A deadly shooting in a Port St. Lucie neighborhood is now at the center of a much bigger question in Florida: is it time to get rid of homeowner associations altogether?
WPTV reporter Kate Hussey says Port St. Lucie police believe 62-year-old Paul Maraio shot and killed two neighbors in what investigators describe as a long-running, “bitter HOA feud,” then barricaded himself inside a nearby home as officers closed in.
According to Hussey’s report, the HOA was already in the process of trying to evict Maraio from the community when the violence exploded.
For people who have watched HOA disputes turn ugly for years, this case feels less like a shocking one-off and more like a breaking point.
Deadly Feud In A “House Rules” Community
Hussey reports that the Port St. Lucie case started like many HOA conflicts do – with simmering resentment between neighbors and the association.
By the time police were called this week, two people were dead, Maraio was barricaded, and the entire neighborhood was locked down in a high-risk police operation.
Hussey notes that investigators have tied the killings to a long-standing HOA battle and an active attempt by the association to remove Maraio from the community.
In other words, this wasn’t some random crime scene.
It grew out of the very system that was supposed to “keep the neighborhood peaceful.”
That’s why this particular shooting landed so hard.
It’s not just about one angry man – it’s about what happens when local power, money, and personal grudges get mixed into a rule-enforcing machine with very few safety valves.
“It Happens A Lot More Often Than You Think”
In Hussey’s report, HOA attorney Eric Perez with Perez Mayoral Law in Coral Gables doesn’t sugarcoat what he sees.
Perez tells WPTV that HOA-related violence “happens a lot more often than one would think.” He says he’s watched disputes over relatively small issues escalate into full-blown physical confrontations.
“Temperatures are sometimes at an all-time high when there’s an ongoing dispute,” Perez explains, and people “may unfortunately take to physical violence.”
Another attorney, Jeff Kominsky, tells Hussey he’s seeing more and more HOA disagreements escalate into lawsuits and serious legal fights.
Hussey cites a study from Onyx Capital Management showing that HOAs now number more than 373,000 nationwide, up 10% from 2024, with Florida making up nearly half of those associations.
When you combine that kind of scale with rising tensions, Perez and Kominsky both suggest the results are predictable: more conflict, more legal bills, and, in the worst cases, tragedies like Port St. Lucie.
It’s worth saying out loud: HOAs were sold as a way to protect property values and keep neighborhoods orderly.
Nobody was promised armed standoffs and homicide scenes.
A Pattern Of HOA Fights Turning Dangerous
Hussey’s report doesn’t stop at one case.
She points to Florida court records that show a string of incidents where HOA and condo disputes spiraled into violence or serious threats:
- In December 2022, Martin County deputies say Hugh Hootman shot and killed his neighbors at Cedar Point Condos. A 911 caller told WPTV “there’s been an ongoing dispute,” tying the killings back to HOA conflict.
- That same year, Hussey reports a Broward County HOA president was arrested, accused of pointing a gun at neighbors during an argument.
- In 2023, Miami Beach police arrested a former condo president, accusing him of sending threatening texts to an HOA board member and even trying to set a resident’s truck on fire.
- In 2024, a Seminole County man was sentenced for setting his own condo on fire over problems with his association.
Republican State Representative Juan Carlos Porras of Miami tells Hussey he believes these kinds of disputes are “very under-counted” and calls HOA conflict “one of the more common issues surrounding Florida at the moment.”
Taken together, the cases Hussey lists paint a clear picture: when people feel trapped by fees, fines, and boards that they think are unaccountable, some of them snap.
Most don’t turn violent, but the ones who do leave scars on entire communities.
“A Failed Experiment”: Lawmaker Pushes To Abolish HOAs
That’s where Rep. Juan Carlos Porras comes in.
In Hussey’s WPTV report, Porras says he is now working on legislation that would let communities vote to abolish their HOAs if residents believe the association has failed them. His idea is not a blanket statewide ban, but a legal path to dissolve HOAs at the local level.
“In my personal opinion, I think HOAs are a failed experiment,” Porras tells Hussey. He says there “needs to be some sort of guidelines in place on how to get rid of them.”
In a separate report from Tampa Bay 28, Forrest Saunders notes that Porras has gone even further in public comments. Saunders reports that Porras is considering a bill to do away with homeowner associations statewide, at least for some types of communities.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary,” Porras tells Saunders. “Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
Porras explains to Tampa Bay 28 that in parts of Miami-Dade County, HOAs do almost nothing beyond mowing a few shared patches of grass – yet residents are being charged $500 or $600 a month in fees.
