Leland Management, Inc., a Florida community association management company, has been the subject of a 2003 Florida Bar investigation into the unlicensed practice of law, is a current co-defendant in a 2025 personal injury lawsuit in Orange County, and has faced separate homeowner complaints about its handling of association matters. Any Leland Management lawsuit or regulatory action you find in public records tends to trace back to one of these three threads.
The 2003 Florida Bar Investigation Into Lien Filings
The most significant regulatory action against Leland Management involved employees filing property liens against homeowners without an attorney’s involvement. Under Florida Supreme Court precedent, preparing and recording liens is the practice of law, and doing that work without a license is classified as the unlicensed practice of law, or UPL.
A July 2003 investigation published by Citizens for Constitutional Justice reported that Leland Management employees Richard Murphy and Rebecca Furlow had been filing liens and preparing lien releases for the homeowner associations the company managed. Homeowners were charged a $125 fee described as a “lien processing fee” or “legal fee for the attorney who prepared the lien,” even though no attorney had actually prepared the documents.1CCFJ. Unlicensed Practice of Law by Community Association Managers
A complaint was filed with the Florida Bar, whose UPL Department opened an investigation. On June 18, 2003, Richard Murphy signed a Cease and Desist Affidavit with the Florida Bar. Bar Counsel Ghunise L. Coaxum formally ordered Murphy to stop engaging in activities constituting the unauthorized practice of law. The available record does not show that Rebecca Furlow signed a separate affidavit or faced individual regulatory action, though the CCFJ investigation identified her by name as a director who was filing liens for the company.1CCFJ. Unlicensed Practice of Law by Community Association Managers
The CCFJ report identified 13 homeowner and condominium associations across Central Florida — in Orlando, Clermont, Oviedo, Sanford, Maitland, and Winter Haven, among others — where Leland employees allegedly filed liens without attorney oversight. The law firm Clayton & McCulloh, which represented Leland Management as a client, confirmed in a letter to Bar counsel that it did “not have any open matters for this client involving liens at this time,” meaning the firm had not prepared the liens homeowners were being charged for.1CCFJ. Unlicensed Practice of Law by Community Association Managers
As of the July 2003 report, a possible class action to recover the improperly charged fees was under discussion, and a complaint to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation was planned.1CCFJ. Unlicensed Practice of Law by Community Association Managers Available records do not indicate whether either of those was ultimately pursued.
Peterson v. Stoneybrook West and Leland Management (2025)
In August 2025, Leland Management was named as a co-defendant in a personal injury lawsuit filed in Orange County Circuit Court alongside the Stoneybrook West Master Association. The case is styled Kara Peterson, Individually, and as Parent and Natural Guardian of S.P., a Minor v. Stoneybrook West Master Association, Inc. and Leland Management, Inc., Case No. 2025-CA-007427-O, and was assigned to Judge Heather Pinder Rodriguez. The plaintiff is represented by attorney Kevin Brown.2Trellis Law. Kara Peterson v. Stoneybrook West Master Association and Leland Management – Service Documents
The specific allegations are not detailed in available court records beyond a summons filed on August 4, 2025. The case was pending as of that date.
Homeowner Complaints Outside of Court
Not every dispute with Leland Management has become a lawsuit. One resident of the Windhover Condominium complex in Orlando alleged publicly that the company did not conduct audits of association expenditures, that homeowners who questioned financial matters were sued by the association, and that an association manager had given himself a $20,000 raise to reach $120,000 while working part-time across several associations. The same resident described being harassed by the association, including having a vehicle towed and facing false accusations against a live-in caregiver.3JustAnswer. Owner Windhover Condominium Managed by Leland
Those are one homeowner’s claims, and they have not been independently verified. A legal expert consulted in that matter recommended reporting the concerns to the Florida DBPR, which regulates condominium associations in Florida. If you have a similar complaint about an association Leland manages, the DBPR is the state agency that handles those reports.
Current Licensing Status
Leland Management holds an active Community Association Management business license with the Florida DBPR, license number CAB2223, valid through September 30, 2027. The DBPR record does not list any disciplinary actions against the company.4Florida DBPR. Leland Management Inc License Details The company is headquartered in Ocala, runs 14 divisional offices in Florida, and manages more than 400 condominium and homeowner associations statewide.5Orlando Sentinel. Leland Management First Place in Large Company Category for Top Workplaces
If you are affected by a lien or fee charged by an association Leland manages, keep the paperwork showing who prepared the lien and what fee was charged for it. The 2003 investigation turned on exactly that documentation.