CLERMONT, Fla. – Homeowners at Legends Golf and Country Club in Clermont say they have two questions: Where is our money? And Where is our management?
After months of complaints from residents, Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has opened a formal investigation into the community’s homeowners association. But as the investigation continues, residents say they are still paying higher HOA dues as they watch their neighborhood deteriorate.
Residents describe dilapidated landscaping, broken facilities, rubbish at the community entrance and facilities in poor condition – conditions they say do not reflect the “first class” community they were promised.
“We were told we were getting an appraisal and we didn’t know where the money was,” said homeowner Jennifer Rivers.
Table of Contents
Residents question rising fees and lack of financial records
Legends Golf and Country Club, managed by ICON Management Services, a division of Troon, has increased HOA costs through both higher monthly dues and a special assessment.
Special assessments are an additional fee charged to homeowners by their association to cover major projects or unexpected emergencies that exceed the HOA’s regular budget and reserve funds
Rivers said residents were first told in February that homeowners would have to pay an additional $290 — about the amount of a month’s worth of HOA fees — due to a budget error.
Weeks later, she said, the association cited damage from Central Florida’s record-breaking winter freeze and increased damages to $860.
Then residents said the HOA retracted it and changed the price a third time, causing much confusion and raising red flags about how much money was needed, how records were managed and where their contributions were used.
At the same time, residents said they requested financial records to better understand spending but received only incomplete records, which they said violated Florida law.
Under Florida Statute §720.303(5)The HOA must maintain financial and accounting records in accordance with good accounting practices, which must include:
Accurate, itemized and detailed records of all income and expenses.
A checking account and regular statement for each member with detailed information on contributions paid, due dates and balances.
All tax returns, financial statements, financial reports and bank statements.
All current contracts and all offers received by the association for work to be carried out.
“I started going to board meetings and asking questions, and I realized that people who asked questions were being attacked or shamed,” said resident Kristin Shirley.
Residents say conditions in the neighborhood have worsened
Homeowners say the financial concerns have coincided with visible declines throughout the community.
Among the issues they pointed out:
Dead trees, bushes and landscaping
Garbage was left at the community entrance
Fitness equipment was broken for months
Broken lights
Dry ponds and fountains
Residents also expressed concerns about the HOA’s reserve account.
According to financial documents reviewed by News 6, homeowners say the reserve fund fell from about $1.5 million in early 2025 to about $376,000 about a year later.
“That’s $1.1 million that we don’t see a paper trail for,” one resident said.
Residents are retaining an attorney as the investigation progresses
After repeated attempts to get answers, residents said they turned to social media to organize Facebook groups like Legends Unite to centralize information, keep the community informed and urge HOA board members to be transparent.
Ultimately, about 70 households pooled together additional money to hire an attorney, an effort they described as “frustrating and costly,” especially given the economic turmoil and because they needed to be represented and supported by the HOA’s legal counsel.
“We felt like we needed protection,” Shirley said disappointedly. “This is our home. Our children grow up here.”
News 6 also repeatedly requested information via email and voicemail from Legends Golf and Country Club HOA, ICON Management and TROON, but to no avail.
On Friday, ICON Management released a statement.
“ICON Management Services takes the allegations made by some Legends Golf and Country Club residents seriously and has cooperated fully with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation since the beginning of the investigation. We welcome this process and are confident that it will reflect the accuracy and integrity of our financial management throughout our agreement with the Legends HOA Board of Directors.”
ICON has maintained complete and accurate financial records in accordance with Florida law and has provided periodic financial reports to the Board of Directors. We reject the suggestion that funds have been misappropriated or that residents have been deprived of information to which they have a rightful right.
We are also actively working with the Board to address landscaping and facility maintenance concerns stemming in part from the record-breaking winter freeze that affected communities across Central Florida earlier this year. ICON remains committed to the Legends community and the Board’s ability to make informed decisions on behalf of residents.
We will have no further public comment while the DBPR process is ongoing.”
ICON management
State investigations are ongoing
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation opened a formal investigation in early June and then referred the matter to the Legal Department, where the case remains.
News 6 continues to ask the state for updates on the status of the investigation.
The case also highlights a broader problem in Florida: There is no single state agency dedicated to regulating homeowners associations, a gap that can complicate oversight and enforcement when residents raise concerns about HOA operations or management.
Breaking news
Get breaking news alerts in your inbox.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2026/07/01/florida-agency-investigating-lake-county-hoa-as-residents-question-missing-money-deteriorating-facilities/
