Lawmaker sparks fresh call to abolish HOAs after dispute in Florida turns deadly. Is it finally time to end this ‘failed experiment’?

Police Chief Leo Niemczyk called it the breaking point of a long and bitter HOA feud. Records show the association had been trying to evict Maraio, though Niemczyk added the conflict grew out of clashing political views.

Events this extreme remain rare, but experts warn disputes within HOA communities are becoming more frequent and volatile. And it’s prompting lawmakers to take action.

Rising tensions in HOA communities

Eric Perez, an HOA attorney with Perez Mayoral Law in Coral Gables, confirmed with WPTV West Palm Beach that he’s seeing an increase in these conflicts.

"Unfortunately, it happens a lot more often than one would think," he said.

Now, state lawmakers are weighing proposals that would give communities the power to dissolve their homeowners associations altogether, which raises another question: has the HOA experiment finally run its course?

"You know, temperatures are sometimes at an all-time high when there's an ongoing dispute and people may unfortunately take to physical violence," Perez said.

Part of the tension comes from the structure of HOAs themselves (2). They offer order through enforcing rules, maintaining common areas and taking on repairs that individual homeowners might want to avoid.

But the trade-off is control. Associations can restrict everything from paint colors to landscaping to home modifications. Those are limits that often fuel the very conflicts they’re meant to prevent.

A study from Onyx Capital Management illustrated there are more than 373,000 HOA communities across the U.S. That’s up 10% from 2024, with Florida accounting for nearly half of them.

In Port St. Lucie, police records show the disputes between Maraio and his neighbors had been escalating for more than a year. The HOA issued him an eviction notice in October for being a “disruptive resident.” Golden, the HOA’s treasurer, had previously requested two separate trespass orders against Maraio; one in 2024 and another in 2025. These came after reporting harassment and a throat-slashing gesture. In September, he alleged that Maraio was watching him and his partner through binoculars.

Attorney Jeff Kominsky admitted he’s seen more HOA disputes go beyond the usual frustration.

"When you have a built-in high number or quantities of associations, things can happen," he said.

Port St. Lucie isn’t the only HOA clash in Florida to turn violent. In 2023, Miami police arrested former condo president Marc Joseph Maggisano for allegedly threatening a board member, frightening residents and trying to set a resident’s truck on fire (3).

Republican Rep. Juan Carlos Porras of Miami told WPTV that many HOA disputes likely go unreported and that this has become one of Florida’s most widespread community issues.

Know your rights

Porras is drafting legislation that would allow residents to vote their HOAs out of existence. It wouldn’t ban HOAs statewide, but it would create a formal channel for communities that feel their association isn’t working.

"I think HOA is our failed experiment, and there needs to be some sort of guidelines in place on how to get rid of them," Porras said.

But ending an HOA is far from simple. Estate planning attorney Joseph Hudack said that once an association dissolves, homeowners are suddenly responsible for tasks the HOA handled. That includes everything from maintaining shared spaces to deciding how repairs are paid for and who’s responsible for common areas.