Article Courtesy of US Today

By C.A.Bridges

Published January 29, 2026

More than three out of every four Florida voters in a recent poll like the idea of changing HOA rules to give homeowners the power to dissolve them and letting HOA disputes go directly to a new state-funded court system rather than mandatory mediation.

In a poll released Jan. 22 by the Civic Data & Research Institute, 1,001 Floridians were asked about different bills in the Florida Legislature. One of them, HB 657, puts more power in the hands of the estimated 8 million Florida homeowners in homeowners' associations.

The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the poll, with 82% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats in favor and just 18% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats against. NOPA and other voters also supported the bill 77% to 23%.

Overall, 78% of the respondents support the change, compared with 21% against, Civic Research said.

The bill, which has no Senate companion bill, passed its first committee hearing Wednesday with unanimous approval from the Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee.

Civic Research polled 1,001 likely voters between Jan. 19-22. The survey had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, at a 95% confidence level.
 

What is HB 657, the Homeowners' Association Dissolution and Accountability Act?

Under HB 657, filed in December by state Rep. Juan Porras, R-Miami, homeowners whose needs were no longer being served by their HOAs could dissolve them if just 20% of their fellow voting members sign a petition to do so and at least two-thirds of the HOA voters approve it. Assets would be sold to settle HOA debts with the rest distributed to the homeowners.

This could be a huge deal for Florida, which has the second-highest number of HOAs in the country behind California. There were more than 50,000 HOAs in the Sunshine State as of 2024, according to the Foundation for Community Association Research. Porras said more than 60% of Florida's homes are in HOAs, or more than 8 million homeowners, Florida Politics reported.

Porras has previously called HOAs in Florida a "failed experiment" and called for abolishing them completely. He also pointed out, in a recent interview with USA TODAY Network-Florida, that rising HOA fees and assessments are "a key part of the affordability crisis in Florida.

The bill would also, if passed, eliminate the currently mandatory pre-suit mediation for condominium and homeowners’ association disputes and move them instead to DBPR arbitration, court or optional mediation. Judicial circuits would be allowed to create community association court programs funded by the state to handle these disputes.

"We have frustrated homeowners from North Florida to the Keys," he said. "Our state agencies, especially DBPR (the Department of Business and Professional Regulation) have not done a good job of resolving condominium and homeowner disputes."

HB 657 also requires new HOAs after July 1 to add language to their governing documents to link them to the Florida Condominium Act, which would require HOAs to automatically update their organization bylaws to conform to changes in state law. Existing HOAs would have until Jan. 1, 2027, to vote whether to amend their documents the same way.

“For too long homeowner associations and their own attorneys have argued that their own bylaws supersede state law. I think that’s disrespectful to the process and to our voters," Porras said.

The bill continues a recent trend of the state taking action against HOAs. In 2024, the state passed a sweeping bill that took aim at reports of petty or arbitrary fines that kept increasing, homeowner harassment, overly restrictive rules regarding the appearance of homes, lawns and parking, and the lack of management availability and transparency.

Other Florida HOA bills on the table

Lawmakers will be discussing several other bills that affect HOAs this year, including:

• SB 906: Creates the Office of the Homeowners’ Association Ombudsman to act as a liaison between the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes, parcel owners, boards of directors, board members, community owners, boards of directors, board members, community association managers, and other affected parties to help set policies, make recommendations to state officials, monitor elections, and "act as a neutral resource for the rights and responsibilities of parcel owners, associations, and board members"

• SB 908: Requires each HOA operating more than two parcels to pay the state $4 annually for each residential parcel, with money going to the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes Trust Fund
  SB 924: Prohibits HOAs from requiring that a specific type of material be used on the building or rebuilding of a roof, as long as it meets code and is "substantially identical in shape and color" to HOA roofing requirements

• HB 1541/SB 1744: Adds "audio conferencing" to the list of records HOAs must maintain and make public

What are HOAs?

A homeowner's association or HOA is an organization in a planned community or neighborhood subdivision that creates and enforces rules for the properties, residents and guests. It charges fees to be used for the maintenance of the community and may levy fines against residents who violate the rules.

HOA rules are often in place to maintain conformity among the permitted architecture, color schemes, landscaping and decorations. HOAs also enforce parking restrictions, noise complaint policies, home occupancy limits, vacation rentals and more.

Anyone buying property within the jurisdiction of an HOA automatically becomes a member of the HOA and subject to its restrictions and covenants.

When would the Homeowners' Association Dissolution and Accountability Act take effect?

If passed and signed into law, HB 657 would take effect on July 1, 2026.