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“Effective Date of New Reserve Law Questioned” – News-Press

Q: Our condominium association just held a vote to less than fully fund reserves for the 2024 budget. It passed by a majority of the quorum, but not a majority of the entire voting interests. There seems to be some question as to whether the recent statute change to “majority of the entire voting interests” […]

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“Directors Usually Fill Board Vacancies ” – News-Press

Q: There was a recent vacancy on the board of directors for my condominium association due to a resignation. The board voted to appoint someone to fill the vacancy. However, a question was raised as to whether that person fills the vacancy for the remaining term of the resigning director, which runs until the annual […]

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“Tax Deed Can Extinguish Assessments” – News-Press

Q: I am on the board of directors of a condominium association, and one of the units in our association has both unpaid assessments and taxes. We recently received a notice that the county will sell the unit to satisfy the unpaid taxes. We have questioned how this will affect the condominium documents and the […]

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“Comingling of Funds Questioned” – News-Press

Q: Can a condominium association’s operating funds be combined with the reserve money? My association has not moved money into the reserve account and out of the operating account in the last year. The money is there, it is just not in the right account. Is it permissible to keep the reserve and operating funds […]

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“Use of Assessment Money Regulated by Statute” – News-Press

Q: My condominium association board recently adopted and collected a special assessment to fund a construction project at the building. However, due to a change in circumstances, the board of directors has now decided to not proceed with the project. A question has come up as to what the association should do with the money […]

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“HOA and Condo Proxy Procedures Differ” – News-Press

Q: A question has come up in my homeowners’ association as to whether owners are permitted to vote by proxy at owner meetings. If so, where is this right found? (C.D., via e-mail) A: Section 720.306(8) of the Florida Homeowners’ Association Act states that members have the right to vote by proxy unless otherwise provided […]

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“‘Sunshine’ Rules Apply to Budget Workshops” – News-Press

Q: An issue has come up in my condominium association regarding the creation of the budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The board has discussed having a board workshop to develop the budget. However, it is not clear that the board intends to allow owners to attend the workshop. The board has stated this will […]

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“Director Removal Does Not Require Good Cause” – News-Press

Q: Until recently, I was the president of my condominium association. However, certain unit owners were unhappy with the decisions I had made and pushed through a recall. While I do not dispute that they obtained recall agreements signed by a majority of the unit owners, they did so under false pretenses where they made […]

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“New HOA Fining Law Took Effect October 1” – News-Press

Q: You had previously written about some new changes that are coming up about how to handle fines in homeowners’ association. Can you give a brief summary of what we need to do? (M.J., via e-mail) A: Several new homeowners’ association laws became effective October 1, 2023. Included in the changes are new provisions in […]

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“New HOA Law Addresses Storage” – News-Press

Q: At a recent event I attended, someone mentioned a new rule that prohibits sheds on a single-family property in a HOA. I could not find any reference for that in your 2023 legislative reviews. It seems someone may have misunderstood or misinterpreted one of changes made. Can you please shed some light on this? […]

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“Voting Requirements After Merger Questioned” – News-Press

Q: In your previous column from 2022, it clearly addresses which documents control in the example of when a sub-association’s documents are stricter than the master. Which documents prevail in the following situation? My community had a master association and also four smaller sub-association. The sub association declarations have a 75 percent approval requirement by […]

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“Emergency Voting by E-mail Questioned” – News-Press

Q: I am on the board of my condominium association, and we are in the process of repairing our building following damage from Hurricane Ian last year. The board of directors must make numerous decisions regarding the reconstruction process. To facilitate the reconstruction, the board has been using an online system where each board member […]

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“Legislature Limits HOA Rental Amendments” – News-Press

Q: Is a homeowners’ association permitted to adopt amendments changing the leasing rights of owners in the community? I was recently told that the statute was changed, and rental restriction amendments are no longer permitted. Is this correct? (W.K., via e-mail) A: Not exactly. Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes is called the Florida Homeowners’ […]

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“Association Borrowing Questioned” – News-Press

Q: The board of directors of my condominium association has been discussing taking out a loan to pay for major repairs to our condominium building. To my knowledge, our association has never borrowed money before. It seems to me that for such a serious undertaking, a vote of our owners should be required. Is a […]

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“Insurance Proceeds Should Be Bonded” – News-Press

Q: My condominium association is in the process of renewing its insurance policies and our insurance agent advised that we needed a fidelity bond policy with a higher limit for the coming year because of the insurance proceeds the association received following Hurricane Ian. Why would we need higher limits on our fidelity bond? (W.K, […]

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“Boards Cannot Vote By E-Mail” – News-Press

Q: Can the board of an association conduct business by e-mail vote between meetings, and then ratify the votes at the next board meeting? (A.Z., via e-mail) A: No. Section 718.112(2)(c) of the Florida Condominium Act and Section 720.303(2)(a) of the Florida Homeowners’ Association Act, both state that directors may communicate with each other regarding […]

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“2023 Legislative Review Part 4” – News-Press

This week we conclude our review of relevant legislation from the 2023 Legislative Session. Previously we reviewed the bills that directly impact community associations through amendments to the community association’s statutes, including Chapter 718, the Florida Condominium Act and Chapter 720, the Florida Homeowners’ Association Act. This week we review legislative changes to other statutory […]

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“2023 Legislative Review Part 3” – News-Press

This week we continue our review of the legislative changes concerning community associations. In our last column, we were reviewing the changes to Chapter 720, Florida Statutes in HB 919, the Homeowners’ Association Bill of Rights. In this column, we will finish our review of HB 919 and review HB 437 concerning the display of […]

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“2023 Legislative Review Part 2” – News-Press

In continuing with our overview of the legislative changes from the 2023 legislative session which impact community associations, this week’s column will review HB 919, titled as the “Homeowners’ Association Bill of Rights.” HB 919 was approved by the Governor on June 12, 2023, and becomes effective on October 1, 2023. HB 919 only applies […]

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“2023 Legislative Review Part 1” – News-Press

This week we will start our annual review of the legislative changes that impact community associations. On May 25, 2023, this column summarized SB 154, the “glitch bill” regarding structural inspections and reserves. SB 154 was signed by the Governing and is now effective. That column can be reviewed at https://beckerlawyers.com/reserve-and-inspection-laws-changed-news-press/. There are several other […]

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“Electronic Meetings and Voting Explained” – News-Press

Q: Can members of a condominium association vote electronically/remotely and can they be given their notices by e-mail? (K.R., via e-mail) A. Yes. As these terms are often confused, there are several distinct procedures that are often asked about: Electronic Voting (or “E-Voting”) Electronic Notice (or “E-Notice”) Remote Participation Absentee Voting E-Voting is where someone […]

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“Board Eligibility Set By Documents” – News-Press

Q: Can a spouse of a unit owner, who is not a co-owner of the condominium unit, serve on the board of directors for a condominium association (P.H., via e-mail)? A: It depends on the provisions of your condominium documents. Section 718.112 of the Florida Condominium Act defines the term “candidate” as an “eligible person” […]

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“Reserve and Inspection Laws Changed” – News-Press

Consisting of what I would categorize as relatively minor changes to the sweeping building inspection and reserve laws enacted in 2022, here is a look at Senate Bill 154, which will become law upon signature by the Governor: Inspection Deadlines: The relevance of proximity to the coastline has been removed from the law as a […]

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