JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville influencer is fighting to stay in her inherited home after her HOA voted to assess a $155,000 fee — split among residents — to cover legal costs aimed at removing her.
Bethany Michel, 28, inherited the home from her father, who lived in the Arbor Mill 55-and-up community. Michel had been his caretaker before he passed away. Now, the HOA says she can’t stay because she’s under 55.
Following Tuesday night’s vote, Michel said the process wasn’t truly in the community’s hands.
“They allowed 155 people to think that they had a decision in the vote,” Michel said. “But it was the five board members who spoke for the whole community.”
$155,000 assessment splits the neighborhood
The Arbor Mill HOA approved the $155,000 assessment to pay for legal fees in the ongoing lawsuit. Each resident will pay $1,000 as a result of the vote.
Residents expressed mixed thoughts on the situation. Some people were in favor of keeping Bethany in her home, but others were in favor of keeping this a 55-and-up community.
Michel acknowledged the divide.
“Very passionate, no matter what side they’re on, they are very, very passionate,” she said. “And they’re allowed to be, because so am I.”
Neighbor speaks out against the removal effort
Not everyone at Arbor Mill supports the legal push. Neighbor William Baltazar said he believes the majority of residents disagree with the effort to remove Michel.
“As a person who has kids, I don’t believe that this is the right thing to do, to just kick her out and take her out,” Baltazar said. “The majority of the people here disagree with this. There are very few people that are really pushing it.”
‘He worked to set me up’
Michel said her father’s home represents more than sentimental value — it’s a rare opportunity at homeownership.
“How many people between the age of 20 and 30 can actually become a homeowner these days?” she said. “It’s nearly impossible to become a homeowner, and the fact that he worked to set me up with a situation where I own a home — and I was told I would be allowed to stay.”
Despite the vote, Michel said she has no plans to leave.
“Love y’all, even the ones who don’t like me,” she said. “You will live the rest of your life watching me thrive, whether you’re happy with it or not. I ain’t going nowhere.”
The Arbor Mill HOA declined to comment on the lawsuit or whether it considered making an exception in Michel’s case.