November 12, 2025 • 14 mins
The Florida chapter of a group called the HOA Reform League is rallying at the state Capitol Tuesday (18th) to call on state lawmakers to change laws and enforcement of governance of Homeowner's Associations. Paul and Brandy Miller of Pasco County founded the group and they join Gordon Byrd to talk about what they see as the issues with HOA's that need addressing.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gudenbird here Beyond the News. People who have lived in
homes that are part of homeowners' associations have varying opinions
about them, and over the years some have had concerns
about the way that they've operated, and things have sometimes
seemed arbitrary, the way that rules that are part of
(00:21):
homeowners associations govern the way people live and the way
they live in their homes and the way they live
in their yards and the way that they live in
their properties. There is some activism on the issue of
reforming homeowners' associations, and part of that's going to take
shape on November eighteenth in an event that is coming
(00:42):
up in Tallahassee. We have Paul and Brandy Miller who
live in the Tampa Bay area and they are the
leaders and the catalysts for something called the HOA Reform
League in Florida, and they join us now on Beyond
the News. Paul and brand Dan Miller, welcome, Thank you, Hello.
(01:03):
Tell us how this all started for you? First of all,
what led you to get involved in activism and look
toward HOA reform and possibly state legislation.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, yeah, My wife Brandy and I we were going
through what a lot of Floridians go through. We had
noticed a lot of selective enforcement, harassment, property damage, even
and retaliation from our association. And then when we asked
our board, you know, about following the rule the laws,
(01:40):
you know, instead of accountability, we were hit with intimidation
and slander. So when we started realizing that others, many
others were living this same nightmare that we were living,
we decided we just couldn't stand up for ourselves by
ourselves anymore. We had to stand up for everyone. So
(02:01):
that's how HOA Reform League began. And you know, it's
not a business venture, it's a mission. What started out
as our own personal story has grown into a statewide
movement that's giving homeowners hope again.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
And you mentioned being a state wide movement. What is
it that you are asking the state to do? Is
this an issue of bad governance by hoa's and do
they need new rules laid down by the state or
are they irredeemable? Do they need to be abolished? What
would you like to see happen in Tallassee?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So you know, Gordon, you know, we're not advocating for
hoas to be abolished. You know, there's a lot of
popularity for that subject in the state of Florida. That
is a topic of discussion all around. We're not actually
advocating for abolishment of hoas. We're just wanting them fixed.
(02:57):
We want reinforcement, and we want over because you know
Florida's HOA laws, they look great on paper, you know,
open meetings, recording, recorded access, record access, and fair elections,
but in practice and reality, all that stuff is ignored
(03:17):
and there's no one to enforce those laws against hoa's.
We've reached out to many legislators asking for help, and
most have not wanted to get involved, or either they
see us as not having much of a voice, or
they think we're not serious and it will go away.
(03:39):
But we believe that's just not how justice works. We
don't think laws should depend on a person staying or
you know how many people are screaming about it. We
believe that law should be enforced equally across the state
and you know, should protect every homeowner. So we're going
(04:00):
to Tallahassee to send that message. You know that these
laws must be enforced and not just written anymore.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
So when you talk about enforcing laws on the governance
of hoas rather and how they are governed, and how
the boards operate. Then you're talking about presumably a situation
where these boards are going to need to become They're
going to need to straighten up their act. Presumably they're
(04:31):
going to need to have some kind of legal advice,
you know, they're they're presumably going to have to make
some kind of investment. So what mechanism do you put
into place to enforce these laws that exist but are
being ignored by people who maybe have bad legal advice
(04:56):
or are ignoring legal advice and just doing as they
please in your estimation.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Well, you know, Florida has Chapter seven twenty that is
for hoa's and then it has a statute chapter seven
eighteen for condos or coas, and both of those statutes
or chapters you know of Florida statutes outline what boards
(05:24):
are are supposed to do. They you know, they tell
them what they must do, but there's no enforcement of that.
And without enforcement, you know, those laws and rules are
just meaningless. There's no agency or or office with the
authority to step in when the board breaks the laws,
(05:45):
and homeowners are just told go out and hire an attorney.
