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
Now that Covid is basically and finally in the rear view mirror, most associations are having their annual elections in person and providing the owners the opportunity to see the annual meeting through ZOOM. This week, I attended an annual meeting where for the first time in my 30 year career, I saw the…
Read: ELECTION CONFUSION – WHO CAN BE A DIRECTOR AND/OR AN OFFICER? → It’s almost a dream, but a year ago things were certainly different in the condo world than they are today. I was dealing with fights about mandatory masks in the common areas, fights to re-open the pool and gym, meetings only being held by Zoom and all sorts of other issues all related of course to the…
Read: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES → The Florida Legislature is in full swing. Each year lots of bills get filed, but few make it to the finish line and become law. Here’s an update on two bills that are moving towards becoming law: SB 394: This is my mandatory education bill, requiring directors to get certified by attending a course. Senator…
Read: LEGISLATIVE UPDATE → On June 27th, Florida was no longer considered to be in a State of Emergency. Governor Desantis did not renew the emergency order. So that means all of the emergency powers that Boards of Directors of condominiums and HOAs had during the COVID pandemic have expired. The question is…….in practical terms —…
Read: THE EMERGENCY IS OVER! → There certainly have been a few debates lately and there may be another on the way. Who Knows? Maybe you think Trump won. Maybe you think Biden won. Maybe you think Pence won or maybe you think Harris won. It doesn’t matter if some of you even think the fly won. The bottom line is that it’s apparent that…
Read: LET'S HAVE A DEBATE → While the condo statute outlines a very specific and rigid procedure on how HOAs should conduct the election, the HOA Statute doesn’t say much at all: Elections of directors must be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in the governing documents of the association. Except as provided in…
Read: MAKE SURE YOU DO YOUR HOA ELECTION NIGHT RIGHT → This is a story about John and Jane. John lives in a condominium in Miami and Jane lines in an H.O.A. in Central Florida. Election season is approaching quickly in both of their communities. While it may seem at first glance that all things are equal…….that is certainly not the case. The election in John’s…
Read: A TALE OF TWO ELECTIONS-PART 1 → Sometimes we get lucky and the political world mirrors what takes place in the condo and HOA world. The Senate is about to start a trial regarding the impeachment of Donald Trump. As we all at least understood the process—-the whole purpose of a trial in the senate is to see if the president needs to be…
Read: CAN YOU REMOVE A PRESIDENT THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN REMOVED BY THE VOTERS? → This is the time of year when I’m at my busiest, typically running from annual meeting to annual meeting. So, what is supposed to occur at the annual meeting? Often times the answer is right there in your bylaws. The agenda is already prepared for you. Just properly notice the meeting and follow the…
Read: BEFORE YOU CANCEL THAT ANNUAL MEETING → While the nation’s election may be over, the elections in your community associations are just about ready to get started. So, here are some things to know…… In a condo, you don’t need a quorum of owners in attendance at the annual meeting in order to have the election. As long as 20% of the eligible voters…
Read: STAYING WITH ELECTIONS → Unfortunately, it looks as if we will still need to social distance when it’s time for our annual elections. So how do we do this practically? In a condominium, it’s much easier than an HOA to run the election with social distancing because the procedures allow for mail-in ballots. The association must…
Read: SO HOW ARE ELECTIONS GOING TO WORK? → Election season is approaching in community associations all across the state. We already learned that if the governing docs say “No signs” you can’t put out Trump or Biden signs on your property. But what about the people running for the Board in your own community? Can they at least campaign? Many…
Read: IS CAMPAIGINING ALLOWED IN YOUR ASSOCIATION ELECTION? → In three days from now we are supposed to sit around the table stuffing turkey down our throats while reflecting on all the things we should be thankful for. The easy ones are family and good health. Some might also be thankful for a new job, new car, new spouse or even new body part(s). I’m certainly…
Read: ARE THERE THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR IN YOUR COMMUNITY?-PART 3 → 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 → 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 → 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 → tried to avoid posting any blog about the embarrassment that is Broward County’s election system. I almost made it. One interesting...
Read: FLORIDA’S CONDO AND HOA ELECTION LAWS ARE BETTER THAN THE ELECTION LAWS FOR OUR STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICERS →Read it. Then watch it.
