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
For years, one phrase helped sell millions of dollars’ worth of condominium units across Florida: “We’ll keep assessments low.” On the surface, that sounds like good news. Who wouldn’t want lower monthly fees? But what many owners are discovering today is that low assessments were often not a sign of a…
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Confused about reserve waivers in Florida? You’re not alone. As 2026 budgets loom, many boards assume all reserves are now untouchable—but that’s not true. Some reserves can still be waived or paused, depending on your building’s size and inspection history. This blog breaks it down in plain English,…
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The Florida Legislature just passed a massive 191-page condo reform bill, bringing major changes to how reserve funds are handled. For the first time, associations may fund reserves using lines of credit—creating a cycle of debt. Temporary pauses on reserve contributions are also allowed, but only under…
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Florida promised condo safety after Surfside. Now they’re backpedaling with bills that gut reserves. History is doomed to repeat.
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New bills propose big changes to how Florida condos invest reserve funds. Senate Bill 1742 starts simply—keep funds FDIC-insured—but quickly spirals into complex rules, investment committees, and ongoing oversight requirements. For volunteer board members, it could turn a straightforward duty into an…
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There has been lots of complaints over the years that when condominium owners bring their complaints to the DBPR and expect some help, the only thing they got in return was a letter that said the DBPR has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of their complaint. I actually watched a legislative hearing in…
Read more → Again, in a budget adopted by an association that is required to obtain a structural integrity reserve study, reserves must be maintained for these items: Roof. Structure, includingload-bearing walls and or other primary structural members and primary structural systems as those terms are defined in s.…
Read more → THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY RESERVE STUDY (g) Structural integrity reserve study.— A residential condominium must have a structural integrity reserve study completed at least every 10 years after the condominium’s creation for each building on the condominium property that is three stories or higher in height…
Read more → At a time when it would make sense for the condo and HOA laws to become easier to learn, they are becoming harder. Much has to do with why in the world are there such differences between the condo and HOA statutes? It’s actually ridiculous. For example: In order to get access to the official records, why…
Read more → We all know by now the myriad of new safety laws condos that are 3 stories or more are required to follow. They include mandatory fire sprinklers or an engineered life safety system (for buildings 75 feet or higher only), a Phase One Milestone Inspection after 30 years and every ten years thereafter (25…
Read more → 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 → As if condos didn’t have enough problems, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have just come out with new guidelines that condos must follow. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are government-sponsored agencies that purchase large quantities of home loans to keep money circulating throughout the home mortgage economy. They…
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 → I’ll tell you something – I give a lot of credit to Kathy Fernandez Rundle, The State Attorney for Miami-Dade County. She actually prosecutes cases of condo fraud, years ago she assembled a grand jury to make recommendations to the state legislature regarding condo crimes, kickbacks, conflicts of interest…
Read more → No doubt some changes are on the way for condominiums as a result of the Surfside tragedy. The changes are long overdue. Here’s another long overdue change that is necessary..the condominium insurance statutes.Suppose I told you that under Florida law, there is no absolute requirement that your condominium…
Read more → In May of 2018, at about the same time the engineer was advising Champlain Towers South that their building need millions and millions of dollars in repairs, I wrote about the dangers facing condominiums all over the state because of the ability for owners to opt out of funding reserve accounts. I implored…
Read more → We all remember just how bad our communities suffered about a dozen years ago during the great recession. Our firm represented condominiums where nearly half of all units went into foreclosure. It was terrible for community associations. The paying owners were often times forced to pay double to make up…
Read more → To keep it simple……in a condominium, when the board sends out its budget, that budget SHALL include reserve accounts for pavement, painting and roofing and anything else expected to cost $10,000.00 to repair or replace. However, the statute says…. This subsection does not apply to an adopted budget in which…
Read more →Read it. Then watch it.
