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
When it comes to Florida Statute 720, there’s no question that you would rather be the developer than the homeowner. At least The Florida Condominium Act has a drop-dead seven year deadline where the developer must turn over majority control of the Board of Directors to the unit owners. If you’re an HOA…
Read: IT'S BETTER TO BE THE DEVELOPER IN AN HOA-part 1 → We all know that condo and HOA board members must get certified within ninety (90) days of getting on to their Board of Directors. Unfortunately however, Florida law allows board members to get certified either by attending an educational course or by signing a ridiculous, silly, self-serving, nonsensical…
Read: THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO MANDATE CONDO AND HOA EDUCATION → Many of you that live in an HOA are learning or have already learned the hard way that pursuant to The Florida Marketable Record Title Act, your governing documents expire after thirty years if they are not properly preserved. That’s right. Suddenly, after 30 years, you’re no longer living in a community…
Read: BIG CHANGES TO FLORIDA HOA LAW NO MORE EXCUSES FOR FAILING TO PRESERVE YOUR DOCUMENTS → So you ran for the Board because you were tired of the board members ignoring your requests to discuss certain issues at board meetings. It gets better………..you won. The only problem is that you’re still in the minority, as you and your friend only constitute 2 of the five seats. As a result, nothing has…
Read: WHOSE AGENDA WILL BE PUT ON THE AGENDA? → Before you know it, The Florida Legislature will be in session. In terms of legislation for condominiums and homeowner associations, 2019 was a complete bust. There wasn’t a single change to Florida Statute 718 or 720. For reasons beyond my comprehension, there are differences between these two statutes…
Read: DUMBFOUNDING DIFFERENCES → 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 → The internet has allowed condominium and HOA owners access to the Florida Statutes, the HOA statutes, the Florida Administrative Code, case law, and all kinds of articles on community association law. While that is a good thing, it has unfortunately empowered some owners to think they have enough knowledge…
Read: A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS → I’m writing this column sitting in the airport in Amsterdam, waiting to switch airplanes and come home after a truly glorious vacation. I didn’t want to wait to write the column until I got home out of fear I would forget too much. Over the past two weeks, me, my wife and my two kids traveled to…
Read: BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WISH FOR → Maybe it’s the media’s fault, talk radio, reality TV, our medications, our upbringing or a simple degradation of how we feel and respect each other, but it seems that pure debate has been replaced with vulgarities, interruptions and even threats, both physical and verbal. One of the worst inventions in terms…
Read: IS DEBATE AND PROPER DECORUM POSSIBLE ANY LONGER? → I was involved this week in yet another situation where an association’s money was stolen by their management company. Literally take out of their account by a management company employee and diverted to his own. He was bright enough to create an elaborate system that made it appear legitimate bills were…
Read: WATCH THE PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING YOUR MONEY → 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? →Read it. Then watch it.
