Florida Homeowners Association Terror

In my neighborhood in 2020, we started paying for security in our HOA fees because of car break ins. People assumed that those other people were coming in and trying to steal what we hard-working Americans had purchased. Oh the irony because although we may not live in the ghetto, apparently my neighborhood is ghetto—and this includes the Homeowners Association. What an interesting twist.

Ghetto is a term I am hesitant to use because people associate it with Black people. And, of course, Black = bad. However, I do not live in a “Black neighborhood.” This is the best term I can come up with at the moment because trash just doesn’t hit the same. People are out here thinking that moving out of the city and into pseudo suburban HOA communities—which are statistically most likely to be populated by whites and Asians—is an upgrade. Yeah, an upgrade in fees and violations of privacy!

The HOA sent this email this month (all emphasis theirs):

Dear Forest Brook Neighbors,

We hope you are having a wonderful week. We are writing to follow up on our recent communications and to cordially invite you to our next Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 7:00 PM at the Forest Brook Clubhouse.

Navigating Our Growth Together As our community evolves, we know there have been questions regarding how we handle proxies and meet quorum requirements. We hear your concerns and want to ensure our processes are transparent, fair, and legally sound. To provide clarity, we requested a formal opinion from the Association’s attorney regarding the specific timeframes for collecting proxies and determining when a meeting can officially proceed. The attorney’s memorandum is attached to this email. We encourage you to review it so we can have a productive, informed conversation during the meeting. To further support our community, the Association’s attorney will be present at the meeting to answer your questions and provide direct legal clarifications.

What to Expect: Meeting Guidelines Our goal is to create a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing their perspective. To ensure the evening is organized and respectful of everyone’s time, we will be following these simple steps:

• Check-In: Please sign in with the security officer upon arrival so we can accurately track attendance.
• During the Session: To keep the focus on the discussion, we ask that everyone remains seated. Please refrain from approaching the Board table or walking through the room while the meeting is in progress.
• Your Voice Matters: When the floor opens for member comments, please raise your hand. We will call on neighbors one by one to ensure that every person who wants to speak has the opportunity to be heard without interruption.

A Note on Community Spirit We genuinely value your involvement. Your questions and feedback are what help us serve Vista Palms effectively. We simply ask that all dialogue remain courteous and neighborly. While we have security on hand to ensure a safe environment, our true hope is that the evening is defined by the patience and civility that makes our neighborhood a great place to call home.

Questions before the meeting? If you have immediate thoughts or questions you’d like us to consider beforehand, please reach out via the community website or contact property management directly.

We look forward to a great turnout and a collaborative evening!

Warmly, The Vista Palms Board of Directors

 Memorandumremeetingprocedures1.pdf

Community Website: www.mygreencondo.net/vistapalms

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

So now, in addition to our other wonderful community amenities, we get to be ID’d and policed in our own meetings. Welcome to 2026—a continuation and escalation of 2025!