[Guest Post] Dear Neighbors...

Dear Neighbors,

Monthly Fees Increases

It is the board and Castle’s statutory duty to responsibly manage expenses but as can be seen from the charts below, Villa monthly expenses have increased 40% in just two years, and single family homes are similar at 36%.   

(Source: official HOA documents including the Fees flyer at front desk)

Notes: SPA = $170k Special Assessment; 

$108  - Club fee is the 2026 fifteen-year purchase loan

(Quarterly Master HOA and Lagoon payments are additional)

HOA Budget growth

Our HOA budget has grown 4X from a base of $500k annually, plus separate club fee in 2024, to over $2,000,000 combined in 2026.  Yes, we bought the clubhouse but it was not the monthly ‘savings’ promised.  Instead, we learned that the builder was operating the club at a loss -- just as we were acquiring it -- so our board just grew our 2026 budget and inflated the loan to compensate (i.e. borrowed $11M to purchase an $8.55M clubhouse, café and amenities.)

Clandestine Recordkeeping

Curious homeowners began requesting official financial records last year but have been thwarted. 

Here are just two examples:

1.  The ‘urgent’ January 2025 Special Assessment of $170,000 was advertised to be spent on objective studies and expenses related to evaluating the clubhouse purchase.  However, the 2025 Annual Financial statements show that it was not spent as promised.  Formal, written requests for a detailed accounting of expenditures from our property manager have not been provided by the statutory deadline.  

2.  The builder’s legally-required 2024 HOA Audited Financial Statements were also not provided by the deadline and prior to our 2026 budgeting despite multiple formal requests.  The board and our HOA attorney finally provided it after we purchased the clubhouse in 2025 and signed a release of all liability from everyone ever involved with it including the builder and its ‘affiliates’ (contractors, lawyers, vendors, etc.)  

Homeowners are legally entitled all HOA financial records including budgets, quotes, invoices, and audited financial statements. Board members, our attorney and Castle Group are collectively responsible for complying with Florida 720.3033 HOA recordkeeping statutes.  Withholding financial records is a serious violation.  We deserve financial transparency and responsible oversight without barriers to our obtaining the information requested.

Homeowners may not realize that just 2% of members serve over and over again on the HOA’s committees, the board and even our CDDs.  Between 2024 (pre-turnover) to May 2026, a total of 61 homeowners (7%) have volunteered in 1 or more roles.  However, an elite 2% (16) homeowners currently serve, or have served, in 3 to 7 roles each, effectively controlling our entire community's budget.  (Remember: We don’t propose and vote on the budget, they do.)

This occurs because the board selects the committee members and chooses the same people repeatedly.  Some capable applicants are excluded without explanation.  Once selected, the board assigns a liaison to each committee but generally does not to publish the roster of committee members.  Without that list, how can members know who is proposing the large expenditures and new policies that the board then rubber-stamps at monthly meetings?