Below is a review of the posts on Facebook and LinkedIn from the past week. You can check out the full posts by clicking on the links.
NOTE: remember that we post every other day.
The posts on Monday 10/12/2026, here and here, noted HOA approved garden, then owner got fined $750. Important tips on what to do relative to any landscaping or other approval in a condominium or homeowners association.
Imagine spending years turning your front lawn into a productive garden, getting written approval from your homeowners association, and then discovering that the approval wasn’t the end of the road. That’s what happened to Michael Sherman, whose front-yard “food forest” contains an amazing variety of edibles. His garden had reportedly received written HOA approval, but a subsequent board objected to the landscape, neighbors complained, and the dispute eventually reached city code enforcement. City officials ultimately issued Sherman $750 in fines over alleged code violations. His experience offers an important warning for anyone considering an HOA garden: permission from your association may only be one piece of the paperwork you need. Let’s go back for a deeper dive.
His Front Lawn Became a Food Forest – Sherman began converting his conventional front lawn into an edible landscape around 2019. His food forest eventually included passionfruit, radishes, cand the many other things noted in the post. Sherman said food prices and concerns about commercially grown produce helped motivate his decision to grow more food at home. And he was a good neighbor too – he shared some of the garden’s produce with neighbors.
The HOA Had Approved the Garden in Writing – Sherman was not an owner who just ignored the rules and started digging. He said his HOA approved the garden in writing before a new board took a different position. That’s important – see the post.
A New Board Wasn’t the Only Problem – The $750 fines re from the city’s code enforcement, not the new HOA board. What City officials said about the situation and the resolution they sought is all in the post. Sherman appealed the enforcement action because he had HOA approval. But that brings up important tip #2 – again, see the post.
Keep Every Landscaping Approval You Receive – One of the cheapest forms of garden insurance is a folder full of paperwork. Save the original (or a copy of the) application, drawings, HOA approval letter, emails, receipts, dated photographs, and any other documents showing exactly what was authorized before any construction or planting began. Make sure you can support your asserted approval if a later board does not agree. The post has an example of how it can play out. And make sure to take a few photos when you complete any approved HOA garden (or other) project to document what the property looked like at completion.
Check Municipal Rules Before Spending Money – An HOA approval letter does not mean your project is exempt from any local law or ordinance. The municipality may have its own requirements, including those things listed in the post. This is particularly important with food forests because plants that begin as small nursery specimens can eventually spread far beyond the dimensions shown on the original plan. Before buying plants, check both your HOA documents and the applicable municipal or county code, and keep copies of whatever rules were in effect when you planned the project.
A Food Forest Still Needs Maintenance – There’s also a practical lesson here that doesn’t require taking sides in Sherman’s particular dispute. Dense edible landscaping can be beautiful and productive, but still lead to issues. So what should an owner do? Those things noted in the post.
Your Garden Plans Should Include a Paper Trail – Sherman’s experience doesn’t mean homeowners should abandon plans for edible front yards, native landscapes, or alternatives to conventional lawns. It does show why gardeners should research the boring stuff first, get required HOA and municipal permission in writing, photograph the finished project, do proper maintenance, and save every document indefinitely. If a dispute arises, especially if there is (threatened) legal action, do what is described in the post.
The Cheapest Garden Protection May Be the Paperwork – A productive front yard can reduce lawn maintenance, provide fresh food, support pollinators, and turn otherwise decorative space into something your household actually uses. But in some circumstances – like those listed in the post. Sherman’s case is a good example because written HOA approval did not prevent a larger enforcement dispute.
TAKEAWAY: Know what the condo or HOA rules and municipal ordinance require and get all approvals before starting any planting. Keep everything.
The posts on Wednesday 10/14/2026, here and here, explained what to do when you’re the executor of an estate. At some point in your life, there’s a good chance you’ll be tasked with acting in this role (both an honor and an obligation). Depending on the size of the estate and your relationship to the deceased, performing the duties of an executor can feel like a second job. An online tool referenced in the post was designed after the developer (O’Brien) served as executor of his father’s estate.
Serving as executor can be particularly challenging for adult children responsible for the estate of the last surviving parent. Things that may come up are listed in the post. And if additional complications (like those noted in the post) are present, the task becomes even more time-consuming.
While every situation is different, we are going to look at some basic steps most executors should follow. But you should always check state and local laws and rules to ensure that all legal requirements are met.
