Florida community association managers answer legal-adjacent questions all day: how much notice a meeting needs, what an owner may see in the records, whether a fine can be levied, what to do when a demand letter arrives. This resource center gives managers short, practical answers built on the 2026 Florida Statutes for condominiums (Chapter 718), cooperatives (Chapter 719) and homeowners associations (Chapter 720), with a clear signal for when a question belongs with association counsel.
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Manager or Lawyer? Where Florida draws the line
The tasks a licensed CAM may handle, the tasks that are the practice of law, and the gray zones in between, based on the Florida Supreme Court's 2015 advisory opinion.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
2027 Compliance Calendar
Fixed and relative deadlines for condos, HOAs and co-ops, month by month.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Difficult owners and heated meetings
Managers and board members spend much of their time with upset, angry or relentless owners. Our guide to dealing with difficult owners and heated meetings borrows techniques from crisis negotiators, mediators and counselors and gives you phrases to say, lines to write, and a plan for a heated board meeting.
An owner is yelling at a board meeting
What a Florida condo, HOA or co-op chair and manager can do when an owner shouts or won't yield at a meeting: speaking rules, warnings, recess, adjourning.
An owner sent an angry email
Sample reply and holding email for Florida association managers answering an upset owner about a board decision or service issue, without admissions.
An owner keeps calling or leaving hostile voicemails
A phone script for Florida condo and HOA managers when an owner shouts, calls again and again, or leaves hostile voicemails, plus the follow-up email.
An owner won't take no for an answer
How Florida condo and HOA managers can hold a board decision kindly when an owner keeps re-arguing a denial, fine or rule, and the paths the owner really has.
An owner is harassing or abusing staff
Calm boundary-setting email and board letter for Florida managers dealing with a harassing owner, without limiting the owner's records or meeting rights.
An owner is attacking the board on social media
How Florida condo, HOA and co-op boards and managers should handle owner attacks on Facebook or Nextdoor: what to post, what to avoid, when to call counsel.
An owner is recording me in the office
What a Florida condo or HOA manager can say and do when an owner films staff in the office or records a call, and how that differs from recording meetings.
An owner threatens to sue
What a Florida condo or HOA manager should say and do when an owner threatens to sue: stop debating, preserve records, and alert the board and counsel.
A director is bullying the manager, or the board is fighting in public
When a Florida condo or HOA director berates the manager or gives orders alone: follow board action, raise it privately, keep fights on the merits.
The board has to explain a special assessment at a town hall
How Florida condo, HOA and co-op boards can run a town hall on a special assessment or SIRS funding: notice, agenda, answers to hostile questions, follow-up.
Printable tools: the phrase card, the AI prompt card for managers, the BIFF email checklist, the incident log, the chair's opening statement, the sample speaking rules resolution and the glossary of de-escalation terms.
"What do I do when…?" desk guides
Step-by-step guides for the situations managers face most often. Each one gives the rule, the steps, the condo/HOA/co-op differences, and the point at which to call counsel.
An owner asked for association records
How a Florida CAM handles an owner's records request: the 10-day clock, condo checklists, exempt records, website posting, and condo vs. HOA vs. co-op rules.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Directors are deciding business by email or text
Florida condo, HOA and co-op directors may email each other but may not vote by email. What a manager should do when the board starts deciding by text.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
An owner is violating the rules: from complaint to a lawful fine
The Florida fining process for condos, HOAs and co-ops: 14-day notice, the independent committee hearing, caps, cure, payment dates and 2024 HOA changes.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
An owner requested an emotional support animal
How Florida community association managers should handle an emotional support animal request under the Fair Housing Act and § 760.27, Fla. Stat.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
The association received a demand letter or lawsuit
First-48-hour steps for Florida community association managers after a demand letter, pre-suit mediation demand, arbitration petition, or lawsuit arrives.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
The board needs an emergency meeting
When a Florida condo, HOA or co-op board can skip normal meeting notice, what to document, and the extra powers that apply after a declared state of emergency.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
The board wants a special assessment
Before a Florida condo, HOA or co-op board levies a special assessment: 14-day notice, stated purpose, owner-vote checks and emergency rules for managers.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
An owner wants to speak at, or record, a board meeting
Florida condo, HOA and co-op owners may speak on agenda items and record board meetings. What managers can and can't limit, with statutes and DBPR rule.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
A director resigned
What a Florida community association manager does when a condo, HOA, or co-op director resigns: effective date, filling the vacancy, certification, handoffs.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
The condominium received a milestone inspection report or SIRS
What a Florida condo or co-op manager does after a milestone inspection report or SIRS arrives: 45-day deadlines, posting, Division filing, repairs.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
Condo vs. HOA vs. co-op: side-by-side references
Portfolio managers move between three statutory regimes in a single day. These tables put the rules next to each other, with a statute citation in every cell.
Board meeting requirements compared
Side-by-side comparison of Florida board meeting rules for condominiums, HOAs and cooperatives: notice, agendas, owner rights, closed sessions, video.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Official records requirements compared
Side-by-side comparison of Florida official records rules for condominiums, HOAs and cooperatives: retention, deadlines, penalties, exemptions, websites.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Checklists managers use
- Official records request checklist
- Board meeting checklist
- Association election checklist
- Violation enforcement flowchart
- Fining committee hearing checklist
- Special assessment planning checklist
- SIRS and milestone inspection checklist
- BIFF email checklist
- Difficult owner incident log
- All guides, checklists and downloads
Continuing education for managers
Hamilton Mikes, P.A. is a DBPR continuing-education provider and offers education programs for Florida community association managers and board members, taught by Jason Hamilton Mikes, JD, MBA. Upcoming programs, approved credit categories and registration details will be posted here. To be told when registration opens, contact us.
For the boards you serve
Directors need the same rules from the board's side of the table. Point them to the Board Resources Center, the Condominium Law Center, the HOA Law Center, the Cooperative Law Center and our Legislative Updates.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this resource center for?
Licensed Florida community association managers, management-company staff and portfolio managers who serve condominiums, cooperatives and homeowners associations. Board members will find the same material useful, and the Board Resources Center is written for them.
Is this legal advice?
No. These pages explain Florida law in general terms so managers can recognize issues and follow the statutory steps. The association's governing documents and facts can change the answer, and a manager may not give legal advice to the association. When a question requires interpreting a statute or the documents, the board should ask association counsel.
How current is the information?
Each page states the edition of the Florida Statutes it was checked against and is reviewed after each legislative session, usually by July 1, when most new community association laws take effect.
Can a manager rely on these guides instead of calling counsel?
For ministerial steps, the guides are a practical checklist. For anything that turns on interpretation, such as whether a record is privileged, whether a fine is enforceable or what a document provision means, the guides tell you when to involve association counsel.
Does Hamilton Mikes offer CAM continuing education?
Yes. See the continuing education section above for current programs and how to be notified when registration opens.
Talk to association counsel
Hamilton Mikes, P.A. represents condominium, cooperative and homeowners associations, clubs and marinas throughout Southwest Florida. When an association you manage needs counsel, call 239-594-7227 or reach us through our contact page.