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
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? → It has been a long time since we blogged about whether or not officers and directors of our Florida community associations should get paid for their service to the community. I certainly don’t know if payment to directors would cut down on theft of association funds and get more people to participate in the…
Read: IS IT TIME TO RE-THINK PAYMENT TO DIRECTORS? → Let’s say your condominium building needs a paint job. It just so happens that the President of the association is the owner of a general contracting firm. He tells the Board to stop racking their brains trying to find a company. He promises to have his company do the job right. He will certainly give…
Read: SHOULD THE BOARD HIRE A BOARD MEMBER'S COMPANY? → Funny how things work sometimes. Over the past 23 years, I have noticed an interesting pattern in Florida community associations. When money is tight and foreclosures are soaring, associations are far less likely to engage in litigation. Suddenly, nobody really cares what color someone painted their house…
Read: YOU MAY WANT TO WAIT BEFORE YOU LITIGATE → The other day on the show, we spoke about a President of an association who is in trouble because he used community association funds to pay himself for doing services that would normally be performed by a licensed community association manager. So, you might ask, does that mean all community associations…
Read: IS A C.A.M. MANDATORY? → Many of you have seen outgoing board members sign long term contracts with a vendor just before getting off the Board. Often times, these contracts were executed by a single board member without any vote of the board whatsoever. The question is……is the contract still an obligation of the association even…
Read: CAN ONE RENEGADE BOARD MEMBER BIND THE ENTIRE BOARD? → It’s officially hurricane season here in Florida. Pretty soon, the media will be trying to scare the bejesus out of us the minute a single cloud rolls off of Africa’s west coast. We all know how lucky we’ve been for close to a decade now, but one day our luck will again run out. Imagine for a moment that…
Read: WHEN YOUR BELONGINGS AND YOUR DOCS GO OUT THE WINDOW → There’s a lot that goes into my job as an attorney working in condominium and HOA law. Each week, I working on my current cases, keep abreast of the changes in the law, advocate for legislative reform, work on the Condo Craze Radio Show and write a blog each Monday. Without a doubt however, my favorite…
Read: THE IMPORTANCE OF CONDO AND HOA EDUCATION-PART 2 → It’s April 15th. That means by midnight tonight, you better have your tax return in the mail. I have met with several associations over the years that believe that simply because their condominium or homeowner’s association is a not for profit corporation, the association does not have to file a federal…
Read: THE PERFECT DAY TO TALK TAXES AND YEAR-END FINANCIAL REPORTING → Republicans always knock the Democrats for never actually solving a problem, but choosing instead to form a committee to investigate solutions that may one day hypothetically come up with the answer to the problem and which may ultimately and possibly be utilized in the future to solve the problem, after…
Read: GOVERNOR SCOTT………THE DEMOCRAT → Two years ago, you may remember that a Miami Dade Grand Jury issued a scathing report about condominium board members in Miami Dade County. In sum, the report concluded that they’re basically all a bunch of thieves who get on the board with evil intentions including purposely diverting the association’s…
Read: DIRECTORS ARE IN THE CROSS HAIRS YET AGAIN → Idon’t know if any of you heard yet, but a new Florida law has been passed that says: Public schools are no longer under an obligation to accept your children. Hospitals are under no obligation to treat you or your family medically. Florida business establishments can refuse entry to you and your family;…
Read: BROWARD'S NEW ORDINANCE → Chapter 468 of The Florida Statutes contains numerous provisions about how community association managers get disciplined by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. This year, The Florida Legislature amended Florida law to allow community association managers to get disciplined if they…
Read: DO COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MANAGERS GET AWAY WITH MURDER? → The amount of hats that a community association manager often has to wear is amazing. Simultaneously, he or she needs to serve as the number cruncher, interior designer, police man, collection agency, master of ceremonies, complaint department, tech expert, unit owner liason and of course chief cook and…
Read: MANAGING THE MANAGER → 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? →Read it. Then watch it.
