Just a quick update... I was able to successfully get all of my UniFi switches and access points upgraded to 5.x released firmware, and then my UDM to 1.8.3. HomeBridge is behaving well. Not sure what went wrong the first time I tried 1.8.3...but glad it is now working correctly.
Thanks again @tonesto7 for sharing your experience, as that gave me confidence to try the upgrade a second time.