In this edition of the Community Update, we address estoppel certificates, video cameras for surveillance, and the pending new laws from the 2024 Florida Legislative Session. We also welcome our newest Shareholder, Allison L. Hertz, and celebrate $120,000 raised for Pancreatic Cancer. Don’t miss our featured podcast episode that discusses crafting and protecting your community’s trademark.
Also featured this month is the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). What is the CTA, and why does my community association need to know about it? The Becker team has designed a website to give your community some basic information about the CTA and provide insight from thought leaders in the community association industry. Click here to learn more.
Lithium-ion batteries, especially the large batteries like those used in e-bikes, store large amounts of energy and can overheat, catch fire, or explode. How can you protect your association before tragedy strikes? “E-Bikes and Batteries,” by Mary R. Hawk, emphasizes why associations should educate their members on the proper storage and charging of e-bikes and other personal transportation powered by batteries.
If you are living in a Homeowners Association the Board or the Architectural Review Committee generally cannot prohibit the installation of solar panels (or “solar collectors”). But what about a request to install such devices on the roof of a condominium? Michael O. Dermody has the answers in, “What Can Be Done About Solar Panels?”
If your community association is served with a complaint or subpoena, you must promptly forward it to your community association’s legal counsel. Nicolas M. Jimenez explains how receipt of a complaint or subpoena triggers time-sensitive legal obligations that can expose your community association to serious liability in, “What to Do if You Receive a Complaint or Subpoena.”
In “THIS CASE: Tiffany Plaza Condominium Association v. Spencer” unit owners challenged the payment of assessments for an alteration the members did not approve. Why does that matter? There are times when a change is necessary to protect the condominium building. Mark D. Friedman discusses how THIS CASE and its progeny have shaped the application of current law.