In Florida’s coastal city of Port St. Lucie, tucked between Miami and Orlando, homeowner association tensions are boiling over into real violence.
Police say 62-year-old Paul Maraio shot and killed two neighbors, 54-year-old Mark Douglas Golden and 75-year-old David Walter Gasik, before barricading himself inside their home (1). He later turned the gun on himself and died from his injuries.
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Police Chief Leo Niemczyk called it the breaking point of a long and bitter HOA feud. Records show the association had been trying to evict Maraio, though Niemczyk added the conflict grew out of clashing political views.
Events this extreme remain rare, but experts warn disputes within HOA communities are becoming more frequent and volatile. And it’s prompting lawmakers to take action.
Rising tensions in HOA communities
Eric Perez, an HOA attorney with Perez Mayoral Law in Coral Gables, confirmed with WPTV West Palm Beach that he’s seeing an increase in these conflicts.
"Unfortunately, it happens a lot more often than one would think," he said.
Now, state lawmakers are weighing proposals that would give communities the power to dissolve their homeowners associations altogether, which raises another question: has the HOA experiment finally run its course?
"You know, temperatures are sometimes at an all-time high when there’s an ongoing dispute and people may unfortunately take to physical violence," Perez said.
Part of the tension comes from the structure of HOAs themselves (2). They offer order through enforcing rules, maintaining common areas and taking on repairs that individual homeowners might want to avoid.
But the trade-off is control. Associations can restrict everything from paint colors to landscaping to home modifications. Those are limits that often fuel the very conflicts they’re meant to prevent.
A study from Onyx Capital Management illustrated there are more than 373,000 HOA communities across the U.S. That’s up 10% from 2024, with Florida accounting for nearly half of them.
In Port St. Lucie, police records show the disputes between Maraio and his neighbors had been escalating for more than a year. The HOA issued him an eviction notice in October for being a “disruptive resident.” Golden, the HOA’s treasurer, had previously requested two separate trespass orders against Maraio; one in 2024 and another in 2025. These came after reporting harassment and a throat-slashing gesture. In September, he alleged that Maraio was watching him and his partner through binoculars.
Attorney Jeff Kominsky admitted he’s seen more HOA disputes go beyond the usual frustration.
"When you have a built-in high number or quantities of associations, things can happen," he said.
Port St. Lucie isn’t the only HOA clash in Florida to turn violent. In 2023, Miami police arrested former condo president Marc Joseph Maggisano for allegedly threatening a board member, frightening residents and trying to set a resident’s truck on fire (3).
Republican Rep. Juan Carlos Porras of Miami told WPTV that many HOA disputes likely go unreported and that this has become one of Florida’s most widespread community issues.
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Know your rights
Porras is drafting legislation that would allow residents to vote their HOAs out of existence. It wouldn’t ban HOAs statewide, but it would create a formal channel for communities that feel their association isn’t working.
"I think HOA is our failed experiment, and there needs to be some sort of guidelines in place on how to get rid of them," Porras said.
But ending an HOA is far from simple. Estate planning attorney Joseph Hudack said that once an association dissolves, homeowners are suddenly responsible for tasks the HOA handled. That includes everything from maintaining shared spaces to deciding how repairs are paid for and who’s responsible for common areas.
“Dissolving your HOA is a time-consuming, complicated, and expensive process that, even if you are successful, may have effects that you hadn’t anticipated, regardless of how poorly run, mismanaged, or corrupt your HOA may seem,” Hudack said.
If you live in an HOA, it’s important to understand your rights and know where to turn when a conflict arises. Many disputes escalate simply because homeowners don’t realize they have options.
If you’re facing harassment, unclear rule enforcement or a board that isn’t responding, you can reach out to your local code-enforcement office, hire a community-association attorney or request mediation through your county. Documenting every interaction, keeping copies of notices and attending board meetings can also help you stay protected and informed.
"It doesn’t have to end like this," Kominsky said.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
WPTV (1); Investopedia (2); Local 10 (3); Hudack Law (4).
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.