:

- Create a voluntary, circuit‑level specialty Community Association Court to adjudicate HOA and condominium disputes; funding would come from an existing DBPR general‑revenue appropriation for code compliance and enforcement and would be diverted to judicial circuits that opt in.

- Eliminate presuit mediation as a mandatory gatekeeper that can impose large out‑of‑pocket costs on homeowners and instead provide a judicial path for remedies.

- Provide a dissolution pathway for homeowners to petition to dissolve an HOA, including a 20% petition threshold to trigger an election; if the election passes with more than 60% approval the dissolution plan must be approved by a judge in the specialty court. The bill sets an 18‑month waiting period before a failed petition can be refiled.

- Require that HOA governing documents include "Kaufman language" making clear bylaws are amenable to state law.

Committee members questioned operational details: Ranking Member Cross, Representative Cassell and others pressed the sponsor on DBPR’s role, whether the court would add staff or create an ombudsman, how complex or high‑dollar claims would be managed, and the risk that a 20% petition threshold could be used opportunistically. Representative Porras repeatedly said the specialty court is voluntary for judicial circuits and that funding would be diverted from DBPR's existing budget to the court program; she said criminal cases remain outside the specialty court's scope and that complex civil litigation could still follow traditional circuit channels if appropriate.

Public testimony was extensive and largely in support. Homeowners and advocates described alleged abuses, selective enforcement, predatory fines and foreclosures initiated by some HOA boards. Jenny Donovan, a homeowner from St. Johns County, said years of harassment in a 24‑home community left residents feeling trapped. Hope Bush, a former board member of Holly by the Sea, described arbitration with DBPR as "laborious" and recounted cases of alleged financial misconduct and foreclosure. Paul Miller (HOA Reform League Incorporated) and multiple other homeowners testified that they faced high costs in mediation and litigation and have few effective remedies under current law. Jonathan Gonzales and a few others opposed the bill, arguing it could be exploited by institutional investors and would impose new legal costs.

Committee action: The chair and sponsor processed seven amendments in committee (barcodes 614975; 4705049; 885573; 333675; 913569; 662115; 661803) that the sponsor described as clarifications, conflict‑of‑interest tightening, dissolution documentation, and renaming the receiver role to "termination trustee" among other technical fixes. Several amendments address governance documents, dissolution recording, conflict‑of‑interest presumptions, and administrative cleanups. Most amendments were adopted without recorded public opposition.

After extended debate and the public record, Representative Porras waived closing; a roll call recorded 'yes' votes from present members and the committee reported HB 657 favorably. Multiple committee members said they would continue to seek improvements and clarifications as the bill advances to further stops.

The transcript records frequent, detailed personal testimony about alleged HOA mismanagement, selective enforcement, and foreclosures; the sponsor and committee repeatedly framed the measure as a step to provide homeowners an enforceable, accessible remedy where existing administrative pathways (DBPR mediation/arb) have not provided relief.