Irena Green spent time in jail and went through a long legal process for breaking the regulations of her Hillsborough County homeowners’ association.
Green recounted the humiliation she experienced at the jail earlier this year when she was fingerprinted and had her mug shot taken. She is currently the only homeowner to have been jailed for failing to maintain her yard to the standards set by her HOA.
“It makes me feel horrible. I work hard to buy this home for me and my kids in a better neighborhood and environment, and to be taken to jail and to be treated like that for brown grass at my own home… that’s horrible,” she said.
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It all began with notices from The Trowbridge Company, Inc., the HOA management company. The Riverview’s Creek View resident received a warning for having a filthy mailbox that was covered in mildew because of the shade and moisture from a large tree near her walkway.
She was also cited for possessing a commercial cargo van, which was similar to others the ABC Action news crew saw in the area. However, she claimed that the notices first appeared due to the color of her grass.
“The grass has started turning brown. So then they started sending notes. And it went from the grass being brown to there’s a dent in my garage,” Green told ABC Action News.
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But Green pointed out that because of the large tree, the grass in her yard isn’t always green. She also blamed the bad state of her grass on a drought that forced compulsory watering restrictions last year.
Green added that her yard is by no means the worst in her community.
“If you drive around my neighborhood, you’ll see there’s plenty of yards not up to par,” Green said.
The HOA sued Green in Hillsborough County Civil Court after she did not reply to a mediation invitation. The lawsuit claimed that Green had broken the community appearance guidelines and demanded that she make amends.
In court, Green defended herself by submitting a handwritten answer to the case, which the judge and the HOA both rejected. She was given an ultimatum by the judge at the hearing.
“My grass had to be brung up to par. He said you can get seed, you can do something, but you’ve got 30 days to get it corrected. So I said fine. He said if it’s not done in 30 days, you’re gonna go to jail,” Green recounted.
She said she fixed the violations. “I sold my van to comply. My mailbox was cleaned to comply. I bought seeds and watered my grass to comply,” she explained.
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Nevertheless, Green did not show up for her subsequent court appearance. She claimed that she was not personally served with a notice to appear at the hearing, which was to occur last August.
“I was supposed to receive documentation. Nothing was sent to my home. And I reached out to the courthouse several times to try to find out when was my court date,” Green said.
Therefore, at the request of Francis Friscia, the HOA’s lawyer, the judge issued a warrant for Green’s arrest and signed an order last August holding her in contempt of court.
On May 23, 2025, after picking up her 15-year-old daughter from cheerleading practice, Green was stopped by a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputy.
“He asked me can I get out. When I got out he said ‘Ms. Green, did you know that you have a warrant for your arrest?’” Green said.
She was handcuffed and sent to the Orient Road Jail. She was told there was no bond when she arrived at the jail. This meant that she couldn’t go home.
“I sat there for seven days. Seven days in jail like a criminal,” Green remarked.
During her jail time, the suburban mother said she avoided encounters with hardened criminals but engaged with a few inmates.
“One girl, she kind of came over and asked me like ‘Hey, what are you in here for?’ And I told her it was like for my grass. And she’s like ‘Oh grass, they should make that stuff legal’. She’s thinking that I’m talking about weed and I’m talking about my front yard grass.”
Green’s paralegal sister-in-law petitioned for an emergency hearing six days after her arrest.
“I went to court, and I had to be shackled from my hands to my feet,” Green said.
According to her, she was the only person in a jail uniform in the county civil court.
Green’s family sent photos of the yard and other evidence to the judge, who was not the same judge who granted the arrest warrant last August.
At the hearing, Green claimed a HOA lawyer argued against her release.
“He says ‘well, it hasn’t been resodded. The whole yard needs to be re-sodded. And she’s like not from those pictures I see. She’s like ‘No. I want her released immediately,’” Green said. “He wanted me to continue to sit in jail and not come home to my family.”
Green was released on the judge’s order the following day when the paperwork was finalized.
“I think they have way too much power,” Green stated, describing the embarrassing and stressful incident. “I’ve never heard of anything like this in my life.”
Creek View HOA attorney Francis Friscia sent a statement to ABC Action News on behalf of the Board of Directors on the matter that read:
“Ms. Green received notices of violations. She disregarded them. Legal action was filed by the Association after she failed to accept the offer to mediate the matter, pre-suit, as is required before a lawsuit can be filed.
After suit was filed and final judgment was entered against her, Ms. Green showed up for the court hearing on July 11, 2024. Please see attached judgment and sentence. At the July 11 hearing, with Ms. Green present, another court date was set by the judge for August 19, 2024. She was instructed to comply with the requirements of the final judgment by August 19 and to report to the judge what was accomplished on August 19. Ms. Green failed to show up in court on August 19. Her failure to abide by the Court’s instruction led to the arrest warrant being issued. This is all explained in the attached judgment. These steps were taken by the Court due to Ms. Green’s failure to comply with the Court’s instructions. This is all public record.”
More than 40 percent of Floridians live in a homeowners association or condominium owners association. When they take ownership or rent the property, they agree to abide by the rules of those associations.
