Resident tells council Shoma at Royal Palm Beach HOA lacks management, owners getting liens

Jessica Guerrero, an owner at Shoma at Royal Palm Beach, addressed the Village of Royal Palm Beach council during public comment in February 2025, asking for help after what she described as unresponsive HOA governance, unpaid maintenance and a recent special assessment that left homeowners uncertain about where association funds are held.

Guerrero told the council she represents more than 240 homeowners and said the community has cycled through four management companies; she said four board members "do not resign in our community" and that the association president lives in Orlando. She said the HOA approved a special assessment of $2,577 on Nov. 12, 2024 and "they gave us only 10 days to make this payment." Guerrero said the association has no management company currently, maintenance is not occurring and some owners who have paid assessments are now being told the board has not instructed the collection company how to proceed; several owners have received liens.

Guerrero described security and maintenance problems, saying the community gate "has been broken for the last 9 months." She said residents have filed complaints with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and other offices and have retained an attorney to pursue a recall of the board; Guerrero said five residents are prepared to step into board roles.

Village Attorney (name not specified) responded that village government has limited authority over private HOA governance. The attorney said, "the government is not has no authority to enforce private HOA rules, regulations," but noted the village can pursue code-enforcement action if there are minimum property-standard violations. The village manager reiterated the limits on municipal authority while encouraging Guerrero to continue with the recall and legal process and said the village can assist with operational issues such as waste collection if necessary. The manager also said the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is monitoring the area and that, statistically, the sheriff has not seen a large spike in crime even though residents report feeling less safe.

Mayor Jeff Emer and Council members thanked Guerrero for bringing the issue to the council. Council members and staff recommended residents keep pursuing DBPR complaints, continue with the recall process through their attorney, and provide any code-enforcement evidence of property maintenance violations to village staff.

The council did not take direct enforcement action at the meeting. Officials advised residents on next steps (recall, DBPR complaints and legal action) and offered limited operational help (waste collection, police attention) where the village has authority.