Curbing the Karens: Florida reins in over-mighty homeowners’ groups

The state's homeowners' associations (HOAs) are notorious for petty bureaucracy - including threats of eviction for the wrong kind of dog or decorative garage door hinges

If you had to name the state where a Vietnam war veteran almost lost his apartment for owning the wrong kind of dog; in which a ring of thieves made off with millions of dollars of residents' money they were obligated to look after; and where a family was threatened with legal action over decorative garage door hinges, intuition would lead you to Florida.

Such absurdities from homeowners' associations (HOAs) abound where the nation's highest concentration of condominium developments, gated communities and upmarket resorts blend seamlessly with an abundance of petty bureaucracy and outright crookedness.