Have you noticed something off about how our HOA announces meetings lately? If you’re paying attention, you may have seen a troubling pattern: meeting notices appearing at our community gate just two days before the meeting.
What Happened to Reasonable Notice?
Not long ago, homeowners typically received a week, sometimes even two weeks, of notice before an HOA meeting. That gave people time to plan, rearrange schedules, and actually participate. Today, those notices are often posted just 48 hours in advance. That’s not much notice for working families, retirees with appointments, or anyone who simply wants to stay involved.
It raises a fair question: is this just poor communication, or is it a convenient way to limit attendance?
Making Meetings Technically “Accessible” but Practically Impossible
It gets worse.
Access to the Zoom meeting is handled in a way that makes participation unnecessarily difficult. The Zoom link is posted in tiny print on a sheet of paper at the gate. To attend, a homeowner must physically walk or drive up to the gate, take a photo of the notice, zoom in on the image, manually type out a long web link, and hope they didn’t make a typo.
This isn’t accessibility. It’s a barrier.
In an age where a simple email, text message, or clearly posted online link would solve the problem instantly, this approach feels intentional. It discourages participation while still allowing the HOA to say the meeting was “open” to homeowners.
Transparency Shouldn’t Disappear When Accountability Increases
Since we began recording meetings and asking more questions, transparency appears to have gone in the opposite direction. Late notices, hard-to-access links, and minimal communication do not build trust. They do the opposite.
HOA meetings are where real decisions are made. Budgets, projects, rule enforcement, and policies that directly affect our homes and finances are discussed and approved there. When homeowners are kept in the dark or effectively blocked from attending, it undermines the idea that the HOA represents the community.
Why This Matters to Every Homeowner
This isn’t about one meeting or one notice. It’s about a pattern. When participation becomes difficult, fewer homeowners show up. When fewer homeowners show up, accountability fades. And when accountability fades, decisions get made without meaningful homeowner input.
That should concern all of us.
What Can We Do?
As homeowners, we have every right to expect timely notice, clear communication, and reasonable access to meetings. That means advance notice, easily accessible Zoom links, and communication methods that reflect the reality of how people live today.
If we don’t speak up, nothing changes.
So what do you think, Lake Griffin?
Is this acceptable, or is it time to push for better communication, real transparency, and genuine homeowner involvement?
Let’s talk about it.
