Palm Beach Gardens author and podcaster Kerry Lutz grew up on a steady diet of Jewish humor — the Catskills cadence, the rhythm of Rodney, Henny, and Joan — and now channels those sweet memories into his new satire HOA Emperor: The Mob Was Tough — But the Board was Murder, a laugh-out-loud look at Florida’s gated-community life. In this conversation, Kerry traces the lineage of his comedy from the Borscht Belt to Boca, with a detour through one very memorable visit with Rodney Dangerfield.
• Q: Your humor feels rooted in the great Jewish comedic tradition. Who inspired you?
A: I was raised on the legends — Henny Youngman, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield. I even met Rodney once at his apartment; he answered the door in a silk robe and slippers, exactly as advertised — gracious, funny, perfectly self-deprecating. And then there were the philosophers: George Carlin, our token goy and arguably the best of all time, and Lenny Bruce, who proved truth and rebellion could be comedy’s twin engines. They taught me that laughter is honesty in better lighting and before the wine runs out.
• Q: How did that influence become HOA Emperor?
A: Florida is the new Catskills. The stages are smaller — clubhouses instead of showrooms — but the characters are larger than life. When retirees debate holiday lighting, flood mitigation, and palm-tree trimming like they’re drafting the Geneva Convention, you either run or you write. I wrote. HOA Emperor was born from those meetings where everyone insists they’re right about the mailbox color.
• Q: Did being an attorney shape how you see that world?
A: Completely. Lawyers spend years watching people weaponize logic. In HOA life, the bylaws are the new Torah — everyone’s quoting them, nobody’s following them. After thirty-five years I call myself America’s Top Recovering Attorney. Writing humor came naturally and was cheaper than therapy.
• Q: What makes Florida such fertile ground for comedy?
A: Because it’s paradise with paperwork and assessments. We have perfect weather and somehow still manage to argue about hedge height. Every HOA meeting could be an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. If you can’t laugh at your HOA, you’re taking paradise way too seriously.
• Q: There’s a generational bridge in your work — Catskills rhythm meets modern Florida reality.
A: The great comedians were truth-tellers in disguise. Whether it was Lenny taking on censorship or Carlin breaking down language, they pushed boundaries so the rest of us could laugh without guilt. Florida gave me a fresh stage. Same mission: Find the absurdity, tell the truth, make it funny.
• Q: Where can we find the book?
A: All my books are on Amazon, of course — and wherever fine books used to be sold.
• Q: What do you want readers to take away from HOA Emperor?
A: That humor is the best form of community service. Life in a gated paradise can drive you crazy if you let it. Shared laughter turns neighbors into allies. That’s the Borscht Belt secret: Laughter heals the tribe — mine just happens to live behind guard gates, golf carts, and stray gators.
• Q: What’s next?
A: Taking the show on the road. I’m lining up country clubs and community events across Florida to help people laugh their way through the violation notices. My dream is to make HOA meetings fun again — or at least survivable, but that’s probably too ambitious.
“Florida is paradise with paperwork and funeral preparations. Every HOA meeting could be an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
About the Author: Kerry Lutz is a Palm Beach Gardens resident, author of HOA Emperor, and host of the Financial Survival Network. Known nationwide as America’s Top Recovering Attorney, he blends humor and insight to help Floridians find the endless comedy in community life.