Obtain copies of the death certificate and file the will. One of the things to do is obtain copies of the death certificate and file that with the will in the county probate court (which in Pennsylvania is the Register of Wills and the Orphans Court). Meet any required deadline.
If probate is required, you’ll need to obtain a document from the court, known as a letter of testamentary. What that document does is described in the post.
Assemble a team. You will most likely need professional help, including an attorney with estate-planning experience, probably a tax professional, and possibly a certified financial planner. The attorney who helped the deceased prepare the will may be a good place to start (for the reason noted in the post).
Create an inventory of assets. In a perfect world, the deceased will have kept good records of bank and brokerage accounts, insurance policies, tax returns, and other documents. But often an executor is dropped into a less than perfect world, meaning you may need to locate assets or current details about them. One example is what O’Brien found when going through boxes in his parents’ basement.
Protect personal property. If the estate includes a home or other real property, you’ll be responsible for maintaining the property and paying the mortgage, taxes and insurance until the house is sold. And there’s sure to be personal property, some of which might be valuable, so your duties as executor will also include the things noted in the post.
Set up a separate bank account. You will need to pay bills and make deposits on behalf of the estate. Set up am estate bank account for this. Another reason to have an estate bank account is noted in the post.
Pay the decedent’s debts. This is critical, because if unpaid bills and other debts aren’t paid before property of the estate is distributed to heirs, creditors could sue you (or the heirs). And as executor, there are other financial-related responsibilities as noted in the post.
Communicate regularly with the beneficiaries. Don’t leave other heirs in the dark, particularly if the process is taking longer than expected. Periodic communications might stave off unhappiness or legal actions by beneficiaries.
Distribute the assets. This is one of the final steps in the process and can only be completed after all debts are paid. And you may need prior court approval. This could be a very challenging step as described in the post. The will should be a huge (if not total) help in this regard. If not, use the tip in the post.
Finish the process. Once you’ve distributed the assets, it’s a good idea to get a written release from beneficiaries acknowledging that they have received their inheritance. Why do you want this? See the post.
And what if being executor seems like more than you can or want to handle? There are options as set forth in the post.
TAKEAWAY: More often than not, being an executor involves too many legally-required steps for a lay person to handle alone. Getting an experienced estate planning and probate attorney involved early on is a good step to take.
The posts on Friday 10/16/2026, here and here, told us the Heron Bay HOA fight over rental restrictions continues. If you’ve forgotten the background, check out our posts on 9/24/2026, here and here, or our blog for that week.
After the new board at one of Broward County, Florida’s largest homeowners associations backed off the most contentious landlord rules following a recent outcry, opponents are preparing to take another shot at some of the remaining provisions while supporters are pressuring the board to impose even stronger restrictions.
The board unanimously passed a revised set of regulations on Sept. 3, eliminating provisions requiring landlord orientations for every new lease or renewal and preventing tenants with rule violations from renewing or leasing elsewhere in the community. Media was blocked from attending the meeting, but attendees said about 200 of the 10,000-plus Heron Bay residents showed up. Where the meeting was held might surprise you – see the post. Unlike prior meetings, this one was not a hybrid.
The HOA (board)’s attorney said a majority of meeting attendees supported the rules and many now want the board to amend them to be even stricter. A quote from the attorney is in the post.
But some landlords continue to push back against the rules, claiming the board doesn’t have the authority to pass them. Four rules will be the subject of a mediation scheduled for Nov. 17 according to one landlord (Steigman, who, with partners, owns 17 properties in Heron Bay). What those rules do is listed and detailed in the post.
How large heron Bay is, and the number of its sub-associations, is noted in the post and might really open your eyes.
Steigman said that since Sept. 14, he said he’s received five violations — one from the master board and four from one of the subdivision boards. He says it is all retaliation against him and his tenants. The subdivision board had no comment, but what the HOA board’s attorney said in response to the allegations of retaliation is in the post.
In police body camera footage obtained by Steigman and viewed by the media, the president of that subdivision board said Steigman is “being fought against” by the HOA master board and subdivision board for “renting to troublemakers.” More of what the board member said is quoted in the post. The camera footage was from Aug. 20 when police responded to a call claiming a Black teenager who jumped the pool fence was related to the children of one of Steigman’s tenants. Detail from the tenant as to the incident is in the post. What else happened to Steigman and the violations after that is also in the post.
TAKEAWAY: It seems that things get ore heated ore often in the condo/homeowners association world now, but there are still outliers like this situation. Get a community association lawyer involved to assist with your situation.