I have been slowly acclimating myself to the idea of leaving Florida. What once existed either is no longer here and/or what I once considered valuable is no longer so. What ruined it for me? My Homeowners Association—The Vista Palms Community Association located in Wimauma, Florida which borders the senior citizen area of Sun City Center, all located in Hillsborough County outside of the greater city of Tampa.

The stress of living within a terrorizing HOA community is so great that it is difficult for me to write about it continuously. This is why there are large gaps in the dates of these posts. I feel like I am on edge awaiting the HOA to find something else to send over to their attorneys in the scam that they are running. And I feel like this because my situation is ongoing. It isn’t over. It might be time to walk away and let whoever is trying to get this house win. I’m tired and in search of greener pastures.

Living in the Tampa Bay area is no longer affordable on a single income under $100k. Twenty years ago during my first round in the city, I lived in a just under 1200 square feet 2/2 apartment for about $800. I remember finally making a little over $30k back then. And although gas prices had gotten high and restricted some of my movement, I loved going to the beach weekly to de-stress. I loved visiting family and friends in- and out-of-state. I had gotten off of all forms of welfare and was so proud of myself for graduating from college and continuing to move forward.

Fast forward to the present. That apartment in Tampa is now around $1800 and surely it is no better than it was back then. And although with more education and experience in my field I was able to more than double my income in those 20 years, I was never stable. Actually, my life has never been stable. I have had periods of stability. But moving out to the fake suburbs (the former “country” areas of Hillsborough County) and owning a home in an HOA community seems to have made my life worse than if I had continued apartment life in the city. Owning a home makes me feel…stuck.

Your home only has value if you:

1. believe it does, and

2. you plan on selling it and you actually make a profit from it.

This is why Homeowners Associations have to constantly convince the public that living in an HOA increases home values when there isn’t much evidence that this is true outside of them saying it is so. You cannot even get a new home in the Tampa Bay Area without buying in an HOA-governed community (Check out Youtuber @FLORIDAHOODVLOGS on his channel Southern Life as he tours and describes what is going on in the Tampa Bay Area.)

Maybe it is time to go back to the basics: no HOA, no property managers and no HOA attorneys and fake arbitration; no CDD; no clubhouse ran by the CDD requiring ID; no stucco cracking from poor builder craftsmanship and terrible warranties; no frozen, outdated a/c coils; no new a/c system in a 5 year old house; no new water heater; no exterior yard sinking after a couple of years; no hurricanes and wind damage and water intrusion and mold and roof replacements. No fees, fees, and more fees!

I have previously recounted on this site that I got a consultation from an attorney about my HOA terrorizing me. As a recap, that attorney advised me to move. They said the real fight was to get someone to investigate the racket that is being run by Homeowners Associations in Florida. They aren’t lying.

What is a racket? According Chatgpt:

In the context of crime, a “racket” refers to an illegal scheme or organized activity designed to make money, often through deception, coercion, or exploitation.

🔍 Simple definition

A racket is basically a systematic criminal business—something ongoing, not just a one-time crime.

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💼 Common types of rackets

Here are some well-known examples:

• Protection racket Criminals (often linked to groups like the Mafia) demand money in exchange for “protection” from harm—which they themselves may cause if you refuse.
• Loan sharking Lending money at extremely high interest rates and using threats or violence to collect.
• Gambling racket Running illegal betting operations.
• Drug trafficking racket Organized selling and distribution of illegal drugs.
• Labor racketeering Controlling unions or workplaces through corruption, bribery, or intimidation.

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⚖️ Legal meaning

In U.S. law, rackets are often prosecuted under the RICO Act, which targets organized, ongoing criminal enterprises rather than isolated crimes.

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🧠 Key idea

What makes something a “racket” isn’t just that it’s illegal—it’s that it’s:

• Organized
• Ongoing
• Profit-driven

My HOA went from email communications to referring me to their attorneys. This is an e-mail from October 21st:

Hello, 

Thank you for reaching out. It appears that this account has been turned over to association attorneys for collections due to non-payment and non-compliance with the associations governing documents. Once an account is transferred to the attorney for collection processing, we are no longer able to provide information or communicate on the matter, as it is now being handled directly by their office.

