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
Last week, I received an e-mail from someone who was complaining that her HOA was using the voting and election procedures required by the condominium statute, instead of the HOA statute. In other words, using the Florida Statute 718 laws instead of Florida Statute 720. She wanted to know if this was O.K.,…
Read: ELECTION TIME IS HERE → Each week, Jan, Darlys and I agree on a new topic to blog about. This week, Jan suggested that we blog about gates and fences. My first thought was……..how much can I possibly write about gates and fences? What comment can I make about a gate or a fence that would make the reader care about reading the…
Read: GATES AND FENCES CAN BE AS BAD AS BARBED WIRE → Election time in our Florida community associations is quickly approaching. The thought of the annual meeting doesn’t exactly invoke thoughts of birds chirping or humming birds humming, and is more akin to Halloween Horror Night at your association. Nevertheless, unit owners far and wide will be throwing…
Read: CAN MY NEIGHBOR'S BROTHER'S WIFE'S THIRD COUSIN FROM CLEVELAND SERVE ON MY BOARD OF DIRECTORS? → Can you tell a third person that it’s OK to drive your neighbor’s car without your neighbor’s consent? Can you tell a third party that it’s OK to wear your neighbor’s clothes without your neighbor even knowing about it? If you think these are silly questions, then you have to ask why some associations and…
Read: CAN YOU GIVE AWAY WHAT'S NOT YOURS? → The first thing a Board member must do, before learning all the laws, reading your docs and memorizing the rules is to immediately grow a thicker skin. Often times, Board members hear residents say things like “so where has all our money gone” or “if you knew what you were doing, we wouldn’t need another…
Read: WATCHING WHAT YOU SAY → Iknow what you’re thinking after reading the title of the blog today. Has Eric lost it? Is this a serious question? Obviously, much more important to me is the election of the President of the United States. The owner of unit 3N vs. the owner of unit 11B simply doesn’t match-up to Obama v. Romney. Wait.…
Read: WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT, THE ELECTION FOR PRESIDENT OF YOUR CONDOMINIUM OR THE ELECTION FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES? → To simplify, I like to say that any document that could be, might be or appears to be an official record of the association probably is. To further simplify, every unit owner in both a condo and an HOA can see all the official records with very few exceptions. (Even the accounting ledger for your unit)…
Read: THE MOTHER OF ALL BATTLES - GETTING ACCESS TO RECORDS → Ah………………..the first week of July is approaching. Our thoughts turn to backyard bar-b-cues, baseball, fireworks and if you live in a Florida community association, lots and lots of fights over how, when and where to fly the flag. It seems like each year we hear and read about so many battles between…
Read: WAVING OLD GLORY MAY BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN IT SOUNDS-PART 1 → There is a huge debate going on about whether or not a “no pet” community association can actually remain “pet-free” simply because the governing documents say that it is. Despite the fact that so many communities have language in their governing documents that specifically prohibit owners or renters from…
Read: WAVING OLD GLORY MAY BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN IT SOUNDS-PART 1There is a huge debate going on about whether or not a “no pet” community association can actually remain “pet-free” simply because the go → It’s been a while since I felt strong about a particular political candidate. The two party system has simply destroyed the opportunity for any candidate to do anything other than toe his party’s platform. If he or she deviates from the platform, the party casts them to the wind until another robot comes…
Read: IS THERE A FRIEND IN THE HOUSE? → As we know all too well now, it’s an election year. The commercials and the propaganda have already started and no doubt it will get more and more annoying as November gets closer. To get elected, candidates will be making promises by the boat load. Indeed, on yesterday’s Condo Craze and HOAs show, Randy…
Read: HELP ME HELP YOU! → Ihave often been asked if an association has the right to prevent an owner from smoking in their unit. Certainly, all of you are aware that the association can prevent a unit owner’s behavior from becoming a nuisance or source of annoyance to other unit owners. Every declaration contains a nuisance…
Read: AMEND TO YOUR HEART's CONTENT → The Florida Condominium Act mandates that the developer provide warranties to the association regarding the common elements, even in those communities that are converted from rental housing to condominiums. The HOA statute however never provided similar protection to homeowner associations and the law was…
Read: THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE AGAIN PUTS HOA DEVELOPERS AHEAD OF HOA OWNERS → Last week’s column about what sort of relationships may constitute a family, sure drew the ire of some of our readers. People were outraged that their association was able to determine who can and who cannot live in or occupy a home that they own. Some of you thought that just because you move into a…
Read: TO REJECT OR NOT TO REJECT: THAT IS THE QUESTION → As we know, Mother’s Day is all about family. In a community association however, one person’s definition of “family” may differ with how their governing documents define “family.” The result may lead to certain people being allowed to have their “family” live with them in their condominium while their…
Read: MOTHER'S DAY - A TIME TO SPEND WITH FAMILY - JUST NOT AT YOUR CONDO → Although it may be hard to believe, there may be more complaints by associations about management companies than complaints by associations against the lawyers who represent the associations. At a minimum though, board members should be aware that the contracts between the management company and the…
Read: SHOULD MANAGEMENT COMPANIES JUST MANAGE? → When I sat down to write this column, I was going to initially write about the potential liability that the association may or may not be facing as a result of George Zimmerman shooting and killing an unarmed Treyvon Martin. If you listened to the Condo Craze show yesterday, you know that I’m not yet…
Read: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? → The Florida Condominium Act mandates that the developer provide warranties to the association regarding the common elements, even in those communities that are converted from rental housing to condominiums. The HOA statute however never provided similar protection to homeowner associations and the law was…
Read: THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE AGAIN PUTS HOA DEVELOPERS AHEAD OF HOA OWNERS →Read it. Then watch it.
