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LS Carlson Law
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Proudly Serving Miami-Dade County

America's Largest Law Firm Fighting BAD HOAs

#1 By Cases Won

Miami HOA Attorneys for Homeowners

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Who We Fight For

We Only Represent Homeowners

One side of the fence — always. Across Miami-Dade County. Never the boards. Never the developers. Never the management companies. You.

We Represent
Homeowners
We Never Represent
HOAs Boards Developers Management Cos.

Miami-Dade is one of the most condominium-dense markets in the country—from the high-rise towers of Brickell, Downtown, and Sunny Isles Beach to the oceanfront associations of Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, and Key Biscayne, alongside single-family communities in Coral Gables, Pinecrest, and Palmetto Bay. With that density comes a wide range of HOA and condominium disputes that demand attorneys who understand the local landscape.

Good HOAs are invaluable.
Bad HOAs abuse their power.

LS Carlson Law represents Miami and Miami-Dade County homeowners exclusively in disputes with their HOAs and condominium associations. We never represent the association—only the individual homeowner. Our attorneys handle cases under both Chapter 720 (HOAs) and Chapter 718 (condominiums), with particular experience in the building-safety and reserve issues reshaping Miami-Dade’s coastal condo communities.

After the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida’s SB 4-D imposed mandatory milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies on condo buildings three stories and taller. Many Miami-Dade owners are now receiving five- and six-figure special assessments. When your condo board levies those assessments without proper procedures, or misallocates insurance proceeds, the financial stakes are enormous—and our attorneys hold associations accountable under Florida law.

Two Decades.
One Focus.

For over 20 years, LS Carlson Law has been the leading HOA attorney in Miami-Dade — pioneering the very strategies other firms now try to replicate.

20
Years of Experience
Established in 2006
513
Five-Star Reviews
#1
By HOA Cases Won
In the country
The Authority On Bad HOAs

We Wrote The Book
On Bad HOAs

…literally.

We didn’t just learn how to beat bad HOAs — we wrote the definitive guide to it. After winning more of these fights than any firm in the country, we put the entire playbook in print. When you hire us, you get the team that wrote it.

By Luke Carlson, Esq. 20 Years Fighting HOAs
The firm bad HOAs across the country hope you never call.
Bad HOA™ — The Homeowner’s Guide to Going to War and Reclaiming Your Power, by Luke Carlson, Esq.
★★★★★ #1 Best Seller on Amazon
Why LS Carlson Law

Why Homeowners Choose Us for Their Miami HOA Dispute

Most Miami-Dade homeowners don’t come to us over a minor disagreement. They come because the stakes have turned serious — a five- or six-figure special assessment levied without proper notice, common elements left unrepaired in an aging coastal high-rise, or a board that enforces the rules against some owners but not others. We work under both Chapter 720 (HOAs) and Chapter 718 (condominiums), with particular experience in the post-Surfside building-safety and reserve issues reshaping Miami-Dade’s coastal associations, and we represent homeowners exclusively — never associations. We are America’s Largest Law Firm Fighting Bad HOAs.

Chapter 720 & 718

Deep command of Florida’s HOA statute (Chapter 720) and Condominium Act (Chapter 718), refined through thousands of association disputes.

America's Largest

Having handled more HOA disputes than any firm in the country, we recognize the recurring tactics boards use — from selective enforcement to procedural manipulation — and exactly how to counter them.

Deliberate Pressure

We identify the leverage points in your Florida HOA or COA dispute, apply pressure deliberately, and position each matter for resolution or escalation based on your goals.

Pre-Suit Mediation

Fluent in Florida’s mandatory pre-suit mediation (§ 720.311) and every forum beyond it — negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and the courts.

Florida Courts

Fully prepared to take your case to Florida circuit court when the board won’t back down, with strong representation at every stage of the fight.

Never Associations

We do not represent associations. Ever. Our experience, insight, and strategy are directed entirely toward protecting homeowners.

Held Accountable

A strong history of resolving disputes in favor of Florida homeowners — holding associations accountable when they cross the line.

Chapter 720 & 718

Command of Florida HOA & COA Law

Deep command of Florida’s HOA statute (Chapter 720) and Condominium Act (Chapter 718), refined through thousands of association disputes.

What We Fight

Types of HOA & COA Disputes We Handle

Miami-Dade homeowners face unique HOA and condominium challenges shaped by the region’s dense high-rise market, coastal exposure, and post-Surfside building-safety requirements. When your association crosses the line, you have legal remedies — and we enforce them.