For any inquiries, requests, or additional information, please contact the attorney’s office directly. Their contact information is as follows:

Melissa A. Mankin, Esq.

Mankin Law Group

2535 Landmark Drive, Suite 212

Clearwater, FL 33761

Tel: 727-725-0559

Fax: 727-712-1517

www.mankinlawgroup.com

They will be able to assist you further.

Roger Kessler LCAM, Unique Property Services

 Licensed Community Association Manager

 (813) 413-1404  |   (813) 879-1039

 uniquepropertyservices.com

 rkessler@uniquepropertyservices.com

 PO Box 2878 Riverview, FL 33568

Here is the timeline:

• I received an e-mail notice of violation from the HOA in August.
• I responded in September when I checked that email address. The HOA had already held some meeting at the beginning of that month that I missed where I could have responded as to why I had my roof tarped (If that were to go anything like the ARC that the HOA had me file after the fact, then it would have been pointless).
• I continued to respond in October.
• The HOA sent the violation to their attorneys in October.

So in three months’ time, my HOA proceeded to fine me $1000 and then take legal action to get me to remove the tarp. I am already in the hole for needing to meet the deductible to get my roof replaced. I was already in the hole before that because the HOA put a lien on my house [for previously unpaid dues] and then proceeded to foreclose on it in August (This was stopped through bankruptcy.). I followed their attorney’s instructions (which were the HOA’s instructions) and the HOA denied the ARC. It feels like it never ends.

Organized.

Ongoing.

Profit-driven.

If you want to know more about this specific story, read the following posts on Florida Homeowners Association Terror:

• What It Looks Like When You Get Fined By Your HOA
• Your HOA Gets to Decide What “A Reasonable Timeframe” Is
• What an HOA Architectural Violation Email Looks Like
• How to File an ARC with Your HOA So That They Can Reject It
• Your HOA Can Further Impoverish You with Fees When You Can’t Fix Your Roof
• When Your Homeowners Association Changes the Rules Mid-Game

All the research that I have done on Homeowners Associations state that HOAs tend to change the rules in the middle of the game. HOAs will make up new rules because they run unchecked. Look no further than the current state of affairs in U.S. politics to understand that rules are for poor people who lack power. The HOA is taking your money and they will use your money against you because they have been given the power to do so.

My roof remains tarped. My HOA story doesn’t even begin with my roof being tarped—that is merely the present situation as the HOA continues to fight me for this house. The HOA is desperate for money and/or is running a scheme in cahoots with law firms and the legal system to get homeowners out of their homes by piling on fees which lead to liens and foreclosures. This is where the research needs to be done.

This story is traumatizing as it is happening in real time. That is why it is taking me so long to tell the whole thing. I take breaks from writing and also break the story down into segments for my own sanity. I am not embarrassed by revealing these intimate details about my life. In fact, writing this is therapeutic and is cheaper than going to counseling without (or even with) insurance.

This is from an e-mail from my HOA dated October 5, 2025 (emphasis mine):

Hello,

In order to make any alteration to a home outside of an impending hurricane, the association’s governing documents require that an owner submit an ARC (Architectural Review Committee) application for approval. Since this tarp was installed well after the hurricane, during a period when no hurricane threat existed, it qualifies as an alteration to the exterior of the home and therefore requires ARC approval.

The ARC approval process ensures that the association is aware of any proposed changes, even temporary ones such as a tarp, so the modification can be monitored and properly documented. During an active hurricane threat, the State temporarily suspends certain requirements; however, when there is no impending storm, all association rules apply. In this case, no ARC application was received.

A violation letter was mailed, providing a deadline to bring the issue into compliance. Since no response was received and no one attended the committee meeting, the committee approved a fine for the unapproved tarp, which constitutes an unapproved alteration. Had you reached out or attended the meeting, we would have been able to work with you to resolve the matter.

The fine must be paid by the stated deadline to avoid the issue being forwarded to the association’s attorney for collection. Moving forward, to keep the tarp on the roof, you must submit an ARC application through the MGC portal for approval and provide proof of an active roof repair or replacement claim along with the expected date of completion.