And most people can't afford that. You know, we've had
an attorney for three or four months and we're in
this about seven thousand dollars, and that's minor compared to
what we hear on our group that a lot of
people are spending. But you know, so far, we've seen
a letter sent out to our homeowners' association, a recall letter.
(06:10):
You know, there's been a lot of talk back and
forth and a lot of emails and stuff, and there's
this process that you have to go through, a presuit,
mitigation and that sort of thing, but we've seen none
of that yet. All we've seen is a letter. So
what we're pushing for is a state enforcement office under
(06:31):
the Department of Legal Affairs, of Legal Affairs to oversee
all the associations and handle complaints and impose real penalties
when the board acts illegally, because you know, when board
members know that no one's watching, what we've heard and
what we found based on our research and I are
talking to all the thousands of people in our group,
(06:54):
is that when no one's watching, corruption thrives.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Well, now you mentioned that you've garnered a lot of interest.
What response are you seeing to your message from the
public from presumably homeowners, and what are you hearing back
from the legislature. Are there things that might be coming
up in the session that might make things more to
your liking.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah, you know, that's a twofold question there. As far
as the responses we're getting, Gordon, it's incredible. We're just
getting an incredible amount of response. People are stepping up,
We've got offers of there's a lot of talent out
there of people that are standing and they're just like,
they're really impressed with what we're doing and they want
(07:38):
to offer their skills. You know, people are just tired
of being afraid to speak out. We've grown to over
twelve hundred members in just a few weeks from you know,
a small amount in the beginning, and then we've got
over thousands nationwide. Like you mentioned, we have a couple
(07:59):
of of state affiliates active right now. We have the
State of Florida affiliate of the HOA Reform League incorporated.
We've got HOA Reform League Florida and HOA Reform League Louisiana.
And we have Georgia, Arizona, Maryland and help me Brandy
(08:21):
Pennsylvania and one more state Nevada who is asking for
affiliates of this organization, you know, to grow in their
area as well. They see what we're doing. There's a
lot of groups out there that are talking and complaining,
but we're action oriented. We believe that change is going
(08:43):
to come from action. So you know, we're hearing from
people every day who've lost sleep, lost savings, and even
lost their homes over unfair fines and personal vendettas, and
they're just saying, finally, finally, someone's doing something. And you know,
several people and in fact, in a meeting last night
(09:04):
we had with our group in Florida, someone broke down
in tears and told us that we were just a
lifeline for them. And I mean, that's so overwhelming for us,
and it's so enriching for us to know that we
are having that kind of impact in people's lives. As
(09:24):
far as far as where we stand legislatively, some progress
was made in twenty twenty four. Some new laws were added,
penalties for board misconduct and training requirements for new board members,
but still, Gordon, there is no enforcement piece in that.
(09:45):
So we've reached out to multiple legislators and we've a
few have expressed interest, but until they see homeowners physically
showing up in Tallahassee, they hesitate to act. So that's
why this rally mad. It's not just about this one day.
It's about showing lawmakers that Floridians want real accountability and
(10:08):
not just promises.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And let's talk about that event you have coming up
November eighteenth in Tallahassee. What time is it and what
are you going to be doing and what are you
hoping to bring about by showing up? What can people
expect if they attend.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Sure, we love advertising our rally. We're calling it the
Rally at the Capitol event, and it's going to be
right at the Florida State Capitol and that is going
to go Brandy wad are the hours.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
It's eleven am to two pm on Tuesday, November eighteenth.
Now this was originally I just want to say we
did a new story originally on Tampa Bay twenty eight
with Adam Waalser's ITM Investigators. So it was originally advertised
for November fifteenth, So we did change it to the
November eighteenth date. So if anybody sees that old date
(10:57):
out there, the November eighteenth, the new date and again
it's eleven am to two pm.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Yeah, and this is a it's a peaceful, grassroots gathering
of a Florida homeowners right from across the state who
just got tired of being bullied, threatened with losing their homes.
And I just want to mention we don't have any
big sponsors in this. We don't have any political backing
in this. We're funding this rally ourselves with some help
(11:28):
from donations from some of our members of our social
networks who believe in this cause. We're going to rent
out a couple of vans who are going to travel
from a couple of areas about mid state who are
going to pick up some people who can't travel, or
some elderly folks who you know, they've they've been faced
(11:52):
with abusive boards and we just feel like their stories
deserve to be heard. So it's not about politics, It's
just about people fairness and restoring dignity to Florida homeowners.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Now, when people go to this event, are there, I
don't know the calendar offhand. Are they having committee meetings
or anything in Tallahassee that week? Are they're going to
be officials and lawmakers there that they can talk to buttonhole,
speak to one on one.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, that's precisely why we moved that meeting to the eighteenth.
