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 right to rent your unit has undergone some change over the years. It all started in a landmark case called Woodside v. Jahren which was ruled upon by The Florida Supreme Court in 2002. A condominium in Clearwater amended its declaration of condominium to suddenly prohibit the rental of your unit to no…
Read: THE RIGHT TO RENT – THERE’S MORE TO KNOW THAN YOU THINK → Licensed professions in Florida each have their own set of rules that licensees are required to follow. For example, lawyers are required to abide by The Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. Community association managers also have rules to abide by and can be subject to discipline for doing any of the…
Read: BE CAREFUL C.A.M.S → It’s September. Day camp is over for the kids. It’s starting to get dark a little earlier each day and the brutal summer heat is not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. This can only mean one thing……..it’s time to go back to school. I’m not talking about the kids. I’m talking to you Mr. or Mrs. Unit…
Read: IT'S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME → It’s the end of the summer. Millions of kids across our state have to suck it up and return to school. And if the kids have to endure school for the next ten months, all of you can endure a measly three hours. I’m talking of course about Condo and HOA Board Certification. There’s a lot that goes into my…
Read: IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME → Certification of Board Members: For whatever reason, The Florida Legislature believes that it’s only important for condominium Board members to learn the law, be familiar with their governing documents and get certified. HOA members can just “wing it” I guess. Certainly, education should be required for…
Read: CONDOS AND HOA solutions → Afew years ago, the Florida Legislature passed a new law effecting board members of Florida condominium associations only. The law states: Within 90 days after being elected or appointed to the board, each newly elected or appointed director shall certify in writing to the secretary of the association that…
Read: SHOULD EDUCATION BE REQUIRED FOR ALL BOARD MEMBERS? → 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 → 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? → 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 → 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 →Read it. Then watch it.