Thanks,

Roger Kessler, LCAM

P.O. Box 2878

Riverview, FL 33568

Direct 813-413-1404

This is how my HOA changed the rules mid-game. When they initially contacted me via an e-mail that I didn’t not see on time and via U. S. mail at an address I do not reside (I live right here in the community), they told me that I had my tarp on since the hurricanes and that was too long. When I refuted that and said I could provide evidence (my tarp was installed in May of the following year), they then changed their position to what you see written above.

The HOA knows I do not have the money. We have already been to court on a separate issue. They placed a lien on my house and then proceeded to foreclose on it that same summer. Then, the roof stuff started that same summer after the foreclosure was halted through bankruptcy. They know exactly what they are doing. The game is rigged in their favor.

If you want to know more about this specific story, read the following posts on Florida Homeowners Association Terror:

• What It Looks Like When You Get Fined By Your HOA
• Your HOA Gets to Decide What “A Reasonable Timeframe” Is
• What an HOA Architectural Violation Email Looks Like
• How to File an ARC with Your HOA So That They Can Reject It
• Your HOA Can Further Impoverish You with Fees When You Can’t Fix Your Roof

My neighborhood is stank. When I say “stank” in this context, I’m not referring to the HOA Board, the HOA Property Manager, or the neighbors. Yes, my HOA-governed neighborhood’s HOA, including the property manager, are stank. And surely some people believe that their neighbors are stank (stank in this context means attitude). But I am talking about odor in the neighborhood. It smells bad, intermittently.

I first noticed this stank smell shortly after I moved into my newly built house in 2016. There was this peculiar odor that was most noticeable in the mornings. I would walk around the entire house like a bloodhound sniffing for its location. The nauseating scent is reminiscent of old weed and eggs. It is strong. I do have a really keen sense of smell. I can smell Vaseline and Bandaids. I have been this sensitive my whole life.

I know people in the neighborhood smoke weed. And yes, they smoke that shit outside on the back porch, in the garage and wherever else. However, that isn’t what is stank in this neighborhood. Also, I know that in Florida, we use reclaimed water to maintain our unnecessarily expensive suburban landscape (you know, so we can say we live in a beautifully aesthetically maintained HOA community). That water is stank of sulfur which is what makes eggs stank to some people. But that isn’t it either.

Further north on 301 in Riverview/Wimauma, I was once buying a house in a lovely developing neighborhood called Ayersworth Glen. I rented there intially to see what the neighborhood was like because my weekly trips visiting the area during the afternoon and then again at night were not sufficient. At that time, I also believed that I would be buying my first house and forever home (as a result of my current experiences, I no longer believe in the concept of a forever home in an HOA neighborhood). Over time, I noticed this horrible smell wafting through the air. I cannot remember the details of the smell 14 years later. I only know it was stank. As it turns out, there is a landfill mountain that peaks right next to the neighborhood. My realtor tried to tell me that the smell was not always present. Fuck that. Thankfully, I was able to cancel my contract on the house.

I have often wondered what this land used to be before it was colonized. My go to is typically a Native American burial ground although white people also love to build on top of Black American cemeteries—especially in Tampa. The only thing I have heard is that it used to be farmland. I watched most of this neighborhood get built and saw how they manipulated the landscape and created this fake suburban hellscape. Are we on top of people’s ancestors?

This morning, like many of these recent cold mornings, I decided to open the windows and let some fresh air in. Big mistake. While the air was cool, it was not refreshing. It was stank. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? I gotta get the fuck outta here—just like my HOA wants.

When your Homeowners Association reigns their terror upon you, maintaining employment may become [more] difficult. Once your HOA chooses you, you become a never ending target for various community violations (the same violations you see throughout the neighborhood so you know you’re not alone in that aspect). Email threats. Attorney threats through the mail. Then, judicial threats. All of these wreak havoc on the stability you once had. And losing your job is the last thing you need when most of your problems are monetary. Poverty is punishing…and so is your HOA.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than one in four adults have disabilities. Many of those adults have invisible disabilities—meaning you cannot plainly see their disabilities like you may be able to see cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, or limb amputations. Getting and maintaining employment with a disability can be complex, and some employers are less than friendly to people with certain disabilities because they do not understand them and their impact on employees. If you have a disability, the Department of Education Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) may be of assistance.

