RIVERVIEW, Fla. — Last week, I-Team Investigator Adam Walser reported how a Riverview homeowner ended up in jail and her neighbor faced foreclosure over what started out as HOA violations.
WATCH: 'I would rather live under a bridge than under an HOA': viewers sound off
Since then, the stories have garnered considerable attention nationwide.
Since the first story was published last Monday, it has garnered over 1.1 million views on YouTube and received more than 14,500 comments.
A second story that ran on Friday has 566,500 views and 5,700 comments.
People are also expressing their opinions on social media.
One post on the ABC Action News Facebook page has more than 6,000 comments.
Most people who commented said they don’t want to live in an HOA, but if you live in Florida, often there are few other choices but to live in HOA neighborhoods.
Jail time for what started as violations over brown grass
Riverview homeowner Irena Green first received notices and then was served with a lawsuit over brown grass and other minor violations.
When she attended a court hearing last July, the judge issued an ultimatum.
“My grass had to be brung up to par. He said you can get seed, you can do something, but you’ve got 30 days to get it corrected. So I said fine. He said if it’s not done in 30 days, you’re gonna go to jail,” Green said.
Green said she tried to correct her violations but missed her court date.
A judge signed a warrant, and she was arrested and held without bond for seven days.
“I work hard to buy this home for me and my kids in a better neighborhood and environment, and to be taken to jail and to be treated like that for brown grass at my own home... that’s horrible,” Green said.
Paint job leads to HOA lien
Shonia Cruz Munoz, who lives in the same neighborhood, says she was served with a notice about her home’s paint job.
She says she has painted her home three times since 2015.
“Nobody paints their house that many times,” she said.
Her HOA sued her, and a lien was placed against her home for legal fees owed to the HOA’s law firm.
“Every time they go down to do something, they just add another fee on it because as of December, it was $4,100. By the time we were done, it was at $5,100,” Shonia said.
Viewers comment on social media
We received dozens of emails about HOAs and thousands of viewers commented on Facebook or YouTube, where the stories have received nearly two million combined views in the past week.
“That’s why I would never live in a neighborhood that has an HOA because of these types of issues and problems that may arise,” one viewer commented.
“I’d rather live under a bridge than under an HOA," said another.
And a third viewer wrote, “Note to self... never consider buying a home that’s run by an HOA.”
But that’s easier said than done here in Florida.
An estimated 9.5 million Floridians, or approximately 45% of the state's residents, live in HOA communities.
“They agree to abide by all the rules”
The Creek View neighborhood, where Irena and Shonia own homes, has 67 pages of covenants, conditions & restrictions.
Stetson Law Professor Paul Boudreaux says that when homeowners and renters move in, they essentially sign a contract agreeing to comply with all the rules.
“When they choose to live in an HOA, they agree to abide by all the rules of the community including what their lawn looks like, where they can park their cars, what color their houses can be. And the HOAs have the right to enforce this,” Boudreaux said.
“I think they have way too much power,” Green said.
“Some associations are sticklers for enforcing the rules. They don’t really provide a lot of leeway for their residents,” said Palm Beach attorney David Lehr, who represents homeowners in lawsuits involving their HOAs.
He says Florida statutes gives HOAs the power to enforce their regulations through notices, fines and even court.
Lehr says that if you receive a notice from your HOA, you should take it seriously.
“You cannot ignore it. That would not be a recommendation. To the extent that they’re able to, I’d advise my client to try to comply to the extent possible,” Lehr said.
Lehr says people should ask questions before moving into a neighborhood about the HOA's expectations.
And if you and other neighbors disagree with your HOA’s board members’ decisions, you can vote them out of office.
'I don’t like gotchas!' Florida drivers confused by school speed zone camera law, but they aren't alone
As more Florida cities and counties add cameras to catch drivers speeding through school speed zones, confusion is also rolling in from drivers who say school zone signs aren’t clear.
