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
Contracts Clause Application in an Ever Changing Legislative Landscape When representing a Florida condominium association, one interacts with many laws and other sources of authority. These include Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes (Florida’s Condominium Act) and Chapter 617 of the Florida Statutes (the…
Read: Florida Community Association Law → In all my years of practice, I can tell you that the debate over whether emotional support animals should be entitled to occupy a no-pet condominium ranks as high as any other issue in terms of how hard people are willing to fight for their beliefs. I also learned that some dog owners would spend more…
Read: CAN SUPPORT ANIMALS BE PREVENTED FROM LIVING AT YOUR NO PET CONDO? Part 1 → Basically, every year, The Florida Legislature passes laws that effect condominiums and Homeowner Associations. You may be surprised to learn however that just because these laws are passed by The Florida Legislature, it doesn’t mean that these laws automatically apply in your community association. The…
Read: DO YOUR GOVERNING DOCUMENTS CONTAIN THE MAGIC LANGUAGE? → Great article by The Miami Herald this week regarding the fact that condo associations across the state are ripping people off by charging illegal and excessive transfer fees when someone is trying to sell or rent their unit. For those of you who missed it, here is the link:…
Read: TRANSFER FEES – WHY ALL THE CONFUSION? → Despite the fact that legislative progress has been made in getting owners access to association records, there is still confusion as to whether or not associations and/or management companies can charge an owner for such access and for photocopies of the records. Let’s address the law for both condominiums…
Read: ACCESS TO RECORDS – SO IS THERE A COST OR NOT? → I’m always asked what can be done to prevent our community from completely turning into a rental community. The answer differs depending upon whether or not you live in a condominium or an HOA. Here is the case that settled the issue in a condominium: In Woodside Village Condominium Association, Inc. v.…
Read: RESTRICTING RENTALS? CAN IT BE DONE? → Over the past week or two, The Miami Herald has been running a few articles about wrong doing in certain condominium associations in South Florida. The writer almost seems amazed that there are apparently ballots being cast with fake signatures and that in some condominiums voter turn-out exceeds 100%. Now…
Read: HOW MUCH MORE PROOF DO YOU NEED? → Last week we discussed how Board members can be removed from the Board for failing to pay their assessments. We also know that unit owners can be prevented from voting for failing to pay their assessments. They can also be banned from using portions of the common areas and can be prevented from running for…
Read: THE AS AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME LANGUAGE REVISITED → What can be more American than exercising your First Amendment Free Speech rights to campaign and support the candidate of your choice by displaying one of their campaign signs on your front lawn or in your window? It’s almost unimaginable that in a country founded on the idea of political expression,…
Read: CAN YOUR ASSOCIATION SAY “TAKE DOWN THAT SIGN?” → It’s amazing how dangerously uninformed some people are. Over the years I have heard time and again owners of condominium units and homes in HOAs take the position that even if they don’t pay their assessments, it makes no difference because it’s their “homestead property” and “homestead property” is…
Read: CAN THEY REALLY TAKE MY HOME? → Happy New Year to everyone. In the condo and HOA world, with a few exceptions, the new year certainly means one thing; the annual meeting is almost here. I’m often asked whether or not I recommend that an attorney be present at the annual meeting or if the association should simply allow the community…
Read: DO I NEED A LAWYER AT MY ANNUAL MEETING? → The weekly blog has been dealing with a lot of tough issues lately. Whether or not birthdays of Lee and Davis should be state holidays, crime by board members, election fraud, crime by community association managers, etc. Today, let’s step back and have some fun instead. From now until November, 2016 we…
Read: TELL US ABOUT YOUR PRESIDENT → So last week we blogged about the fact that your right to display religious symbols on your own property is limited. In a condominium, you only have the right to display a small religious object on the frame or mantle of your door. In an HOA, there is no statute whatsoever which gives you the right to…
Read: YOUR RIGHT TO PRACTICE YOUR RELIGION MAY NOT BE AS STRONG AS YOU THOUGHT IT WAS → Ihave been to some real nasty association meetings over the last 23 years. I’ve personally been cursed at, screamed at, yelled at and insulted. My wife can sometimes get that way. All kidding aside, I’ve attended meetings where control was totally lost and violence erupted. It happened more than once and…
Read: SHOULD THE POLICE BE ATTENDING YOUR MEETINGS? → You won’t hear an attorney say this too often, but I’ll say it today. I got lucky. About seven years ago, I simply wanted to do some advertising for my law firm on the radio. Instead, I was somehow talked into doing my own radio show. It happened real quick and I’ll admit it was real scary. We had…
Read: CENTRAL FLORIDA, SPACE COAST AND TREASURE COAST --- HERE WE COME! → This is the time of year that my family starts to see less and less of me. I’m writing this column from a hotel room in Bradenton, Florida. Tomorrow morning I have the honor of kicking off the L&L Condominium and HOA Expo by teaching our Condo Craze and HOAs Board Certification Course for both condominium…
Read: THERE'S LOTS OF RESOURCES OUT THERE → Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. About two weeks ago, I get a call early in the morning from the President of a condominium in Broward. He tells me that last night a unit owner unloaded 50 rounds of ammunition inside of his unit from his AR-15 assault rifle, his AK-47 assault rifle and his 9mm…
Read: CAN YOU GET KICKED OUT OF YOUR OWN HOME? → Everyone knows that whether you live in a condominium or an HOA, your association has an obligation to provide the unit owners access to the association’s records. What is an association to do however with the owner that won’t stop asking for access? Week after week, month after month, year after year, the…
Read: THE NEVER ENDING RECORDS REQUESTS →Read it. Then watch it.