We thought at first and the fifteenth was on a Saturday,
we thought, oh, you know, Saturday is a real good
day to be there. You know, people will be able
to show up because a lot of people are working
in what have you. But then we learned that no,
on the eighteenth, legislators are actually going to be in
(12:39):
the Capitol. So we thought, well, we want to be
visible and we want to be heard, So the best
day to be there is the day that they're going
to be there. So that's why we moved that to
November eighteenth.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
All right, so it's November eighteenth, eleven am to two
pm at the Capitol in Tallahassee. If people want to
find out more about that event or about the HOA
Form League, where can they go? Social media websites run
it all down.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
So yeah, we have HOA Reform League Florida, which is
a Facebook group. We have our web page which is
www dot HOA Reform League dot com, and there you
can find out information about the rally. You can, you know,
donate to help the rally if you want to. We've
asked a lot of people have been telling us, hey,
(13:28):
we're not going to be able to be there, but
you know we can afford. We're going to send you
twenty dollars to help you out. And it's not about
the money for us, it's about the voice. It's about
being heard, and it's about what we've been through and
what we hear others have been through. You know. But
there is that piece when you start talking about you know,
(13:49):
hiring van drivers and ringing vans and that sort of thing,
it does, it does become a challenge. So there is
that piece of it that we have to face. So
that's why we have that part of it in the
and that's the only reason.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
But there is the national Facebook group, so there is
hoa Reform League that you can also search on Facebook
if you're in a different state and you're having this problem.
Some people, you know, they live out of state, but
they have you know, rental properties, investment properties in Florida
that are suffering through ratio as as well. So it's
not just a Florida problem. It is you know, nationwide.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
So there is the national group as well, right, Paul.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
And Brandy Miller with the HOA Reform League talking about
reform of HOA governance in Florida. Thank you very much
for joining us on beyond the news.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Thank you for having us. Thank you
Gudenbird here Beyond the News. People who have lived in
homes that are part of homeowners' associations have varying opinions
about them, and over the years some have had concerns
about the way that they've operated, and things have sometimes
seemed arbitrary, the way that rules that are part of
(00:21):
homeowners associations govern the way people live and the way
they live in their homes and the way they live
in their yards and the way that they live in
their properties. There is some activism on the issue of
reforming homeowners' associations, and part of that's going to take
shape on November eighteenth in an event that is coming
(00:42):
up in Tallahassee. We have Paul and Brandy Miller who
live in the Tampa Bay area and they are the
leaders and the catalysts for something called the HOA Reform
League in Florida, and they join us now on Beyond
the News. Paul and brand Dan Miller, welcome, Thank you, Hello.
(01:03):
Tell us how this all started for you? First of all,
what led you to get involved in activism and look
toward HOA reform and possibly state legislation.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, yeah, My wife Brandy and I we were going
through what a lot of Floridians go through. We had
noticed a lot of selective enforcement, harassment, property damage, even
and retaliation from our association. And then when we asked
our board, you know, about following the rule the laws,
(01:40):
you know, instead of accountability, we were hit with intimidation
and slander. So when we started realizing that others, many
others were living this same nightmare that we were living,
we decided we just couldn't stand up for ourselves by
ourselves anymore. We had to stand up for everyone. So
(02:01):
that's how HOA Reform League began. And you know, it's
not a business venture, it's a mission. What started out
as our own personal story has grown into a statewide
movement that's giving homeowners hope again.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
And you mentioned being a state wide movement. What is
it that you are asking the state to do? Is
this an issue of bad governance by hoa's and do
they need new rules laid down by the state or
are they irredeemable? Do they need to be abolished? What
would you like to see happen in Tallassee?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So you know, Gordon, you know, we're not advocating for
hoas to be abolished. You know, there's a lot of
popularity for that subject in the state of Florida. That
is a topic of discussion all around. We're not actually
advocating for abolishment of hoas. We're just wanting them fixed.
