Overview
Jonathan J. Ellis is a shareholder in Becker’s Condo, Co-Op, and HOA practice group, based in the firm’s Tampa office. He is Board Certified in Condominium and Planned Development Law by The Florida Bar and brings more than three decades of experience advising condominium and homeowners associations throughout Florida.
Jonathan’s clients turn to him for his experience in the many complex areas of community association law (Condo and HOA). The foundation of his practice stems from the fact he is a past president of his own homeowner’s association and he can relate to the issues his clients are facing. Jonathan represents associations from general collections and enforcement of covenants to revitalizations of covenants and general corporate matters. He serves as general counsel for numerous community associations. His litigation experience ranges from foreclosure of liens, even through bankruptcy, to defending the Association’s officers and directors when sued. He has handled Housing Urban Development (HUD) and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) inquiries, construction defect cases, Marketable Record Title Act (MRTA) issues, turnover, injunction hearings, determination of covenant validity, contested elections and corporate control disputes to name just a few. Most importantly, Jonathan views the role of the attorney, as just that, the attorney. He understands the role of the board of directors, the property manager and other professionals, and he recognizes that for an association to run well, each needs to respect the role of the other.
Renowned for being both tough and client-oriented, Jonathan’s litigation experience also includes handling matters in general commercial litigation, arbitration, business disputes, professional malpractice, real estate litigation, collection, and appeals.
Jonathan earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1990. He holds an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell, recognizing the highest level of professional excellence and ethical standards. He has been selected as a Florida Super Lawyer in business litigation and named to Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, honors that reflect his reputation among peers for skill, integrity, and leadership in the legal profession.
Representative Matters
- Successfully defended members of various non-profit boards of directors from liability.
- Successfully litigated the enforceability of Declarations of Covenants.
- Successfully litigated countless claims of lien.
- Obtained an award in arbitration for a developer client in the seven figure range.
- In a difficult professional malpractice case, resolved the matter in mediation, prior to any depositions or discovery taking place and substantial attorney fees being incurred.
- Obtained a summary judgment revolving around complex but fraudulent scheme perpetrated against a factoring company.
- Represented a major airline in a case where they prevented the discharge of more than $150,000.00 in debt from a vendor; secured a judgment against the vendor that would not allow them to discharge the debt.
- Obtained a $26 million nondischargeability ruling for an international insurance group.
- Prevailed on appeal on a nondischargeability issue before the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, a case that was later cited favorably by the U.S. Supreme Court in determining a conflict among the circuits.
- Prevailed in appeals on behalf of clients at the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, as well as Florida’s Appellate courts.
Recognition
- AV® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Florida Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine, 2006, 2012 – 2024
- Top Author: 2024 JD Supra Readers’ Choice Award, Real Estate
- Tampa Top Lawyers, Community Association Law, Tampa Magazine, 2016, 2019, 2023
