Authorities allegedly arrested a Florida woman for violating the guidelines of her homeowners association (HOA). She was then locked up for seven days.
ABC Action News reported on the events, which Irena Green claims started with an HOA complaint over her lawn. The complaint was allegedly about the state of the grass in her front yard. It reportedly browned, partly thanks to watering restrictions and a large tree nearby. Green also claimed that her front yard wasn’t the worst in the area, pointing to other local gardens. She told ABC, “If you drive around my neighborhood, you’ll see there’s plenty of yards not up to par.”
Green claims that problems escalated. It started with the grass, but the HOA then cited her for a dirty mailbox and a dent in her garage. ABC points out that over 40% of Floridians are part of a homeowners’ association or condominium owners’ association. They agree to these association’s rules when they buy or rent their properties. Professor Paul Boudreaux told ABC that these associations provide homeowners with private contracts. “Including what their lawn looks like, where they can park their cars, what color their houses can be. And the HOAs have the right to enforce this.”
Green Represented Herself In Court Against The HOA
The HOA reportedly filed a lawsuit against Green after she failed to respond to a request for mediation. The association allegedly claimed she “violated the community appearance rules.” Green ultimately represented herself in court with a handwritten response, which the judge and HOA rejected.
ABC reveals that the judge gave Green 30 days to bring her garden up to standard. “I sold my van to comply. My mailbox was cleaned to comply. I bought seeds and watered my grass to comply,” she told the outlet.
Then, she missed her court date, and the judge signed an order last August holding Green in contempt of court. Green alleges that she never received documentation and contacted the courthouse multiple times to inquire about the hearing date.
A deputy from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department pulled Green over on May 23. He asked if she knew she had a warrant for her arrest and took her to Orient Road Jail. “There was no bond. So I couldn’t even go home to my family. I sat in there for seven days. Seven days in the jailhouse like a criminal,” Green told ABC. Per People, the Florida woman faced two charges, contempt of court and failure to comply with the court’s order to show cause.
Green was released after her family showed a different judge pictures of the tidied yard. She admitted to ABC that she wishes she had hired a lawyer. The outlet revealed that the HOA recently hired a new company to enforce its rules and regulations.