Many condominium residents are blissfully unaware of how an impending deadline will affect their bank accounts and, in some cases, their mailing addresses. John Cadden, managing principal of Condominium Advisory Group, said others realize the potential effects but remain “in total denial.” The people and investment firms operating over 200 buildings in St. Petersburg must […]
HOA Q&A: Can board decisions be made via email or phone call? (FL)
Q: I recall you saying that board decisions could not be made via email or phone call. If it is required to document decisions in Board meeting minutes, can you point me to the exact regulation that specifies that? Are there any acceptable methods to document decisions outside of a meeting? Read the Q&A………………………………..
Icon Brickell condo owner alleges poor soundproofing in suit against association, neighbor (FL)
A condo owner at Icon Brickell, a Related Group development, is alleging that inadequate soundproofing in the complex’s original construction is affecting his quality of life, according to a lawsuit. Vidya Property Holdings LLC is suing Icon Brickell 2’s condo association and Marta Liliam Jaramillo Arango, the owner of the condo upstairs. Vidya is led […]
Condo set to be demolished after sitting untouched post-Hurricane Ian (FL)
We’ve seen a complete transformation on Fort Myers Beach over the last two years. In the beginning of September of 2022, It was a quaint beach community. A few weeks later, Hurricane Ian changed everything. Now, the community is rebuilding and, in some cases, starting fresh. The Strandview condos will soon be demolished to make […]
Renter: Rockledge condos ‘bat infested’ (FL)
Since bats are important to the ecosystem, state law can still protect them — even if they’re in your home or on your private property. This is especially true from April 15 to Aug. 16, where all attempts to handle, disturb or exclude bats is highly illegal because it’s mating season. Video news report……………………..
As developers buy old Florida condos, at least owners don’t have to pay for costly repairs
In Jupiter, West Palm Beach and throughout Florida, many owners of waterfront condos face a stark choice: Should I stay, or should I go?……Laws enacted in the aftershock of the Surfside collapse require that buildings three stories and taller undergo in-depth structural inspections at 30 years of age, and every 10 years thereafter. Associations also […]
Crushing special assessment (FL)
South Florida condo residents, especially those in older buildings, are being hit with crushing special assessments. When they can’t pay, they face foreclosure. It’s why residents of one building turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser. We met with six condo owners. But it could have been 600 or 6,000, all using the same […]
Safety deadlines applied after Surfside collapse pressuring owners to pay up or move out (FL)
Years after the Surfside collapse, South Florida is in a condo crisis. Upcoming safety deadlines are pressuring condo owners to pay more than they can afford. CBS News Miami explores how meeting state requirements to keep condo buildings safer is pricing some people out of their forever homes. “I am being forced out,” exclaimed Sue […]
HOA Q&A: What can be done if a person isn’t allowed to speak on an agenda item at meetings? (FL)
Q: I read your post about a unit owner’s right to speak at meetings. What are the remedies if this is denied? Read the Q&A………………………………..
DOUBLE WHAMMY: Condo owners feel 2 insurance hikes at once (FL)
Florida condo owners are getting a double whammy of insurance hikes — first with policies for condo associations and then individual policies for their units. “I’ve thought several times (about) moving, but everything I look at will end up costing me more money than I’m spending here,” said Stephen Towle who lives in a condo […]
HOA doubling down on collecting 20 cents from homeowner
A Volusia County HOA said they will go forward with collecting 20 cents plus late fees from a woman who made a mistake on her payment, shorting it two dimes. WFTV introduced you to Carolyn Babcock in June. She was paying the household bills for the first time while her husband was in a nursing […]
Baldwin Park demands removal of signs supporting HOA challengers (FL)
Accusations of voter suppression flew in Baldwin Park after residents received letters in the mail demanding they take down the political signs in their yards. However, residents said the letters only targeted signs supporting three candidates challenging incumbents for seats on the community’s HOA board. Read the article…………………………….
A court decision worries developers eyeing Florida’s aging condos
In Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood, many older buildings have been torn down and replaced by new gleaming high-rise condominiums. But on a prime waterfront spot in the neighborhood, there’s an older building that’s now vacant. Read the article…………………………….
Residents demonstrate for clean lake at Victoria Park in DeLand after animals found dead (FL)
What has been killing the fish, ducks and birds in a lake at DeLand’s Victoria Park? Residents aren’t sure but the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is looking into the problem. Raquel Levy, a personal injury attorney who runs Atlantic Law Center and lives in the development, said her two daughters were out collecting residents’ […]
Sewage problems stinking up an Estero community (FL)
The homeowners association at the Cascades Community got the water tested in November 2023 by Advanced Aquatics. The testing showed fecal bacteria at very high levels. The testing company then treated it, but the water got stinky again. So, Maier reached out to a Florida Gulf Coast University professor of marine science, James Douglass. […]
Condo law after Surfside collapse forces sales as deadlines loom: The Flagler House saga (FL)
Milillo’s aging condominium — a three-story art deco artifact from the early 1960s — is one of an untold number of South Florida buildings developers are soliciting as they hunt for waterfront deals in the wake of new laws that followed the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. The new statutes, which were enacted to ensure the […]
Florida homeowners challenge HOA rules amidst new laws and legal uncertainty
Homeowners associations are everywhere in Florida, and there is no shortage of opinions about what they do and the power they wield. From limits on street or even driveway parking to restrictions on landscaping and even the color scheme of your home. For a long time, HOAs have had broad powers to enforce and even […]
Some Florida condo owners facing deadline as Castle Key drops insurance policies
Some 33,000 Floridians will be getting notified through next year that Allstate’s Florida subsidiaries are dropping their insurance policies, and some are getting the news during a particularly nerve-wracking time to start looking for coverage: hurricane season. Read the article…………………………….
