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
Many of you are aware of an article in The Miami Herald last week about a class action settlement in Dade County due to overcharging people who want to move into the community for screening fees and background checks. As a result of that class action settlement, I thought it would be a good idea to re-print…
Read: TRANSFER FEES – WHY ALL THE CONFUSION? → As of July 1st, 2018 Florida HOA law was amended to mandate that HOAs amend their “governing documents” in the same manner as condominium associations. In general, words to be added to the original text must be presented to the owners underlined. Words to be deleted from the original text are to be…
Read: BIG CHANGES TO THE WAY HOAs AMEND THEIR GOVERNING DOCS INCLUDING THEIR RULES → Remember the TV show Eight Is Enough? Apparently, that’s how The Florida Legislature feels about your right to serve on a condominium board of directors. Eight years in a row is enough. This does not mean however that if you already served eight years in a row on a condo board that you are precluded from…
Read: CONFUSION REIGNS IN CONDOMINIUM ELECTIONS-PART 2 → Remember the TV show Eight Is Enough? Apparently, that’s how The Florida Legislature feels about your right to serve on a condominium board of directors. Eight years in a row is enough. This does not mean however that if you already served eight years in a row on a condo board that you are precluded from…
Read: CONFUSION REIGNS IN CONDOMINIUM ELECTIONS → If you ever tried to remove a tree from your condo or HOA community, you know how difficult, expensive and impossible it can be. There are applications to fill-out, inspections to be made, fees to be paid and promises made to put a new tree back somewhere on the property or in the municipality. Well, thanks…
Read: IMPORTANT NEW LANDSCAPING LAW → Every year at this time we head into the peak of hurricane season hoping that “the big one” stays away for another year. In my 30 years now in South Florida there have been three or 4 named storms that wreaked some havoc on our communities in South Florida and even more on the west coast and in the…
Read: HURRICANE HEADACHES → Fall is the time when Boards and their managers start scrambling to make next year’s budget. Here’s a few tips: Remember that in a condo, the budget must be mailed to the owners 14 days in advance of the budget meeting. In an HOA the association shall provide each member with a copy of the annual budget or…
Read: TIME TO MAKE THE BUDGET → As I write this blog, there is a threat of a tropical storm forming off the coast of Florida and there’s another potential storm brewing in the Atlantic. So, we are entering the peak of hurricane season. Get ready. Be prepared. I’m happy to say that after being without electricity after Wilma and Irma,…
Read: TIME TO GENERATE A NEW LAW → Ijust got back from New York and New Jersey. My sister bought a beautiful condo in Jersey and I went to visit. She showed me around the community. Her specific condo building was in fantastic shape. Carpets in the hallway looked great. Walls looked good. Handsome to say the least. We then went to the…
Read: WHAT’S WORSE: OVER SPENDING OR UNDER SPENDING? → It’s the end of the summer. Millions of kids across our state have to suck it up and return to school. And if the kids have to endure school for the next ten months, all of you can endure a measly three hours. I’m talking of course about Condo and HOA Board Certification and Legal Update Course. There’s a…
Read: IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME-PART 4 → In Iezzi Family Limited Partnership, v. Edgewater Beach Owners Association, Inc., the owner of a condominium unit filed a 27-count complaint against the condominium’s Association and seven current or former directors or officers of the Association, seeking both equitable and legal relief. The trial court…
Read: NEW CASE MAKES IT HARDER TO SUE A CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION → Many of you live in condominiums that have a “Master Association.” But what is a Master Association? Is it a condominium association? Is it a homeowner’s association? Is it neither? This question was recently addressed by the Third District Court of Appeal in Dimitri v. Commercial Center of Miami…
Read: SO JUST WHAT IS A “MASTER ASSOCIATION?” → Some of you have asked where I have been this week after not being reachable by phone, e-mail or even on the Condo Craze Radio Show. Well, I had an epiphany this week. I write this blog having gotten home from the hospital just a few hours ago. Last Sunday evening I was on vacation in Charleston, South…
Read: TRUST ME – THINGS CAN BE WORSE → As a result of higher taxes, out of control homelessness and crime, the news continues to report that people living in Northeastern states are moving out in droves and the beneficiary is Florida. Our population continues to explode. Who would ever have thought that the population of Florida would exceed…
Read: WILL PARADISE SOON BE LOST? → In three days it’s July 4th. Our country’s birthday USA flags will be flying everywhere, even in our community associations and even if the Board in that association says take it down. Why then are there fights ever year on the news about Boards attempting to force owners to take the flag down? The…
Read: NO MORE FLAG FIGHTS PLEASE! → So, The Florida Legislature wrapped up its 2019 session last week. In a word, when it came to community association law, the session was simply unproductive. Not a single community association law bill passed. There was one change that effects high-rise condominiums however. There was an attempt made to…
Read: LEGISLATIVE / FIRE SAFETY – UPDATE → Even though I just completed a difficult stretch of teaching lots of board certification classes all over the state, I always like to think of ways to improve the seminar and keep attendees entertained on one hand, but promote just how serious the topic is on the other. While I take my responsibility to…
Read: WHO SHOULD TEACH THE BOARD MEMBERS? → The 2019 session of The Florida Legislature is quickly drawing to a close. So, what new laws can we expect to see that will have an...
Read: WHAT NEW LAWS CAN WE EXPECT? →Read it. Then watch it.