VR helps people with disabilities find compatible jobs and seek accommodations. Many people learn about VR when they have children in special education in public schools. But you don’t have to be a child, have a child, or be or connected to any school. Grown people with grown people problems can get help. Apply today to find out the services they offer. VR has helped me changed my life on two separate occasions. And I am so thankful for them and what they have made possible for me at my lowest points.

See also:

Surviving the Homeowners Association: Food Assistance

Surviving the Homeowners Association: Unemployment Compensation

Previously, I asked if homeowners do research about HOAs before they move into an HOA community. This research is going to be difficult because there is no database for HOA complaints. And there should be at least one, especially for Florida.

Prospective homeowners have to become private investigators to uncover details about the HOAs in the communities in which they anticipate living. You can go to the Reddit r/FuckHOA thread, but posters often conceal details about their neighborhoods, HOAs, and property management companies. Interestingly, many of the stories are about Florida.

As it become increasingly difficult to buy a home without deed restrictions, we need a national database about HOA abuses that is not run by realtors or homeowners association lobbies.

You move into your new house. You buy some new things that better suit your space. This means some of your old stuff must go. Houses in Florida do not seem to have storage areas or enough closets, so it’s time for a garage sale. But wait! You cannot do that.

Per the Community Standards in my lovely neighborhood:

Community Yard Sale Events

No personal events are permitted. The Community may at its discretion hold two (2) or more events each year. Property Management will coordinate these events with volunteers. Signage will be placed on common areas. No signage will be placed on individual property.

This one was a big shocker for me. I grew up in a place where garage/yards sales abound. People come browsing for goods once the days breaks. And, in order to compete, you must go early because all the good stuff is gone by 11 am—and the stuff is good. If your neighbors coordinated, it turned into a big event with smiling faces, chatter, some lemonade, and your neighbors’ trash turning into your treasures.

My HOA neighborhood holds its community yard sale twice a year. In the earlier days, we did not get many visitors because we did not have any signs indicating as such. And according to the standards, homeowners cannot put out any signs. But they did. And they do. It is a Saturday and Sunday affair starting at 8 am—which is weird to me because that start time is late and I didn’t know people did this on Sundays. Also it seems that in Tampa Bay Area garage sales, people sell things that properly belong in last years’ trash bin—or last decades’ trash bin.

Regardless, homeowners apparently have to hold on to their junk until the HOA says so. And yard sale shoppers have to fight the trash collection trucks, the recycling trucks, and deal with no places to park on these narrow ass streets. This is the freedom that you get when you buy in an HOA-governed community. Bah humbug!

I never expected to get a letter about fines in my email. My “HOA e-mail address” is not for official business purposes. It is for miscellaneous bullshit that I don’t care to know about on a regular basis. This is why I don’t frequently check this email address.

My email inbox is flooded with information from both the CDD and the HOA about food trucks, blood drives, gatherings at the clubhouse, the pool is closed, the pool is open, the jacuzzi is out of service, the lawn company is this and that and this and that. The only reason they have my email was because I used it to create an account so that I could pay my monthly fees online. I never asked them to email me a damn thing.

Everything started going down hill when the HOA hired a property management company. And so, I got this in my email at the end of last summer. Of course, I didn’t see it on time (emphasis mine):

Vista Palms Community Association Inc.

C/O Unique Property Services

P.O. Box 2878

Riverview, FL 33563

(813)-879-1139

rkessler@uniquepropertyservices.com

9/7/25

The Fining Review Committee met on September 4 , 2025

The committee found you to be in violation of Section 12.4.3 of the Covenants, Conditions and Restriction of Vista Palms Community Association, Inc. The violation(s) were not corrected by the deadline of September 3, 2025, 2025 mailed to you in correspondence dated December 29, 2024.

The conclusion of the committee is as follows:

A fine of $1000.00 was approved. If payment in full is not received on or before October 4, 2025 the total amount due will be turned over to the association's attorney for collections. Please be advised that unpaid fines can be placed as liens against the property.

