Florida HOA's Take Desperate Measures

Car Washes, Bake Sales & Public Humilation Are All On The Table

The St. Pete Times' Marlene Sokol says many condo associations in the Tampa Bay area are "dying" and resorting to desperate measures as payments from members fall to 50% of normal collections. One association attorney, Robert Tankel, puts it this way, "I haven't seen bake sales yet or car washes, but I have suggested that people who don't pay need to consider doing that. Sell their flat-screen TVs." Another drastic alternative, public humiliation, is being kicked around at some local association meetings. Posting or circulating letters to all HOA members with the names of delinquent members is increasingly embraced as a last resort. Knocking on doors and face-to-face confrontations are less common because, as Tankel eloquently puts it, "You never know when you are going to meet Mister Doberman, or Mister 9-millimeter."