Florida condominium associations operate under Chapter 718, Florida Statutes, applicable administrative requirements, and the association’s declaration, articles of incorporation, bylaws, rules, amendments, and other governing instruments.
This Condominium Law Center provides practical educational information for condominium directors, officers, committee members, and managers. Topics include governance, meetings, elections, official records, reserves, Structural Integrity Reserve Studies, milestone inspections, assessment collection, enforcement, owner access, insurance, construction, and hurricane recovery.
Published Guides
All 56 published guides that apply to Florida condominium associations, grouped by topic. A guide that addresses more than one kind of association appears in every section it applies to; the “Applies to” line on each card shows which.
Start Here: Fundamentals
Understanding Chapter 718
What the Florida Condominium Act is, how its eight parts are organized, which sections a board uses most, and how it overrides the declaration.
- Condominiums
When a Board Needs an Attorney
The decisions, letters and deadlines that should trigger a call to the association's attorney, the ones that usually do not, and using counsel efficiently.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
- Clubs
What Is a Florida Condominium Association?
How a Florida condominium is created, what the association is, what it owns and must do under Chapter 718, and how it differs from an HOA or a co-op.
- Condominiums
HOA vs. Condominium Association
A side-by-side comparison of Florida HOA and condominium law: ownership, regulation, reserves, insurance, meetings, elections, records, fines, collections and more.
- HOAs
- Condominiums
- Master associations
Reading Your Governing Documents
The order of authority among the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules; how Chapter 718 and 720 override them; Kaufman language; and the clauses boards misread.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Governance and Board Operations
Board Member Certification
Florida director education rules for condo and HOA boards: the 4-hour course within 90 days, the written certification, continuing education and penalties.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Director Fiduciary Responsibilities
Fiduciary duties of Florida association directors under §§ 718.111, 720.303 and 617.0830, the business judgment rule, volunteer immunity and liability.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Director Conflicts of Interest
Florida conflict-of-interest rules for condo and HOA directors: § 718.3027 and § 720.3033 disclosure, leaving the room, recusal, member cancellation and kickbacks.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Board Email and Text Messages
Chapters 718 and 720 on director emails and texts: information yes, votes no, a quorum deliberating is an unnoticed meeting, and messages may be records.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Meetings, Elections and Recalls
Election Mistakes
The handling and calendar errors that most often void a Florida condominium election, and which of them a board can still fix before the meeting.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
Candidate Eligibility
Filing deadlines, delinquency and felony bars, co-owner limits, the eight-year term cap, the education requirement, and how to handle a contested candidate.
- Condominiums
Election Challenges
The 60-day window, the arbitration or court forum choice, what an arbitrator can order, who pays the fees, and the records a board must lock down immediately.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
Board Election Requirements
The Florida condo election calendar (60-, 40- and 14-day notices, 20% turnout, secret ballots), how HOA elections differ, eligibility and disputes.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Ballots, Proxies, Voting Certificates and Electronic Voting
When Florida associations may use general and limited proxies, when secret ballots are required, who signs a voting certificate, and how e-voting is adopted.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Board Recall Procedures
Florida's recall process for condo, co-op and HOA directors: written agreements vs. recall meetings, the board's 5-business-day meeting and arbitration.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Board Meeting Notices and Agendas
Florida condo and HOA board meeting notice rules: 48-hour posting, 14-day notice for assessments and use rules, agendas, owner rights and closed sessions.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Annual Meeting Planning
How to run a compliant Florida condo or HOA annual meeting: the 60/40/14-day notice timeline, quorum, limited and general proxies, owner rights and records.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Meeting Minutes
What condo and HOA minutes must contain under Chapters 718 and 720 (each director's vote), what to omit, closed sessions, committees, retention and access.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Official Records
Official Records Requirements
The records a condominium association must maintain, the permanent, fifteen, seven and one year retention periods, and where the records must be stored.
- Condominiums
Electronic Records
Keeping condominium records digitally, the 25-unit website posting duty, the 30-day deadline, the owner-only portal, and how e-mail and texts are treated.
- Condominiums
Records Exempt From Inspection
The closed list of condominium records an association must withhold, how far each exemption actually reaches, and what the board still has to produce.
- Condominiums
Official Records Mistakes
How the ten-working-day records deadline works, what rules a board may impose, the damages and fee exposure, and the procedure that prevents disputes.
