TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) - Love them or hate them, homeowners’ associations (HOAs) have a big say in how Floridians live. Nearly half of all homes in the state fall under an HOA, more than anywhere else in the country.

Now, one lawmaker says it may be time to get rid of them altogether.

Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, (R) Miami, is considering a bill that would eliminate HOAs across Florida.

“I think homeowner associations are a failed experiment,” Rep. Porras said. “It’s just empowering a group of neighbors to have some sort of control over everyone else.”

Porras has worked on HOA reform before, but said the bigger question now is whether HOAs should even exist.

“If we want to talk seriously about regulation, we first need to ask, are they even necessary?” he said.

Roughly 45% of Florida homes are in HOA neighborhoods, according to state data. That means a ban could have sweeping effects for millions of homeowners.

Dawn Bauman, CEO of the Community Associations Institute, said most people living in HOAs are satisfied with them.

“There are so many people in Florida living in community associations that are very happy, that have invested their lifetime savings in their home, in their community,” Bauman said.

HOAs don’t have a state agency overseeing them, but they are subject to several laws. Association fees typically pay for services like landscaping, street lighting, and amenities such as pools and clubhouses.

Bauman warns that eliminating HOAs raises a big question: Who would handle all of that?

“Would that fall to the state? Would it just fall to nobody?” she said.

Bauman said she supports updates to Florida law but not a full ban.

“I would love to see the legislature continue to pursue responsible legislation that helps boards and managers govern communities the right way,” she said.

Porras, meanwhile, argues HOAs run counter to Florida’s “free state” identity.

“We don’t want authoritarian forms of government to come in and tell us how to live our days,” he said. “I frankly don’t mind if somebody wants to paint their house purple.”

Porras has not yet filed a bill or given a timeline. Lawmakers return to Tallahassee for the 2026 session on January 13.

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