Associations in Miami-Dade are required to maintain common areas and shared structures under Florida Statute 720 (and Chapter 718 for condominiums). Salt-air corrosion, aging coastal high-rises in Sunny Isles Beach and Miami Beach, and neglected elevators, garages, and roofs take a real toll on Miami-Dade properties. When your association collects assessments but fails to perform necessary repairs, LS Carlson Law holds it accountable for its maintenance obligations. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Miami-Dade’s architecturally strict communities make CC&R enforcement especially contentious—from Coral Gables’ “City Beautiful” Mediterranean design standards to gated communities in Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay regulating exterior finishes and landscaping to the letter. Under § 720.305, homeowners must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before an independent fining committee before fines can be imposed. When your association enforces architectural standards arbitrarily or imposes fines without proper procedures, LS Carlson Law fights back on your behalf. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Miami-Dade is one of the most diverse counties in the nation, and that diversity makes uniform, lawful treatment essential. The federal Fair Housing Act and Florida Statute 760 protect homeowners from discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, and other protected classes. When association boards engage in harassment, retaliatory fines, or discriminatory enforcement—including against owners who do not speak English as a first language—LS Carlson Law takes aggressive action on your behalf. Contact us to explore your legal options.

High-rise living in Brickell, Downtown Miami, and Sunny Isles Beach puts neighbors in close quarters, generating frequent conflicts over shared walls, noise, balconies, and parking. Short-term rental activity in Miami Beach and Aventura adds another flashpoint, as associations move to enforce Airbnb and leasing restrictions. Florida’s nuisance laws provide remedies when a neighbor’s conduct substantially interferes with your use and enjoyment of your home, and your association’s governing documents may impose additional obligations. LS Carlson Law helps Miami-Dade homeowners navigate these disputes and reach fair resolutions. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Miami-Dade’s luxury high-rises promise resort-style amenities—pools, fitness centers, valet, marinas, and rooftop decks—that associations must maintain and fund properly. Under § 720.303, associations must maintain proper records and fund reserves for major repairs and replacements, and Chapter 718 imposes parallel obligations on condominiums. When your board blocks access to amenities, neglects maintenance, or improperly reallocates common-area funds, LS Carlson Law fights to protect your rights. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Large Miami-Dade associations with entrenched boards are prone to selective enforcement and retaliation—particularly in big high-rise condominiums where owners who challenge the board face retaliatory fines, and in master-planned communities like Doral where developer-controlled boards transitioning to homeowner control create political friction. Florida courts have consistently held that associations must apply covenants and restrictions uniformly. When your board targets you while ignoring identical violations by others, LS Carlson Law documents the enforcement patterns and holds your board accountable. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Miami-Dade association boards have a duty to act in the best interests of the community. When negligence leads to property damage, safety hazards, or financial loss, homeowners have the right to take action. Post-Surfside, structural safety is paramount—common examples in Miami-Dade include ignored building-integrity warnings in aging high-rises, mold from neglected water intrusion, and failure to timely complete required milestone inspections. LS Carlson Law helps Miami-Dade homeowners hold negligent associations accountable for breaching their duty of care. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Florida Statute 720.306 establishes specific procedures for HOA elections, including notice requirements, voting procedures, and candidate eligibility, and Chapter 718 sets parallel rules for condominiums. Miami-Dade’s largest condominium towers have hundreds of units with many seasonal, absentee, and international owners—making them especially vulnerable to proxy farming and absentee-ballot manipulation, as boards exploit low off-season turnout to consolidate control. LS Carlson Law challenges fraudulent elections and fights to protect homeowners’ democratic rights within their communities. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Florida Statute 163.04 protects homeowners’ right to install solar energy systems, and HOAs cannot prohibit solar collectors based on renewable resources. Despite this clear protection, architectural review boards in single-family Miami-Dade communities like Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, and Coral Gables frequently impose unreasonable conditions on solar placement—demanding rear-only placement, specific panel colors, or screening that reduces system efficiency. As solar adoption grows across South Florida, the tension between modern solar rights and older community aesthetic standards continues to generate disputes. LS Carlson Law enforces your solar rights against overreaching associations. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Post-Surfside, Miami-Dade condo owners are facing some of the largest special assessments in the state as associations fund SB 4-D structural reserves and overdue repairs. Florida regulates HOA assessments under § 720.308, and Chapter 718 governs condominium assessments, each requiring specific procedures for levying and collecting. When your association imposes five- or six-figure special assessments without proper notice, awards contracts without competitive bidding, engages in self-dealing, or fails to provide financial transparency, LS Carlson Law investigates the irregularities and challenges the assessments on your behalf. Contact us to explore your legal options.

Miami-Dade sits in one of the most hurricane-exposed corridors in the country, and coastal associations face recurring storm damage. When your association fails to maintain hurricane-resistant common elements, neglects required windstorm or flood insurance, or mishandles insurance proceeds after a storm, homeowners bear the consequences. LS Carlson Law helps Miami-Dade homeowners navigate post-storm disputes over reconstruction timelines, emergency assessments, and insurance allocation. Contact us to explore your legal options.