- Condominiums
Responding to Official Records Requests
Florida condo, co-op and HOA records requests: the 10-day deadlines, what owners may inspect, what may be withheld, the $50-a-day penalty and a checklist.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Records Retention Requirements
How long Florida condo, co-op and HOA associations must keep each category of records, which are permanent, the one-year election rule and board emails.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Budgets, Reserves and Structural Safety
Budgeting for Structural Repairs
Reading the SIRS funding schedule and choosing among assessments, borrowing under § 718.112(2)(f)2.c.(II), and the reserve pause that sunsets after 2028.
- Condominiums
Structural Integrity Reserve Studies (SIRS)
What a SIRS must cover, which Florida condo and co-op buildings need one, who may prepare it, the deadlines, and what happens if the board does not comply.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
- Multi-condominiums
Milestone Inspections
Which Florida condo and co-op buildings need a milestone inspection, when Phase 1 and Phase 2 are due, what owners must receive, and the repair deadline.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
- Hotel condominiums
Reserve Funding Requirements
Which reserves Florida condo and HOA budgets must include, how they are calculated, what owners may still waive, and the 2024 cutoff for structural reserves.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Special Assessments
When a Florida association board may levy a special assessment, the 14-day notice and its required contents, when owners must vote, and how funds may be used.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
- Master associations
Annual Budget Adoption
How to adopt a Florida condo or HOA budget: the planning calendar, required contents, the 14-day notice with a copy of the budget and the 115 percent rule.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
- Master associations
Assessments, Collections and Liens
Regular versus Special Assessments
How the two kinds of condominium assessment differ in notice, restricted use and voting, plus the 115 percent rule and what to do with a surplus.
- Condominiums
Assessment Collection Timeline and Notices
The statutory sequence for collecting delinquent Florida condo and HOA assessments: 30-day late notice, 45-day lien notice, claim of lien and foreclosure.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Claims of Lien and Foreclosure
The Florida condo and HOA lien foreclosure timeline: 30- and 45-day notices, the claim of lien, the complaint, HOA qualifying offers, sale and redemption.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Payment Plans and Owner Bankruptcy
How Florida associations structure payment plans that preserve the lien, apply payments in statutory order, and respond to Chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcies.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Rules, Enforcement and Owner Conduct
Adopting Amending Rules
Where board rulemaking authority comes from, the reasonableness test, when a restriction needs a declaration amendment, and the notice a unit-use rule requires.
- Condominiums
Guest Restrictions
How to tell a guest from a tenant or occupant, what your declaration may restrict, and how to enforce occupancy limits without a fair housing problem.
- Condominiums
Fines, Hearings and Suspensions
Florida condo and HOA fining rules: $100-a-day limits, the 14-day notice, the independent hearing committee, when fines become liens, and suspensions.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Leasing and Rental Restrictions
How Florida condos and HOAs may restrict leasing and short-term rentals, which owners a new amendment binds, lease-approval fee limits and tenant enforcement.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Pet Restrictions and Emotional Support Animals
How Florida condo and HOA boards should handle emotional support animal requests under § 760.27: what may be asked, what may be denied, enforceable pet rules.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Covenant Enforcement Guide
Step-by-step covenant enforcement for Florida condo and HOA boards: authority, violation notices, cure periods, the fining committee, selective enforcement.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Architectural Review, Alterations and Maintenance
Owner Refuses Access
The association's irrevocable right of access under section 718.111(5), the notice to give, and the remedies when a unit owner refuses to open the door.
- Condominiums
Contractor Agreements
Competitive bidding thresholds, licensure checks, insurance and indemnity terms, lien waivers, change order control and the conflict rules for directors and managers.
- Condominiums
Major Repair Projects
Building the project team, the owner vote question, flood-zone permitting, funding milestones, change orders and close-out on a large condominium repair.
- Condominiums
Material Alterations
What counts as a material alteration under § 718.113(2), the Sterling Village test, the 75 percent default vote, maintenance exceptions and owner alterations.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
Maintenance Responsibilities and Limited Common Elements
How Florida allocates condo repairs between association and owner: § 718.113 maintenance, limited common elements, the § 718.111(11) casualty rule and leaks.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
Architectural Review Procedures
Section 720.3035 rules: authority in the declaration or published guidelines, open committee meetings, specific written denials, solar, hurricane protection.
- HOAs
- Condominiums
- Master associations
Insurance, Hurricane and Disaster Recovery
Post Hurricane Board Duties
Emergency powers and their limits, habitability and access decisions, mitigation, who rebuilds what, emergency funding, and documenting every decision properly.
- Condominiums
Emergency Repairs
When a repair is urgent enough to skip notice and bidding, when the board may enter a unit, what it can charge back, and how to ratify it.
