Police launch manhunt for HOA bookkeeper accused of emptying accounts for vacations, plastic surgery

In a Florida suburb, a shocking crime has shattered the calm.

Authorities in Martin County have launched a manhunt for a homeowners association bookkeeper accused of orchestrating a massive fraud that drained community funds.

According to WPEC, authorities said Alexandra Delacaridad Gonzalez, former property manager and bookkeeper for Avant-Garde Property Management, allegedly siphoned hundreds of thousands of dollars from HOA accounts over an extended period, using the money to fund vacations, shopping sprees, and even plastic surgery.

Investigators said Gonzalez used her access to multiple accounts to write checks to herself while overseeing financial records. To avoid detection, she allegedly created fake invoices, falsified ledger entries, and forged signatures to make the transactions appear legitimate.

The scheme only came to light after financial irregularities were noticed and reported — but by then, authorities said the money was gone.

"The owner of the company, in her due diligence, started tracking the money and noticed that there was a shell game being played," said a county sheriff, per CBS12 News. "As far as the money that she stole, there's none left to claw back."

In many HOA communities, fees go toward essentials like maintenance, insurance, and long-term improvements, meaning losses like this can directly impact residents' finances.

The case also highlights a broader issue. While HOAs are designed to protect property values and streamline community decisions, they don't always operate with the level of transparency homeowners might expect.

Across the U.S., some HOAs have also faced criticism for blocking cost-saving, eco-friendly upgrades such as rooftop solar panels or native landscaping, stifling progress in the name of uniformity.

For homeowners looking to make sustainable, money-saving changes, understanding HOA rules and working collaboratively with boards can be key.

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Residents and readers alike expressed anger and called for accountability in the CBS12 News comments.

"HOAs are so bad in Florida. It is almost impossible to get them arrested for a crime against the community they [are] suppose to protect," one commenter wrote.

Another added: "Those who usually overly point the finger at others wrongdoings are usually doing something very wrong themselves. HOAs should be abolished."

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