How We Win

Our Proven Approach to Your Miami HOA Dispute

A Bad HOATM won’t back down on its own. From your first call to final resolution, every case runs the same disciplined playbook — built to win.

A Bad HOATM won’t back down on its own. Here’s exactly how we take your case — and win it.

Schedule a Consultation
The Path
Consultation. Retention. Resolution.

During your initial consultation, we review the facts of your dispute, your governing documents, and any correspondence or violation notices you’ve received. Our Florida HOA attorneys assess your situation under Chapter 720 (homeowners’ associations) or Chapter 718 (condominiums), since the two operate under distinct statutory frameworks.

From there, we outline your strongest legal strategies—whether that points toward negotiation, mediation, or litigation—so you leave the consultation understanding exactly where you stand and what your options are.

Once you retain us, we send a formal Notice of Representation to your association, directing all communication through our office. You are no longer facing the board alone.

We then conduct a thorough analysis of your association’s compliance with Florida law—including assessment procedures (§ 720.308), election requirements (§ 720.306), and records and reserve obligations (§ 720.303). This due diligence often reveals additional violations that strengthen your position.

Florida requires the parties to attempt pre-suit mediation before filing most HOA disputes in court (§ 720.311). We prepare comprehensive mediation positions that clearly articulate the legal basis for your claims and use the process strategically to your advantage.

If mediation fails, we are fully prepared to litigate aggressively in Florida circuit court. As the prevailing party, you may recover your attorney’s fees under § 720.305.

Homeowners Ask. We Answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Straight answers to the questions homeowners ask us most — from the only firm of its size that never represents associations, boards, or management companies.

HOA disputes in Miami are filed in the Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, in downtown Miami. Before filing, Florida Statute § 720.311 requires mandatory pre-suit mediation through the DBPR for most HOA disputes. Condominium disputes under Chapter 718 may instead require mediation or non-binding arbitration through the DBPR Division of Condominiums.

Miami-Dade is one of the most condominium-dense markets in the country, so a large share of disputes fall under Chapter 718 (condominiums) rather than Chapter 720 (HOAs). Common issues include post-Surfside building-safety and reserve assessments under SB 4-D, soaring insurance costs on coastal high-rises, and governance conflicts in large associations with many seasonal and international owners.

Yes. From Brickell and Downtown to Sunny Isles Beach, Aventura, and Miami Beach, Miami-Dade has one of Florida's largest condominium populations, governed by Chapter 718, which has different requirements than the HOA statute (Chapter 720). We handle both HOA and COA disputes, including milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) disputes under SB 4-D.

We represent homeowners across Miami-Dade County, including Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Doral, Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Kendall, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Homestead, Hialeah, Miami Lakes, and Key Biscayne.

After the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida enacted SB 4-D, requiring milestone structural inspections for condominium buildings three stories and taller and mandatory structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS). Associations can no longer waive reserves for major structural components, and many Miami-Dade condo owners now face large special assessments. Under Chapter 718, these assessments must follow specific procedures—our attorneys challenge improper assessments and hold boards accountable.

Miami-Dade's barrier-island and waterfront condominiums in Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, and Key Biscayne face soaring insurance premiums, post-Surfside building safety requirements, and aging infrastructure. Under Chapter 718, special assessments and insurance allocations must follow specific procedures. LS Carlson Law challenges improper assessments and helps condo owners hold their boards accountable under Florida law.

Didn’t find your answer? Schedule a Consultation › or call (949) 421-3030
Results that speak for themselves

Recent Client Wins

1,000+
HOA Cases Won
and counting
Our Mission

Homeowner Empowerment

Empowerment is at the heart of everything we do — equipping you with the knowledge, the tools, and the legal muscle to stand up to any overreaching HOA. When homeowners know their rights and have a fiercely dedicated advocate at their side, unfair fines, arbitrary rules, and selective enforcement don’t stand a chance.

Three Ways to Get Empowered — Tap One
DIY Roadmap

Bad HOATM Book

We wrote the book on Bad HOAs… literally. In Bad HOATM, we distill years of legal warfare into a clear, no-nonsense guide designed to help homeowners understand their rights, stand their ground, and take legal action when necessary.

#1 Amazon Best Seller
Get Educated

Bad HOATM Podcast

Each episode delivers in-depth analysis of common homeowner grievances, interviews, and real-life situation assessments — a how-to resource for handling disputes and understanding the personalities inside your HOA. Bad HOATM equips you with the knowledge to ensure your HOA serves you.

Award-Winning Podcast
Join the Movement

Bad HOATM Subreddit

You’re not alone in the fight. Our Bad HOATM subreddit is a growing community of homeowners swapping hard-won advice, war stories, and wins against overreaching boards. Join the conversation, ask questions, and download our free Homeowner Empowerment Kit to walk into your next dispute prepared.