HOA Q&A: Can the size of the board of directors be changed? (FL)
Q: Is it possible to change the size of the Board from seven directors to five directors? Read the Q&A………………………………..
Aventura high-rise fails to comply with 40-year recertification, residents wonder what’s next (FL)
Residents living in an Aventura high-rise wonder if it’s safe to stay after the Commodore Plaza received a violation from the city saying it failed to comply with the 40-year recertification. Residents tell CBS News Miami they pay over a thousand monthly in association fees and question how this could happen. Read the article…………………………….
1 in 7 Floridians lacks homeowners insurance despite major climate risks
About 1 in every 7 Floridian homeowners is choosing to go without property insurance, despite the high risk of catastrophic weather events such as hurricanes and floods, according to research from the Insurance Information Institute. More homeowners around the country have had to make tough decisions in the face of rising costs for property and […]
Squatter gets 40 years for illegally taking over Panama City Beach condo in Florida
A squatter who illegally took over a condo in Florida has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Olandis Hobbs, 37 was sentenced on Tuesday after being found guilty earlier this month of using false documents to take ownership of an approximately $700,000 condo in the Panama City Beach area, according to the State Attorney’s […]
Old condos crowd market as prices drop. Surfside reforms are one reason (FL)
There is a crush of condos built in 1994 or earlier for sale in South Florida — almost 18,000 condos of that vintage were on the market in the second quarter. About nine of every 10 condos for sale in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties dates back to at least 1994, according to real […]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says special session to fix condo law is up to Legislature
As condominium owners throughout the state face significant hikes in their homeowner association assessments, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it’s up to the Legislature to convene a special session to fix the law that spurred the increases. “If the Legislature has ideas about how to make this more sensible for people, I’m totally open to […]
Florida Senate GOP candidate faces September trial in $48K theft case involving an HOA
A candidate for Florida Senate this August is facing charges of grand theft in Orange County involving a homeowner’s association, with a trial scheduled to start in September. Cheryl Blancett, 63, is facing charges that stem from a years-long investigation into the theft of nearly $48,000 from a homeowners association for a neighborhood in east […]
$55,000 of Kendall condo association money was found in a personal bank account, cops say (FL)
A former property management worker for a Kendall condo association was arrested Monday, accused of stealing more than $55,000 of community money that was found in her personal bank account. Read the article…………………………….
Do short-term renters have same rights as owners when it comes to having service dogs? (FL)
Question: We have an owner at our condominium complex who insists that owners who put their condos on the market as short-term rentals do not have to allow assistance animals under any circumstances. That is because they claim short term rentals are exempt from the FHA. They say that short term renters are ‘guests’ and […]
Residents of a Pembroke Pines condo community deemed unsafe ordered to evacuate (FL)
The remaining residents of a condominium community deemed unsafe in Pembroke Pines have been given roughly a month to leave. Last year, unsafe structure notices were issued for seven buildings within the Heron Pond Condominium community, 8400 SW 1st Street, that have since been fully evacuated. Additionally, specific units in the seven other buildings were […]
Plaintiff alleges negligence by condominium association after Airbnb stay leads to injury (FL)
A recent court filing reveals a dramatic legal battle unfolding in Pinellas County, Florida. On July 11, 2024, Christopher Barling filed a complaint against Dockside Condominium Association Clearwater Beach, Inc., alleging negligence that led to his injury while staying at one of their properties. Read the article…………………………….
