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
THE BIG CHANGE: NO LONGER IS THERE THE ABILITY TO WAIVE RESERVES OR USE THEM FOR OTHER PURPOSES Effective December 31, 2024, a unit-owner controlled association may not determine to provide no reserves or reserves less adequate than required by the items listed in the mandatory structural integrity reserve…
Read more → Over the last few weeks, I blogged about every condominium in every county now needing a “milestone inspection.” To recap, these “milestone inspections” will start after the 30 year mark and every ten years thereafter (25 years and every 10 years thereafter if your property is within three miles of the…
Read more → et’s start discussing the new condominium laws that go into effect on July 1st. We won’t cover them all in one week, so look forward to next week’s blog as well. IF YOU HAVE A MANAGEMENT COMPANY the statute says: If a community association manager or a community association management firm has a contract…
Read more → Iknow that the intent of Memorial Day is to honor those who have previously fought and died for this country. I certainly proudly honor all of these brave men and women. This Memorial Day however, I feel that the 98 victims at Surfside need to be remembered as well. You can’t tell me that they didn’t die…
Read more → Ireally hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have never been more afraid of an economic collapse in Florida, especially South Florida, as I do now. I couldn’t care less about the statistics that get reported about whether foreclosures are going up or not. I’m telling you that they are. I know because process…
Read more → Iremember as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, Red Buttons would do a commercial that aired in New York, promoting Century Village. You were promised beautiful spacious apartments, amazing views, golf courses, endless entertainment and simply the perfect dream place to retire to. So forty years later, we learn…
Read more → As we know, The Florida Legislature is having trouble fixing the problems of allowing condominium buildings to waive reserves, who the reserve studies should be performed by and how often the buildings should require safety certification by local building officials. The issue of course is how hard are we…
Read more → Today, I feel sadness for the victims in Surfside and their families. I said a million times on the air and in columns that they did not die in vain. I swore that as a result of their deaths, The Florida Legislature would ensure that at least some forms of reserves would be mandatory, that inspections by…
Read more → 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 more → So unfortunately we seem to be ending the year with the Covid numbers just creeping up — and that vaccine just can’t get here fast enough. I’m getting calls and e-mails every day, every hour, from communities that are simply scared to have their meetings in person – even if it’s the annual meeting or the…
Read more → It’s hard to believe that we have been dealing with COVID for a year and a half now. It’s harder to believe that it looks like we will be dealing with it for at least another year and a half. It’s a never-ending nightmare with no end in sight apparently. Who would ever have thought this could happen? While…
Read more → For those of you who follow this blog, you know that each Labor Day, I write a parody talking about a day in the life of a Board member, at a particularly annoying condominium. This year however, in light of the Champlain Towers tragedy, I just don’t think it’s right to start cracking condominium jokes just…
Read more → It’s hard to believe that we have been dealing with COVID for a year and a half now. It’s harder to believe that we will be dealing with it for at least another year and a half. It’s a never-ending nightmare with no end in sight apparently. Who would ever have thought this could happen? While we are…
Read more → Iworked my way through college by working at The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. I loved my job. I would interview defendants to determine if community service was a more appropriate punishment than incarceration. If I was convinced that the defendant could be trusted, I would send him or her to a…
Read more → The Supreme Court of Iowa came out with a big decision regarding emotional support animal law that I’m hoping Florida eventually follows as well. Karen Cohen vs. David Clark And 2800-1 LLC. This case involves a tenant with pet allergies who deliberately moved into an apartment building due to its no-pets…
Read more → Suppose an owner or a renter makes a request to keep an emotional support animal. Suppose further that the person’s disability is not readily apparent. What proof can the association ask for to prove the person is disabled? (b) If a person’s disability is not readily apparent, request reliable information…
Read more → Florida now has a statute that clarifies what associations should and should not do when someone asks to have an emotional support animal in a “no pet” community. We will try to answer a lot of your questions over the next two or three weeks regarding what you can and cannot do when an owner or renter asks…
Read more → After living at Peaceful Paradise Condominium for 10 years and minding her own business, Darlys Dogooder decides that she hasn’t done enough volunteer work in her life and chooses to become a Board member. In fact, Darlys goes on to be a role model board member, devoting countless hours to her condominium,…
Read more →Read it. Then watch it.
