Florida condo & HOA news
Plain-English Florida condo and HOA law updates for owners, volunteer board members, managers, and everyone navigating community-association life.
Read the latest articles ↓From the front lines
Written by Eric M. Glazer · Florida attorney
We have all been in circumstances where someone promised something, reneged on that promise and we wished we had the original promise in writing. “Getting it in writing” can also be crucial in the condominium and HOA context. Several years ago our firm successfully argued the case of Curci Village…
Read more → We all know that condominium and homeowner associations sue and get sued all the time. Are there any specific obligations to inform the unit owners that the association has filed suit? Are there any specific obligations to inform the owners or potential buyers that the association has been sued? Believe…
Read more → Today is my 51st birthday. I’m also in London at the moment taking in the sights with the family. We’ll also get to see Paris, Amsterdam and Bruges. A fun and exciting week lies ahead. And then, it’s back home to the HOA that I live in and the condominium association I work in. Today, I’m obviously in…
Read more → Florida Statute 718.111(d) states: An officer, director, or agent shall discharge his or her duties in good faith, with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances, and in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the interests of the association.…
Read more → With the thousands of condominium and HOA communities built in the last two decades or so, it was inevitable that The Florida Bar would, and has now officially, recognized Condominium and Planned Development Law as an area of the law where practicing attorneys can distinguish themselves by becoming Board…
Read more → New condominiums and HOA communities continue to get built all over the state. The developer gets to control the community while the place is being built and sold, but perhaps the most critical time period in the entire existence of either a condominium or homeowner’s association is when that control of the…
Read more → Last week, we discussed when turnover from developer control to unit owner control is triggered. Relinquishing control of the Board of Directors is not the only responsibility of the developer at the time of turnover however. What Documents Must Be Turned Over by the Developer at Turnover? Generally…
Read more → Yesterday was a big day. I turned 50. It’s a time to not only reminisce about the past, but also a time to think about the future, and retirement and whether or not a “retirement community” or “55 and over” community is in the future. So, what actually is a “55 and over” community? Generally speaking,…
Read more → Iwrite this blog the day after I did my last seminar of the season. Starting from about September to now, I’ve taught all over the state in so many wonderful cities and venues. At all of these seminars there’s always talk about apathy in our communities. Nobody cares. Nobody shows up to meetings. Nobody…
Read more → All of you know how terrible the condo and HOA statutes are in terms of the association’s ability to collect unpaid assessments when a bank forecloses on a unit or home. If the bank gets back a unit in foreclosure, they owe the association the lesser of 1% of the mortgage or 1 year of assessments.…
Read more → Some years are quiet when it comes to the passage of new laws affecting Florida community associations. This was definitely not one of those years. Here are the new laws in summary form as a result of the passage of HB 841. 718.111 —- OFFICIAL RECORDS: The law now makes it clear that the association must…
Read more → Boards of Directors love to have extra money in the bank. Who doesn’t? But the question is…… when is enough enough? Boards of Directors are required to simply pass a budget that pays the association’s bills. Anything collected, above and beyond what pays the bills is “Common surplus” which means the…
Read more → On Friday morning it looked pretty bleak in terms of whether there would be any new condo and HOA laws passed this year. Friday, after all, was the last day of the legislative session and the bill, HB 841, seemed to have stalled in Florida’s Senate. By law, the legislative session was required to be over by…
Read more → With all of the negative press out there regarding condo and HOA boards, one would get the impression that all board members are united in their effort to accomplish a pre-planned agenda that serves the board members’ interests instead of the community interest as a whole. The truth is often times very…
Read more → Exactly a year ago now the now infamous Miami-Dade Grand Jury report came out that exposed some glaring issues with the DBPR and their role in Florida condominiums. Here is a segment from that report: The Select Committee heard numerous speakers at its hearings express their frustration with DBPR “delay and…
Read more → This week I am very proud to announce that our office drafted legislation that truly brings Florida into the 21st century. It is still being tweaked by others with input, but it seeks to address an issue that we will need to deal with on a large scale, sooner than later, and that is electric cars. Many…
Read more → It’s funny how many times over the years, Boards have told me “We weren’t having a meeting, we were only talking about the condo” or “We weren’t having a meeting, we were in a workshop.” For clarification, let’s see how a “meeting” is defined by law. For a condominium, the Florida Administrative Code says:…
Read more → Representative George Moraitis has again filed a bill, House Bill 1061, that would allow community associations to opt-out of the requirement not only of a fire sprinkler system, but also for an engineered life safety system. You may recall that this was an extremely popular bill last year as it seeks to…
Read more →Read it. Then watch it.