We believe that if you can resolve your HOA issue without needing an attorney, that’s a win.

Get Empowered Now

Articles, News & Resources

When Your Association Sends the Bill: How Florida Courts Evaluate Special Assessment Disputes
ARTICLE

When Your Association Sends the Bill: How Florida Courts Evaluate Special Assessment Disputes

The moment a special assessment arrives in your mailbox, the balance of power in your community can feel as though it has shifted. Understanding how Florida courts analyze these disputes — and what governance failures become central in litigation — is an essential first step.

Read More
Investigating Florida Special Assessments Before Filing Suit: A Pre-Litigation Guide for Homeowners
ARTICLE

Investigating Florida Special Assessments Before Filing Suit: A Pre-Litigation Guide for Homeowners

For many Florida homeowners, few events are as financially disruptive as receiving notice that their homeowners association or condominium board has levied a substantial special assessment. The period before a lawsuit is filed is often when the most consequential work occurs.

Read More
When the Board Comes for You: Retaliatory Enforcement in Florida Condominium Communities
ARTICLE

When the Board Comes for You: Retaliatory Enforcement in Florida Condominium Communities

There is a particular kind of condominium dispute that does not begin with a leaking roof or a delinquent assessment. It begins the moment a unit owner does something the board did not expect: asks to inspect the records, challenges an election result, or refuses to remain quiet at a board meeting.

Read More
When the Board Says No: Florida HOA Architectural Review Committee Abuse
ARTICLE

When the Board Says No: Florida HOA Architectural Review Committee Abuse

You spent months planning it. You measured the dimensions, researched the materials, and carefully drafted the application to your association's architectural review committee. You believed you were following the rules. Then the letter arrived: denied.

Read More
The Fine That Could Cost You Everything: Challenging Florida HOA Fines
ARTICLE

The Fine That Could Cost You Everything: Challenging Florida HOA Fines

It starts with a letter. Sometimes it arrives by certified mail. Other times it appears in your mailbox like a parking ticket. The notice informs you that the association has identified a violation, that a fine is being assessed, and that if you do not act, additional fines may follow.

Read More
The Rules They Chose Not to Enforce: How Selective Enforcement Claims Expose Florida HOAs in Court
ARTICLE

The Rules They Chose Not to Enforce: How Selective Enforcement Claims Expose Florida HOAs in Court

For many homeowners, selective enforcement is difficult to identify until a clear pattern emerges. Your neighbor parks the same boat trailer that earned you a violation notice. Two streets over, an aluminum fence that would never have passed your architectural review committee has stood undisturbed for three years.

Read More
Hurricane Damage and Your Florida Condo Association: Know Your Rights
ARTICLE

Hurricane Damage and Your Florida Condo Association: Know Your Rights

After a hurricane, Florida condo owners often face a second storm: the governance crisis inside the condominium association. Disputes over insurance, special assessments, reconstruction delays, and records access can determine whether owners absorb thousands in costs they never agreed to.

Read More
When the Bill Doesn't Add Up: How Florida Condo Owners Can Challenge Special Assessments
ARTICLE

When the Bill Doesn't Add Up: How Florida Condo Owners Can Challenge Special Assessments

The moment a special assessment notice arrives, many Florida condominium owners feel a familiar tightening in the chest. The number is large. The explanation is vague. The deadline is close. Buried somewhere in the fine print is the threat of a lien against the property if payment is not made on time.

Read More
When the Rules Become Weapons: Inside Florida HOA and Condominium Litigation
ARTICLE

When the Rules Become Weapons: Inside Florida HOA and Condominium Litigation

There is a moment in almost every serious HOA dispute when the homeowner realizes the conflict has changed. What started as a disagreement over a fence, a paint color, an unpaid fine, or a building repair has transformed into something more formal, more expensive, and consequential.

Read More
The Bill You Didn't Vote For: How Florida HOAs Use Special Assessments and How Homeowners Fight Back
ARTICLE

The Bill You Didn't Vote For: How Florida HOAs Use Special Assessments and How Homeowners Fight Back

There are few moments in homeownership more disorienting than opening a letter from your HOA and discovering that you owe thousands of dollars. The charge is not part of your regular dues and not a fee you anticipated. Instead, it is a special assessment imposed by a board you may not have elected

Read More

An Elite Strike Force in the Legal Industry

LS Carlson Law is proud to be considered an Elite Strike Force in the Legal Industry. We are comprised of battle-tested, highly skilled lawyers who operate with a single objective — to win.

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Tell Us About Your HOA Dispute

When you hire LS Carlson Law, you get aggressive Florida HOA and condo attorneys who understand Miami-Dade communities. Call us now or fill out the form to set an appointment.

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