SerpApi.Org
Talk about a neighborhood nightmare.
A Florida retirement community has allegedly made a 28-year-old woman’s life a living hell — and they are forcing her to help foot the bill to sue herself.
Bethany Michel has been locked in a bitter, two-plus-year standoff with the Freedom at Arbor Mill Homeowners Association in Jacksonville, Florida.
Her crime? Inheriting her late father’s home in a 55-plus neighborhood while being under the age limit.
Now, the HOA board is preparing to sue Michel.
“It feels like we aren’t in reality,” Michel told The Post. “It’s like a sick and twisted joke.”
At a Wednesday meeting, the board approved a whopping $1,000 special assessment on all 155 lots to bankroll a $155,000 legal war chest.
The kicker? Because Michel owns one of those lots, she has to pay the $1,000 that the board will use to try and evict her.
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“They’re going to charge her $1,000… so that they can then use that money to sue her,” Michel’s attorney, William “Billy” Davie, told The Post. “Until now, they haven’t put their money where their mouth is. They’re putting the community’s money where their mouth is.”
Residents must pay the $1,000 assessment by Aug. 31 or pay it monthly in $100 increments for 10 months. Those who don’t comply are subject to late fees, collection fees and attorney fees.
“They’re all over 55. Many of them are probably on fixed incomes,” Davie said. “They don’t have $1,000 to just drop on a lawsuit that’s frivolous because some people on the association board have something stuck in their craw.”
Michel, an influencer and social media consultant, moved into the community in 2020 to care for her terminally ill father during the pandemic. She remains there with her two dogs, Mimi and Nova.
Her dad purchased the home from the developer in 2020 for $270,000, with paperwork indicating his daughter would own the unit, her attorney said.
She inherited the home after her father died in 2023, with a Duval County probate judge officially ruled the home belonged to her in March 2025.
The HOA board reportedly claims it must oust Michel to protect its federal 55-plus status. Under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, however, senior communities only need 80% of their homes occupied by someone 55 or older, leaving a 20% cushion for heirs.
While HOAs can adopt stricter rules, Arbor Mill’s own paperwork explicitly allows exceptions for heirs upon an owner’s death.
Since 2023 it’s been “absolute harassment,” she said.
Michel believes she is the only underage resident in the 155-unit community, meaning the HOA is nowhere near breaching the federal 80% threshold.
“They have refused to give us any evidence,” Davie said, speculating the relentless crusade is fueled purely by the “ego” of the board. “That’s how homeowner’s associations are.”
Michel said the HOA revoked her access to the neighborhood amenities even though they are included in the monthly dues. At one point management refused to accept her HOA fees made electronically, she alleged. She has received reminders about the community’s 55-plus requirement and believes the board has sent real estate agents to convince her to sell.
Despite holding a pre-suit mediation in September, the board has dragged its feet on filing a lawsuit — until now. But Davie says the massive $155,000 price tag they are charging homeowners is a dead giveaway that the board knows it’s holding a losing hand.
“If this was a clear-cut case, you wouldn’t ask for $150,000,” Davie slammed. “It would take $5,000 to $10,000, tops. My speculation is that they’ve been told by attorneys that they are going to lose.”
Worse, Davie said, the board is squeezing cash out of elderly residents who can least afford it along with his client.
Michel said that “155 geriatric-aged residents” are being asked to foot the legal bills from the HOA, she said on TikTok on Monday.
Board members James Kazmierczak, John Chapman and Tammy Megowan declined to comment. And Frank Dinucci and Bill Goff did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
Other residents didn’t respond to request for comment. The HOA’s management company, the CAM Team, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Various homeowners in the 155-unit community weren’t available, reachable or declined to comment.
Why doesn’t Michel just sell?
“The only thing worse than losing a parent is being forced out of the home that you were left by said parent,” she said.
She wants to stay for sentimental reasons, her low interest rate, and the peace.
Since his passing, Michel has moved into her dad’s bedroom to keep his memory close.
“The last T-shirt he took off is on the floor when I get ready,” Michel said.
“Even if all 150 residents want me out, if the law says I can stay, I’ll stay,” she added.
