Florida Homeowners Association Terror

Assuming you check your email constantly year round, and assuming that you think your HOA is going to contact you with something important by email, and assuming that if your HOA did also contact you via snail mail, that they would actually send that mail to the house you live in in the neighborhood since they definitely know you live there because you have been involved with them through the courts and their attorney and they placed a lien on your house and were foreclosing on it, this is what a violation email looks like:

8/12/2025 at 1:43 PM

Notice of Violation

Dear Resident,

Please note that your association management has identified a violation in relation to your unit. You will find more details below. Please review and take appropriate action as soon as possible.

VIOLATION DETAILS

Violation Type Deed Restriction Violation – Exterior Property Alterations, Signs and Hurricane Shutters

Violation No. 08122025000613

Raised By Management

Date Raised 08/12/2025 02:43 pm

COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT

According to the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for the Vista Palms Home Owner’s Association, you are in violation of Section 19.8.1 – Each applicant shall submit an application to the ACC with respect to any proposed improvement or material change in an improvement of any part of the exterior portion of the home. Community Standards 2.0 Alterations – Any exterior property alterations (to the home or the lot) requires the completion of an “Application to Architectural Control Committee” form that must be approved by the ACC.  Community Standards 3.47 Signs and Flags No sign, flag, banner, advertisement, notice or other lettering shall be exhibited, displayed, inscribed, painted o r affixed in, or upon any part of Vista Palms, including without limitation, any Home or Lot, that is visiable from the outside; provided, however, any Owner may display in a respectful manner one (1) one portable, removable official flag of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or a POW-MIA flag. Any such permitted flags may not exceed four and one-half feet (4') by six feet (6'). Section 12.18 Hurricane Shutters, Any hurricane shutters or other protective devices visible from the outside of a Home shall be of a type as approved in writing by the ACC and shall match the color or trim of the Home and be of a neutral color. Panel, accordion and roll-up style hurricane shutters may not be left closed during hurricane season (or at any other time). And such approved hurricane shutters may be installed or closed up to forty-eight (48) hours prior to the expected arrival of a hurricane and must be removed or opened within seventy-two (72) hours after the end of a hurricane watch or warning or as the Board may determine otherwise. 

The deadline for continued compliance is Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Please be advised that if the above mentioned violation is not complied with, fines could be assessed.

You will not receive any further notice regarding this issue.

If not in continuous compliance, the issue will be referred to an independent committee of home owners in Vista Palms HOA for consideration of a fine to be imposed in the amount of $100.00 plus daily fines for each day of non-compliance with the fine not to exceed $1000.00, for each violation mentioned above. You should note that each recurrence of this violation of each day during which it continues will be deemed to be a separate offense subject to a separate fine. Fines imposed are considered to be assessments. You are entitled to a hearing on this matter:   The Fining Review Committee will meet on Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 6:15 P.M. in the 5019 Grist Mill Ct. Wimauma, FL 33598 should you want to appear before the committee. You are invited to attend the meeting and present evidence why fines should not be imposed. In the event that you do not bring the violation into compliance by the deadline or you do not show up to the committee meeting, fines may be assessed

VIOLATION DETAILS

Your property is in violation of the above-referenced provision of the Declaration or Guideline because: 

      1. Unapproved Roof Tarp

To cure the violation, please take the following action:         1. Unapproved Roof Tarp Must be Removed

Roger L Kessler LCAM Property Manager E: Rkessler@UniquePropertyServices.com P: 813-879-1139 ext 106 P: 813-879-1039

As you can surmise from my intro, I did not receive this in a timely nor appropriate manner. Hell, the HOA could have physically placed this at my doorstep if they actually wanted a good outcome for me as the homeowner.

My immediate thought was that somehow, my local roofer had put the wrong type of tarp on my house (I specify local roofer because I specifically sought a company that was in my area because there were a lot of fly-by-night companies patrolling the neighborhoods looking for post hurricane business and doing terrible jobs). So, I thought I could simply call the roofer and ask why they would do something like that. It wasn’t until I replied to the “HOA” that I learned that any roof tarp was a modification. Who woulda thunk?