Please be advised that any correspondence regarding this issue must be submitted in writing.

A copy of this notice has also been mailed to you.

Thank you,

Roger Kessler, LCAM

So, according to this letter, the year 2025 was mailed to me in a letter dated the previous year. This is why literacy and communication skills are important. But why be literate and make sense when you can just lie? (The lie is that a letter about my roof tarp being in violation was sent in December of 2024, if I am interpreting their garble correctly. My whole roof was not tarped in December. And they sent me nothing. Also, the last hurricane of that terrrible season was in October 2024. Did they want tarps removed two months later?)

The attachment to this email was a .pdf copy that they mailed to an old address of mine. I have no idea how that address got in their system; but I didn’t live at that address. I LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. And they know this because they attempted to foreclose on my house that previous month—August 2025.

Remember that the HOA doesn’t have to issue any fines. They choose to. And they can fine you and tell you your neighbors snitched on you (and they can also lie about it all because how are you going to prove who said what) while someone else with what would be the same violation they let slide. This is the arbitrary and abusive nature of HOAs.

If you want to know what happened before and after this read the following posts on this website:

• Your HOA Gets to Decide What “A Reasonable Timeframe” Is
• What an HOA Architectural Violation Email Looks Like
• How to File an ARC with Your HOA So That They Can Reject It
• Your HOA Can Further Impoverish You with Fees When You Can’t Fix Your Roof

Also, the HOA did send it to their attorneys, Mankin Law.

Once again, we are reviewing HOA Community Standards for my neighborhood in Wimauma, Florida, which is located outside of Tampa in the South Shore area of Hillsborough County. Let’s see what they say about pets (emphasis mine):

No animals of any kind shall be raised, bred or kept within Vista Palms for commercial purposes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, pets may be kept or harbored in a home only so long as such pet or animals do not constitute a nuisance. A determination by the Board that an animal or pet kept or harbored in a home is a nuisance shall be conclusive and binding on all parties. All pets shall be walked on a leash. No pet shall be permitted outside a home unless such pet is kept on a leash or within an enclosed portion of the yard of a Lot or dog park. No pet or animal shall be “tied out” on the exterior of the home or in the common areas, or left unattended in a yard or on a balcony, porch or patio. No dog runs, dog pens or dog houses are permitted on any Lot. When notice of removal of any pet is given by the Board, the pet shall be removed within forty-eight (48) hours of giving of the notice. All Pets shall defecate only in the “pet walking” areas within Vista Palms designated for such purpose, if any, or on the Owner’s Lot. The person walking the pet or the Owner shall clean up all matter created by the pet during the walk. Each owner shall be responsible for the activities of their pet. Pets are not permitted in any water body in Vista Palms. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, service dogs shall not be governed by the restriction contained in this Sections. The Association intends to enforce all pet related violations but will not be held liable for owners that choose to ignore attempts to get into compliance.

This is a big joke. First of all, if there is one thing you realize about living in the great “suburbs,” it’s that people have their pets, they walk them, they shit wherever, and most pet owners do not clean it up. Our neighborhood is “nice enough” to have [broken] pet waste disposal bins and poops bags [mostly not] available to assist pet owner in their quests. But ain’t nobody doin’ all that. In fact, many of the things mentioned in this Standard have been ignored for as long as I have been living here.

Please watch this YouTube Video from Jared Jones if you are considering purchasing an HOA-governed house in Florida:

HOAs Are RIPPING YOU OFF! – Florida Sellers Forced Out

Here are some notable quotes from the video:

“84% of all the new construction…are built under a homeowners association”

“Florida has nearly one half of all communities under the management of an HOA”

“HOAs can wield tremendous power. If they don’t like what you do, they can actually create and then enact a rule that impacts your life.”

“Some people can just be really mean and ruthless to their neighbors. And some folks just get off on the idea of running an HOA as if they were like the dictator of their own minitown.”

“…being in the HOA business has now become a massive cooperate profit center.”

“The more money they collect…the more ability they have to manage you.”

Florida is not a mecca for freedom when your home is not your castle. It is all just an illusion.