At some point in 2023, Vista Palms HOA went from HOA Board-occupied-by-residents-in-control to property management-controlled. Seemingly, after our original HOA president moved, everything went to hell. I don’t know why we hired a property management group, namely Unique Property Services, Inc. But I do know that property management groups allow HOA Board members to act like they are not responsible for the bad things that happen as a result of “the property manager’s decisions”.

When the Unique Property Services, Inc.—aka the property manager—took over this community, he booted out all of the homeowners previous automatic payment arrangements. In my case, I had had ACH set up for at least 6 years so that my monthly assessments went from my bank straight to the HOA. This was the best thing for me. Prior to that, I used to use payment coupons that we got in the mail to mail in the dues. That was very archaic.

How were homeowners originally notified of this new situation? I don’t know…A Board meeting? The Facebook page (which was also full of various neighborhood rumors and accusations)? I didn’t attend meetings and I didn’t do social media. What I do know is that I was never mailed anything and no one ever directly informed me. I live in this neighborhood 365 days a year. I discovered it by happenstance one day when I checked my miscellaneous email address searching for some old TECO account information. This was more than six months later. Eight-hundred and sixty-seven dollars later, to be exact.

Let me say it again: Once you become a target, you will always be a target. There is no clean slate. Even if you win a lawsuit against someone in which it is decided by the court that the opposing party is in the wrong, nothing will ever be the same. It is like being in a relationship where your partner engages in sexual infidelity: No matter how much you forgive and no matter if the cheater says they are going to turn their life around, you, the aggrieved party, will never forget. This inability to forget will guide your future actions. As more time passes, the more invested you become and the harder it is to break it off. The more self-talk you must engage in. The more rationalizing you will do. And the cheater knows this and it will surely guide their future actions, but not in your favor.

I totally understand why one of the first attorneys I consulted told me to just walk away from all of this Homeowners Association stuff. I thought I could persist. But I am tired of this part of the journey and am ready for change. Attempting to “win” costs money because justice is not free. And that money could be better spent elsewhere.

Since I am having trouble detailing my present situation with my Homeowners Association of Vista Palms in Wimauma, Florida (including the property management company: Unique Properties Services, Inc.), I am going to take this story back to the beginning in subsequent posts. Just know that, right now, the HOA is still aggressively pursing me on multiple fronts.

When you have no money, sometimes it just means you have some money but it is not enough. My Homeowners Association is still relentlessly pursuing me while I am trying to survive. The HOA terror has me in a constant state of stress. Stress activates my illness. And that illness landed me in the hospital at 3 am on a Saturday because I wasn’t sure if I was going to die or if I was just going to go ahead and walk in front of the next car in the dark on highway 301*.

After several rounds of OTC medicine in the late afternoon, evening, and night, I awoke in excruciating pain. I booked the first available appointment at TGH Urgent Care, but it wasn’t until 08:30. I knew that would be my cheapest option. But I didn’t make it to TGH because waiting five more hours was a near guarantee that highway 301 would be the better option. So, I went to South Bay Hospital in hot tears. I hate hospitals. But more than that, I hate ER bills.

It took less than 10 minutes for me to get into a room. I was in so much pain I forgot how cold it was in hospitals, so I thought my shivering was the beginning of convulsions. And then the hospital forgot about me for almost an hour while I sat erect and motionless wondering if my ancestors were taking me to the promised land. The nurse apologized…said someone was coming in via ambulance. But that person still wasn’t there. And there was all of maybe 2 patients in the ER.

You know who I did see? That lady who comes to collect insurance info and payment. I had neither. I continued to sit there…like a mannequin waiting to come alive. They finally gave me meds, two warmed blankets the thickness of a cotton round, and eventually sent me on my way before dawn. Good, because I was dying to get into my own warm bed.

Two hours later, I was questioning my life. The pain did not subside. I knew something was wrong in the hospital because I still felt a distant-like pain. When this scenario would happen in the past, I would be pain-free but not un-sick. The pain increased in intensity. I called TGH and asked if I could still come in. I appeared, crying hotter tears. They asked for payment upfront: $250. Ouch! I paid it, but I didn’t “have it” because it was for something else…anything else…like food and shit.

I could barely talk to the doctor through my streams of tears and inability to look at him continuously. He asked if my symptoms were typical. Yes. And I had been to TGH in the past so it wasn’t extraordinary. He asked what South Bay gave me and I could recite 3 out of 5. I got more drugs. They sent me on my way on a promise that I would go directly home. There was nothing else I wanted more to do.

By Sunday, I was better, but sensitive. By Monday I felt brand new. It goes like this every time. I got a text from South Bay saying if I paid immediately, the cost for the ER visit would only be $130. I almost had a heart attack. One-hundred and thirty dollars? Surely they meant $1300. But I didn’t have $130 to pay immediately…because I gave TGH $250, remember? Then, I got a text from TGH. It said I owed $238. Surely that wasn’t correct. I already paid them. The charge went through, I swear.

Whatever the cost, I don’t have the money. But you know what costs more than both of my visits combined? My medication. That’s $5k for 15 pills. With the discount card, it comes to $3500.

*(Someone did do that—one woman and one man—in front of my neighborhood. One of them was killed, or so I was told.)

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!