Stephanie Donner says her total monthly fees at her West Boca condo run about $900, and she expects an assessment soon. She spoke with WPTV outside her home on Wednesday, Oct. 14, after seeing a station report on HOA costs in Florida.
“We’re going to have an assessment and, to be honest, a lot of people have already moved,” Donner said. She is semi-retired and says she can keep up with HOA fees, insurance and inflation only as long as she keeps her remote job. “If I lose that, I have to move,” she said.
The concern is shared across the state. State Sen. Mack Bernard said Tuesday at an HOA fee forum in West Palm Beach that the issue is hard to solve. He said lawmakers do not want another Surfside collapse, but also want to build new affordable housing.
A Realtor.com analysis previously reported by WPTV found seven of the 10 U.S. metro areas with the highest HOA fees relative to estimated mortgage payments are in Florida. Port St. Lucie ranked fifth and the Sebastian-Vero Beach area ranked ninth.
Ideas raised at the forum included more financial help for seniors and greater state oversight of homeowners associations.