(02:57):
We want reinforcement, and we want over because you know
Florida's HOA laws, they look great on paper, you know,
open meetings, recording, recorded access, record access, and fair elections,
but in practice and reality, all that stuff is ignored
(03:17):
and there's no one to enforce those laws against hoa's.
We've reached out to many legislators asking for help, and
most have not wanted to get involved, or either they
see us as not having much of a voice, or
they think we're not serious and it will go away.
(03:39):
But we believe that's just not how justice works. We
don't think laws should depend on a person staying or
you know how many people are screaming about it. We
believe that law should be enforced equally across the state
and you know, should protect every homeowner. So we're going
(04:00):
to Tallahassee to send that message. You know that these
laws must be enforced and not just written anymore.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
So when you talk about enforcing laws on the governance
of hoas rather and how they are governed, and how
the boards operate. Then you're talking about presumably a situation
where these boards are going to need to become They're
going to need to straighten up their act. Presumably they're
(04:31):
going to need to have some kind of legal advice,
you know, they're they're presumably going to have to make
some kind of investment. So what mechanism do you put
into place to enforce these laws that exist but are
being ignored by people who maybe have bad legal advice
(04:56):
or are ignoring legal advice and just doing as they
please in your estimation.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Well, you know, Florida has Chapter seven twenty that is
for hoa's and then it has a statute chapter seven
eighteen for condos or coas, and both of those statutes
or chapters you know of Florida statutes outline what boards
(05:24):
are are supposed to do. They you know, they tell
them what they must do, but there's no enforcement of that.
And without enforcement, you know, those laws and rules are
just meaningless. There's no agency or or office with the
authority to step in when the board breaks the laws,
(05:45):
and homeowners are just told go out and hire an attorney.
And most people can't afford that. You know, we've had
an attorney for three or four months and we're in
this about seven thousand dollars, and that's minor compared to
what we hear on our group that a lot of
people are spending. But you know, so far, we've seen
a letter sent out to our homeowners' association, a recall letter.
(06:10):
You know, there's been a lot of talk back and
forth and a lot of emails and stuff, and there's
this process that you have to go through, a presuit,
mitigation and that sort of thing, but we've seen none
of that yet. All we've seen is a letter. So
what we're pushing for is a state enforcement office under
(06:31):
the Department of Legal Affairs, of Legal Affairs to oversee
all the associations and handle complaints and impose real penalties
when the board acts illegally, because you know, when board
members know that no one's watching, what we've heard and
what we found based on our research and I are
talking to all the thousands of people in our group,
(06:54):
is that when no one's watching, corruption thrives.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Well, now you mentioned that you've garnered a lot of interest.
What response are you seeing to your message from the
public from presumably homeowners, and what are you hearing back
from the legislature. Are there things that might be coming
up in the session that might make things more to
your liking.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah, you know, that's a twofold question there. As far
as the responses we're getting, Gordon, it's incredible. We're just
getting an incredible amount of response. People are stepping up,
We've got offers of there's a lot of talent out
there of people that are standing and they're just like,
they're really impressed with what we're doing and they want
(07:38):
to offer their skills. You know, people are just tired
of being afraid to speak out. We've grown to over
twelve hundred members in just a few weeks from you know,
a small amount in the beginning, and then we've got
over thousands nationwide. Like you mentioned, we have a couple
(07:59):
of of state affiliates active right now. We have the
State of Florida affiliate of the HOA Reform League incorporated.
We've got HOA Reform League Florida and HOA Reform League Louisiana.
And we have Georgia, Arizona, Maryland and help me Brandy
(08:21):
Pennsylvania and one more state Nevada who is asking for
affiliates of this organization, you know, to grow in their
area as well. They see what we're doing. There's a
lot of groups out there that are talking and complaining,
but we're action oriented. We believe that change is going
(08:43):
to come from action. So you know, we're hearing from
people every day who've lost sleep, lost savings, and even
lost their homes over unfair fines and personal vendettas, and
they're just saying, finally, finally, someone's doing something. And you know,
several people and in fact, in a meeting last night
(09:04):
we had with our group in Florida, someone broke down
in tears and told us that we were just a
lifeline for them. And I mean, that's so overwhelming for us,
and it's so enriching for us to know that we
are having that kind of impact in people's lives. As
(09:24):
far as far as where we stand legislatively, some progress
was made in twenty twenty four. Some new laws were added,
penalties for board misconduct and training requirements for new board members,
but still, Gordon, there is no enforcement piece in that.