- Condominiums
Post Hurricane Owner Communications
What owners are entitled to know after a storm, which communications become records, what never to promise, and how to run one source of truth.
- Condominiums
Hurricane Preparation Checklist for Boards
A pre-season legal checklist for Florida association boards: emergency-powers resolution, insurance review, contractor pre-qualification and records backup.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Clubs
- Marinas
Emergency Powers After a Hurricane
The emergency powers Florida condo, co-op and HOA boards hold during a declared state of emergency, their limits, how long they last, and documentation.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Filing an Association Insurance Claim After a Storm
Step-by-step guide for Florida association boards filing a hurricane insurance claim: notice deadlines, documentation, mitigation, adjusters and appraisal.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
- Clubs
Restoration Contracts After a Hurricane
What Florida boards must check before signing post-storm roofing and restoration contracts: license, insurance, no AOB, no advance payments and lien releases.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
- Mobile home communities
Condominium Insurance Responsibilities
Section 718.111(11) insurance rules: replacement-cost coverage, 36-month appraisals, deductibles, fidelity and D&O, the owner's HO-6 items, wind and flood.
- Condominiums
- Cooperatives
- Hotel condominiums
Disputes, Mediation and Litigation
Construction Defect Claims
Association standing, statutory warranties, the Chapter 558 presuit sequence, the shortened repose period, evidence preservation, and whether to repair or sue first.
- Condominiums
Arbitration and Presuit Mediation
How § 718.1255 arbitration and § 720.311 presuit mediation work: covered disputes, the demand, deadlines, fees, trial de novo and refusals to participate.
- Condominiums
- HOAs
- Cooperatives
Start Here
What Is a Florida Condominium Association
An introduction to the association’s legal structure, common elements, governing documents, board authority, owner rights, and community responsibilities.
Understanding Chapter 718
An overview of the Florida Condominium Act and the issues it addresses for condominium associations, boards, owners, and managers.
Condominium Governing Documents
Learn how the declaration, articles of incorporation, bylaws, rules, amendments, resolutions, and applicable law work together.
Condominium Governance and Board Operations
- Board Member Duties
- Director Fiduciary Responsibilities
- Board Meeting Requirements
- Membership Meeting Requirements
- Meeting Notice Requirements
- Meeting Minutes
- Director Certification
- Conflicts of Interest
- Director Communications Outside Meetings
- Emergency Powers
Elections, Voting, and Recalls
- Election Requirements
- Election Mistakes
- Candidate Eligibility
- Ballots Proxies Voting Certificates
- Board Recall Procedures
- Election Challenges
Official Records and Transparency
- Official Records Requirements
- Records Retention
- Responding to Records Requests
- Electronic Records
- Records Exempt From Inspection
- Official Records Mistakes
Reserves, SIRS, and Milestone Inspections
- Structural Integrity Reserve Study
- Milestone Inspection Requirements
- SIRS Reserve Funding
- Reserve Funding Requirements
- Waiving or Reducing Reserves
- Budgeting for Structural Repairs
- Special Assessments
- Adopting Special Assessment
Assessments, Liens, and Collections
- Assessment Collections
- Collection Notices
- Claims of Lien
- Lien Foreclosure Process
- Payment Plans
- Owner Bankruptcy and Collections
- Regular versus Special Assessments
Rules, Enforcement, and Owner Conduct
- Adopting Amending Rules
- Violation Notices
- Fining Procedures
- Suspension of Use Rights
- Selective Enforcement
- Leasing Restrictions
- Guest Restrictions
- Owner Refuses Access
- Pet Animal Restrictions
- Arbitration Mediation
Alterations, Maintenance, and Construction
- Maintenance Responsibilities
- Limited Common Elements
- Material Alterations
- Architectural Review
- Owner Alterations
- Contractor Agreements
- Major Repair Projects
- Construction Defect Claims
Insurance and Disaster Recovery
- Insurance Responsibilities
- Windstorm Flood Coverage
- Hurricane Preparation
- Post Hurricane Board Duties
- Restoration Contracts
- Emergency Repairs
- Post Hurricane Owner Communications
Related Resources
- Condominium Board Meeting Checklist
- Condominium Election Checklist
- SIRS Milestone Inspection Checklist
- Condominium Law
Need Advice About a Condominium Matter?
Educational materials cannot account for every declaration, amendment, board history, or factual circumstance. Contact Hamilton Mikes before taking action on a significant reserve, election, enforcement, construction, insurance, collection, or governance matter.