This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: As she sat across from me drinking tea, Coretta—a pseudonym to protect her identity—shared her dismay about living in a central Florida community because of the control exercised by her homeowners association, or HOA. A Black mother of three with a background in real estate, Coretta has lived in her mostly Hispanic community for over 20 years.
She told me that apathy had long replaced her anger. "I don't think [the community developers] intended for it to be a heavily Hispanic population. … They were expecting a certain economic class to come here. I think they were trying to push out the ones that they felt didn't belong.
I think they're doing that and have done that." I'm a sociologist, and Coretta was one of 47 residents of this community whom I interviewed between 2017 and 2020 as part of a survey to understand the experiences of people of color living in an HOA. All of the people I interviewed identified as Latino, Caribbean or Black. Over and over, residents shared with me the same story: We are being given the clear message by the HOA governing officials that we do not belong here, but we cannot afford to leave due to rising housing prices.
The people I spoke to worried that even if they did move, that wouldn't solve the problem. Nearly half of Florida residents live in communities overseen by HOAs, the largest share of any state. And it's not just a Florida phenomenon.
Across the U.S., 80% of new single-family homes in subdivisions and 60% of new single-family homes overall are governed by HOAs. Even if they moved, families like Coretta's would likely end up in another HOA. Based on my research, stories like Coretta's are an example of how homeowners associations act as what sociologists call racialized organizations.
Racialized organizations, while appearing or even intending to be neutral, can create and maintain inequality. They can diminish the agency of racialized groups—that is, groups that are perceived as different from the white racial majority—and legitimize the unequal distribution of resources. Within organizations, being seen as white often provides advantages and power.
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