(09:45):
So we've reached out to multiple legislators and we've a
few have expressed interest, but until they see homeowners physically
showing up in Tallahassee, they hesitate to act. So that's
why this rally mad. It's not just about this one day.
It's about showing lawmakers that Floridians want real accountability and
(10:08):
not just promises.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
And let's talk about that event you have coming up
November eighteenth in Tallahassee. What time is it and what
are you going to be doing and what are you
hoping to bring about by showing up? What can people
expect if they attend.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Sure, we love advertising our rally. We're calling it the
Rally at the Capitol event, and it's going to be
right at the Florida State Capitol and that is going
to go Brandy wad are the hours.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
It's eleven am to two pm on Tuesday, November eighteenth.
Now this was originally I just want to say we
did a new story originally on Tampa Bay twenty eight
with Adam Waalser's ITM Investigators. So it was originally advertised
for November fifteenth, So we did change it to the
November eighteenth date. So if anybody sees that old date
(10:57):
out there, the November eighteenth, the new date and again
it's eleven am to two pm.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Yeah, and this is a it's a peaceful, grassroots gathering
of a Florida homeowners right from across the state who
just got tired of being bullied, threatened with losing their homes.
And I just want to mention we don't have any
big sponsors in this. We don't have any political backing
in this. We're funding this rally ourselves with some help
(11:28):
from donations from some of our members of our social
networks who believe in this cause. We're going to rent
out a couple of vans who are going to travel
from a couple of areas about mid state who are
going to pick up some people who can't travel, or
some elderly folks who you know, they've they've been faced
(11:52):
with abusive boards and we just feel like their stories
deserve to be heard. So it's not about politics, It's
just about people fairness and restoring dignity to Florida homeowners.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
Now, when people go to this event, are there, I
don't know the calendar offhand. Are they having committee meetings
or anything in Tallahassee that week? Are they're going to
be officials and lawmakers there that they can talk to buttonhole,
speak to one on one.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Yeah, that's precisely why we moved that meeting to the eighteenth.
We thought at first and the fifteenth was on a Saturday,
we thought, oh, you know, Saturday is a real good
day to be there. You know, people will be able
to show up because a lot of people are working
in what have you. But then we learned that no,
on the eighteenth, legislators are actually going to be in
(12:39):
the Capitol. So we thought, well, we want to be
visible and we want to be heard, So the best
day to be there is the day that they're going
to be there. So that's why we moved that to
November eighteenth.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
All right, so it's November eighteenth, eleven am to two
pm at the Capitol in Tallahassee. If people want to
find out more about that event or about the HOA
Form League, where can they go? Social media websites run
it all down.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
So yeah, we have HOA Reform League Florida, which is
a Facebook group. We have our web page which is
www dot HOA Reform League dot com, and there you
can find out information about the rally. You can, you know,
donate to help the rally if you want to. We've
asked a lot of people have been telling us, hey,
(13:28):
we're not going to be able to be there, but
you know we can afford. We're going to send you
twenty dollars to help you out. And it's not about
the money for us, it's about the voice. It's about
being heard, and it's about what we've been through and
what we hear others have been through. You know. But
there is that piece when you start talking about you know,
(13:49):
hiring van drivers and ringing vans and that sort of thing,
it does, it does become a challenge. So there is
that piece of it that we have to face. So
that's why we have that part of it in the
and that's the only reason.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
But there is the national Facebook group, so there is
hoa Reform League that you can also search on Facebook
if you're in a different state and you're having this problem.
Some people, you know, they live out of state, but
they have you know, rental properties, investment properties in Florida
that are suffering through ratio as as well. So it's
not just a Florida problem. It is you know, nationwide.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
So there is the national group as well, right, Paul.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
And Brandy Miller with the HOA Reform League talking about
reform of HOA governance in Florida. Thank you very much
for joining us on beyond the news.
Speaker 3 (14:36):
Thank you for having us. Thank you
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.