Doral council approves one-year pilot to screen HOA fraud complaints, limits scope to criminal financial misconduct

Mayor Christie Fraga presented a one-year HOA and COA fraud-detection pilot on June 10, asking the council to create a structured pathway for residents to submit documented financial complaints that may meet the legal threshold for criminal investigation. "As outlined in the attached resolution under Florida law, the city of Doral does not have jurisdiction to regulate, audit, enforce, or oversee HOAs or COAs," Fraga said, but added the pilot focuses specifically on suspected fraud and misuse of association funds.

Tamara Reyes, a consultant with experience in economic-crimes investigations, told the council these cases are "document-heavy" and often require forensic accounting. "Not everybody has the money to pay for our services," Reyes said. She described an intake procedure and an educational component for complainants and said investigators must be trained to distinguish civil governance disputes from actionable crimes.

Council members broadly endorsed the pilot but emphasized limits: it will not resolve governance disputes, overturn elections, or create a new regulatory role for the city. Councilwoman Perez said she supported the pilot but opposed charging homeowners for the service after the pilot is complete. "I don't support adding additional fees to associations or residents to do this work," she said.

The resolution tasks the police department with establishing intake and triage procedures, funds training and outside financial-auditing services for the pilot year, and requires the city to track utilization, case outcomes, and resource demands. The council approved the pilot by voice and roll-call; the motion passed. The mayor said the city will evaluate sustainability and whether a cost-recovery mechanism should be pursued if prosecutions or recoveries occur.