May 25, 2021 | Associations, Community, Rules Regulations
Q: Our condominium association is considering converting into a “55 and older” community. Is it true that 80% of our units must vote “yes” to effectuate this change? (D.J., via e-mail) A: No. The federal Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, as amended by the Housing...
May 21, 2021 | Associations, Community, Florida, Rules Regulations
Written by David Lyons, Sun Sentinel. For more than a year, condo associations had to become COVID-19 traffic cops for hundreds of thousands of Floridians in high-rises and sprawling complexes. They had to enforce the use of masks, social distancing and rules for...
May 4, 2021 | Associations, Budget, Community, Rules Regulations
Q: If there is an excess in monies collected from the annual budget, must the excess be returned to owners, or can it be used to reduce maintenance fees for next year? (E.O., via e-mail) A: The annual budget estimates the revenues and expenses for the year. Although...
Apr 28, 2021 | Associations, Community, Elections, Florida, Rules Regulations
Q: What is the accepted practice that my homeowners’ association should follow for opening and counting secret ballots used to elect the board? (J.D., via e-mail) A: Section 720.306(8) of the Florida Homeowners’ Association Act provides that if the governing documents...
Apr 20, 2021 | Associations, Community, Florida, Rules Regulations
This year’s large community association omnibus bill will likely become law. This bill, which bears an effective date of July 1, 2021, contains changes which will impact condominiums, cooperatives and HOAs. At more than 100 pages, we will discuss only some of those...
Apr 14, 2021 | Associations, Community, Florida, Law, Rules Regulations
Although the advent of vaccines signals the end of COVID-19, the pandemic remains a fixture in our landscape and undoubtedly will for some time to come. As Southwest Florida community associations typically have most of their meetings during the “season,” this...