What Is HOA? Florida Mom Ariel Barner Accuses Neighborhood Association of Discrimination

Ariel Barner, a single mother living in the Riverchase community in East Orange County, Florida, has accused her neighborhood’s homeowners’ association (HOA) of discrimination and abuse of power.

Barner said she and her children have been living in the community for nearly six months. In one of her TikTok videos, she showed a woman she claimed was the HOA president of the University Pines Property Owners Association. According to Barner, the woman allegedly watched her five-year-old son closely every day.

Ariel stated that her children are the only minority children who ride the school bus. One day, she received a call from her daughter, who said the HOA president scolded her younger brother for swinging from a magnolia tree near the bus stop and touching a rock.

A few days later, Barner received a legal letter from the University Pines Property Owners Association. The notice claimed her son had violated community rules and demanded she pay $382 in attorney fees.

Barner said she continued to send her children to school and later visited the HOA president on September 23, 2025, to discuss the matter. The following day, she received another legal notice.

Ariel said she is now consulting her attorney, describing the situation as “prejudiced, abuse of power, and discriminatory.”

According to an October 4, 2025, report by Yahoo News, attorney Tennille Shiwash, who represents the HOA, stated that the legal notice was issued due to liability concerns in case Barner’s son fell from the magnolia tree.

Barner has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal expenses and to defend what she calls a “child’s right to play.” The fundraiser has exceeded its $60,000 goal, raising more than $62,000 so far.

Similar HOA Dispute in Indiana

In a separate case, a homeowners’ association in the Morse Pointe community in Noblesville, Indiana, recently reached a compromise with the Phillips family after a year-long dispute.

Last year, 16-year-old Corban Phillips was paralyzed from the waist down after falling from a trampoline. His family sought to remodel their home by adding a ramp for easier access to the front door and a deck so he could enjoy the yard. However, their community’s HOA initially denied the request.

After months of negotiations between attorneys and several revisions to the remodeling plans, the Morse Pointe HOA finally approved the project.

Corban’s mother, April Phillips, told 13News that she was frustrated by how long it took to reach an agreement.

Ariel Barner’s legal case remains ongoing, and she continues to share updates on her TikTok account.

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