An overzealous neighborhood homeowners’ association towed a car from a Florida woman’s driveway because it allegedly wasn’t parked to their satisfaction. Now, she’s showing receipts in the form of damage to her rear bumper.
The video documenting the damage comes from creator Dystanee Brooks (@dystaneeb), who made waves with a May 11 video, covered by the Daily Dot, generating more than two million views. Responding to a comment saying, “HOAs should be illegal,” Brooks made a video the same day showcasing the damage.
That video shows a view of the rear bumper which Brooks alleges happened from the towing incident in the first video. That supplementary video to the initial story has racked up an additional 638,000 views since posting to the platform.
That video includes a caption reading, “The damages to my car from the HOA toll [sic] company!! This should definitely be illegal.”
@dystaneeb Replying to @Black Blade ♬ original sound – Dystanee Brooks
Is this allowed?
According to the Elite Management Services site, addressing a question about whether HOAs can tow cars, “The answer is yes, HOAs are generally allowed to tow vehicles inside the neighborhood. However, there are a few caveats to this.
“Firstly, the governing documents must have HOA towing rules that allow this. The members may contest HOA towing cars within the community if it does so without authorization from the governing documents. Furthermore, the HOA must consider state law. This is because some laws may influence HOA tow parking rules.”
HOAs are common within the Sunshine State. As the prior Daily Dot story noted, “Florida has the second-most homeowners associations in the country, totaling almost 50,000. There, monthly fees range from $100 to $500 for members. Additionally, 45 percent of Florida homes are located within HOAs, the highest percentage in the U.S.”
Commenters encouraged Brooks to, in the words of one commenter, “lawyer up.”
“Sue them and the tow company baby!” one enthused, “They aren’t allowed to damage your property.”
“I don’t understand how they take your vehicle out of your driveway,” someone else offered.
Another suggested, “File it on your insurance, they will pay your repairs and recover the money from the tow company.”
And finally, someone else cheered on, “Oh I hope you sending those folks the bill.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Brooks via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message.
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