He calls HOAs a “failed experiment” that, after decades of abuse and mismanagement, “does more harm than good.”
Whether you agree with him or not, that’s a stunning statement from a Republican lawmaker in a state where roughly 9.5 million people live in HOA communities, as Saunders reports.
Homeowners Squeezed By Fees, Lawsuits And Extreme Enforcement
Saunders’ Tampa Bay 28 report shows the HOA problem isn’t just about violent crime. It’s also about money, power, and what happens when people feel trapped by a system they didn’t really choose.
In Hillsborough County, Saunders says residents of a large HOA community told his station their board spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal battles – including a years-long fight over a single proxy ballot that ultimately failed in court.
Those costs, residents say, were pushed back onto them through higher dues and drained reserve funds.
In Palm Beach County’s Sandalwood Lakes, Saunders reports that monthly HOA fees sit around $605, with some units paying close to $700.
Homeowner Sharon Siebert tells Tampa Bay 28 she nearly lost her home when fees spiked while she was out of work due to illness.
“I understand that it’s a business,” Siebert says, and that part of the job is making sure properties are maintained. “But at the same time, when you’ve been here a long time and always maintained your property, it’s difficult when you find yourself in a tough situation and there’s no help.”
Saunders also highlights some of the most extreme enforcement stories:
- In Riverview, one homeowner was jailed for a week over brown grass.
- Another resident faced a lien and thousands in legal fees because of a fight over her house paint.
Saunders notes that coverage of those cases has been viewed more than a million times online, with thousands of people commenting that they would rather “live under a bridge than under an HOA.”
You don’t see that kind of anger over a system people think is fair.
Can You Really Get Rid Of HOAs?
Even people who work inside the system admit that simply shutting down HOAs wouldn’t be simple.
In Hussey’s report, attorney Jeff Kominsky warns that “every association is different structurally,” and that getting rid of them raises big questions about how shared property and common spaces would be handled.
HOA lawyer Eric Perez tells WPTV there are “practical concerns as to how to adequately govern a community if there is no HOA,” especially in places with shared facilities or complex infrastructure.
Saunders reports that Porras himself acknowledges condominiums are a tougher case, because they involve shared roofs, elevators, and common areas where some kind of management is unavoidable.
But when it comes to single-family HOAs, Porras tells Tampa Bay 28 he believes the purpose has largely vanished – replaced by fees, fines, and constant friction.
From a broader perspective, there’s a middle ground that neither report can fully answer yet.
You can see the logic in communities wanting some type of organization to maintain shared areas and basic standards.
You can also see that giving small boards broad power over people’s homes – backed by lawyers, liens, and sometimes even the threat of arrest – is a recipe for abuse.
The Port St. Lucie murders that Hussey covers may be an extreme example.
But they sit on the same spectrum as the lawsuits, fines, foreclosures, and personal meltdowns Saunders describes.
A System At A Breaking Point
Both Hussey and Saunders show a state where frustration with HOAs is no longer just online venting – it’s bleeding into courtrooms, police reports, and now homicide trials.
Hussey reports that Porras expects to have an update on his legislation soon, while Saunders says it’s still unclear whether his more aggressive ideas will gain traction in Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature. So far, Governor Ron DeSantis hasn’t weighed in.
In the meantime, attorneys like Perez and Kominsky tell WPTV that homeowners need to understand their rights and act early, before disputes boil over. Kominsky ends Hussey’s report with a simple line that hits harder after Port St. Lucie:
“It doesn’t have to end like this.”
That might be the heart of the whole debate.
People do need safe, well-kept neighborhoods.
But they also need to feel like their own front yard isn’t one bad meeting away from becoming a battlefield.
Right now, in too many Florida communities, it feels like that balance is gone. And that’s why a deadly HOA fight in one city is now fueling a much bigger question:
If the “experiment” of HOAs keeps ending in fear, debt, and sometimes bloodshed – how much longer are people supposed to live with it?
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The article Deadly HOA Fight Sparks New Calls to Eliminate Homeowner Associations first appeared on Survival World.
Mark grew up in the heart of Texas, where tornadoes and extreme weather were a part of life. His early experiences sparked a fascination with emergency preparedness and homesteading. A father of three, Mark is dedicated to teaching families how to be self-sufficient, with a focus on food storage, DIY projects, and energy independence. His writing empowers everyday people to take small steps toward greater self-reliance without feeling overwhelmed.
