Woodleaf Hammock Homeowners Association requires a six-digit income from a Section 8 tenant.
By Dayana Melendez
Original Air Date: December 6, 2024
Host: In a Lakewood Ranch community, rules meant to maintain order and safety are being used to push people out. Ashley Washington’s battle with the Woodleaf Hammock Homeowners Association highlights how income discrimination in housing is hurting vulnerable residents. Dayana Melendez spoke with Washington, and Ruth Beltran, a community organizer and host of “The Ruthless Truth” on WSLR, about the struggles Washington is facing.
Dayana Melendez: Ashley Washington, a mother of five, thought she had found stability when she secured a rental home in Lakewood Ranch using Section 8 housing vouchers. But her hopes were shattered when the community’s homeowners’ association imposed a steep and seemingly arbitrary requirement: She must prove an annual income of $128,000 to qualify for tenancy. After struggling to meet the HOA’s new rule, which mandated that tenants must make at least 30% of their rent in income to remain in the community, Washington was evicted.
She shared her frustrations and the lack of transparency in the process:
Ashley Washington: Renters or people who are on government assistance are shut out automatically because we don’t get invited to the meetings, and we don’t hear anything unless another neighbor tells us. On top of that, that’s how I found out—they were going door to door, having the owners, whoever owned their homes, sign for anyone on government assistance to be removed. And that’s why those new rules were set into place.
DM: The emotional toll of the situation was heightened when Washington learned that the new rule would require tenants like her—who don’t meet the 30% income threshold—to move out, without assistance in covering relocation costs. The timing couldn’t have been worse. With the holiday season fast approaching and five children to care for, Ashley was left in a state of uncertainty.
AW: It stressed me out because here I am, close to Christmas, with five kids, and now they’re saying, ‘Oh, if you’re denied, you have to move, and we’re not going to help cover these fees.’ Then it was brought to my attention that it was set into place that if you’re not making 30% of your rent, you have to go. And that stressed me out because I know I don’t make 30% of my rent, and I knew eventually they were going to let me go.
DM: Washington’s eviction is not just a personal hardship but part of a larger issue of income discrimination, which advocates like Ruth Beltran are fighting against. Ruth, a community organizer and homeowner, voiced her outrage over such policies, which she believes disproportionately harm families like Ashley’s.
Ruth Beltran: At a time when people in Manatee County and across Florida are facing a housing crisis, rent has skyrocketed, and families are struggling to find affordable housing. It’s outrageous that communities are catering to the top 1%.
DM: Beltran went on to emphasize the broader social impact of such policies:
RB: Housing is a human right. Everyone is entitled to safe and secure housing, regardless of their income. This is legal segregation. Policies like this keep neighborhoods predominantly white and wealthy, while leaving out working-class families who are the backbone of our community.
DM: Florida’s Homeowners Association laws are some of the most complex in the nation, with various community guidelines governed by the Florida Homeowners Association Act, the Condominium Act, and the Cooperative Act. No matter which set of rules a community follows, the HOA must provide all residents with fair and ethical treatment. In Ashley’s case, the discriminatory policies imposed by the HOA ignored this responsibility, Beltrán says, leaving families like hers vulnerable to eviction without support.
Ashley’s story has become a rallying point for advocates like Beltrán , who are determined to push back against these discriminatory rules. Beltrán believes local governments have the power to change these policies and hopes that her community will take a stand.
RB: Local municipalities have the power to make these income requirements illegal. It’s time for our county commissioners to step up and take a stand against discrimination. We will continue to fight until we dismantle this policy—not just in this neighborhood, but across the county.
DM: We reached out to the Woodleaf Hammock HOA at Lakewood Ranch for comment on this issue, but did not receive a response before our deadline.
This has been Dayana Melendez with WSLR News.
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