Employee accused of stealing thousands from condo association in The Hammocks (FL)
A 54-year-old woman is accused of a multi-year fraud scheme involving a condominium association she worked for in The Hammocks. Ivonne Leon was an administrative assistant for the Royal Palm Place Condominium Association, responsible for collecting payments from residents and depositing into the association’s account, an arrest report stated. However, Leon is accused of depositing […]
Hundreds of Tampa Bay area condo buildings face looming inspection deadline (FL)
The deadly Surfside Condo collapse in 2021 sparked statewide urgency to meet new safety requirements. But right now, hundreds of condo buildings in the Tampa Bay area are on a deadline. Florida condos have just five months to complete re-inspections by December 31, but some of them may not make it for a variety of […]
New law enforces regulations for homeowner associations (FL)
Homeowner’s associations can bring a lot to a community, but a Florida law that took effect July 1 aims to crack down on HOAs and push for more transparency and accountability. “It’s got its good points, and it’s got its weak points,” said Antonella Puntillo, a Babcock Ranch resident. House Bill 1203 mandates that HOAs […]
‘I needed to return to work’: Florida condo owners face unretiring or selling their homes after being hit with a striking $100,000 in special assessment fees
Yet another torrid tale has emerged of Florida homeowners being hit with eye-watering special assessment fees as building managers race to be in compliance with a new state law. This time, it’s the residents of SurfSide Club South in Ormond Beach crying foul after they were billed over $100,000 per condo owner. Per the new […]
Homeowner Sues Lakeridge Falls HOA for Defamation (FL)
A resident of Palm Beach County has launched a defamation lawsuit against her homeowners association and several board members, alleging a campaign of falsehoods that have severely damaged her reputation. Maureen Stafford filed the complaint in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, on July 12, 2024, targeting the […]
Glen Lakes residents say it’s no place for small rental homes (FL)
Peter Hsu steers his SUV around the streets of Glen Lakes, pointing to the home construction sites at Gentle Ben Court and asking if anyone else would want such a sight in their community. He and several other residents of the country club subdivision off U.S. 19 have raised concerns with the Hernando County Commission […]
Don’t like having to prove dog is service animal to HOA? Blame the law, not the lawyer (FL)
The following letter comes in following up to a previous column in which a writer reported that condo residents were skirting a no-pet policy by submitting “emotional support animal paperwork that seems fraudulent, as they appear to have gone online and paid for certificates.” Read the article…………………………….
Plaintiff injured guest sues elevator companies and condominium association for negligence (FL)
A tragic incident involving a malfunctioning elevator has led to a significant lawsuit against three companies. On July 12, 2024, Jamise Bozeman Jr. filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, against Oracle Elevator Holdco, Inc., Premier Elevator Company, Inc., and Sea Ranch Club of Boca […]
Another sign of trouble? South Florida condo sales drop by double-digits, report shows
It seems like the perfect storm right now for South Florida’s high-rise market. Condo deals in Miami-Dade and Broward counties fell double digits in June, according to the latest real estate report — just as condo owners become increasingly strapped by rising homeowners association fees aimed at meeting new legal requirements to maintain larger maintenance […]
HOA Q&A: Does law provide for free copies of official HOA records? (FL)
Q: I made a request to inspect and copy the official records of my HOA. I only asked to see about 10 pages of records. I was told that I had to pay 25 cents per page for the records. I thought the HOA law provided that an owner could get up to 25 pages […]
Florida retirement community in turmoil after nearly all HOA board members call it quits
In a matter of weeks, the HOA Board at On Top of the World Retirement Community has flipped. Five members quit in May, followed by eight more members at a meeting on July 15. For several days, the HOA was essentially defunct. With only one member of the nine-person board, there was no quorum, so […]
Novelist turns South Florida condo corruption into high comedy
When The Eagles sang “This could be heaven or this could be hell” about the Hotel California, they could easily have been describing the dual nature of living in a condominium. Condo living certainly has its benefits — it can be delicious to rely on some association to patch your roof, keep the landscaping looking […]
How do I find my HOA rules and regulations in Florida? Which ones can I legally fight?
More than 75 million Americans live in subdivisions or other communities with homeowner associations (HOAs) that require them to pay monthly fees and follow a set of rules. And Floridians who live in places with homeowner associations finally have laws to regulate what HOAs can and can’t do to them. Read the article…………………………….
Language in HOA bylaws could determine whether new Florida parking law applies
If you are one of more than 40 percent of Floridians who lives in a community governed by a homeowner’s association, you may have heard a legal term recently regarding bylaws, covenants and declarations. It’s called “Kaufman language” based on the 1977 case of Kaufman vs. Shere, which affects governing documents for HOAs. Read the […]
Miami Homeowners Race to Sell Condos Before 2025 (FL)
Miami’s housing market is flooded with aging condos which owners are desperate to sell before strict new regulations come into force later this year, according to a recent report from ISG World. Talking about an “impending crisis,” the report found that older condos dominate the market: nearly 90 percent of active listings in the southeast […]
New HOA law in Florida took effect July 1; here’s what your association can’t do anymore
With more than 300 homeowners associations registered in Sarasota County, local residents may want to check out a new law that took effect July 1. For many Florida homeowners, that marked the day they could finally relax a little. As of July 1, a new law limiting what homeowner associations in the state can do […]
Condos with uninsurable roofs to get Citizens’ insurance as they pursue replacement (FL)
Condominium buildings with roofs too old or too damaged to qualify for insurance will get some relief — the state’s insurer of last resort has agreed to cover the buildings if certain conditions are met. Condos, mostly, and other commercial buildings were previously able to get insurance through the commercial insurance market for these risks. […]
Hundreds of St. Pete condos face inspection deadline (FL)
Condominium owners in St. Petersburg face towering uncertainty as over 200 buildings must complete Milestone Inspection Reports by Dec. 31. A new state law requires mandatory structural studies on older condo buildings with three or more stories. Senate Bill 4-D also requires association boards to increase repair funding reserves, and many owners now face six-figure […]
Kendall Federation PAC endorses Bryan Paz-Hernandez for Miami-Dade Commission (FL)
Bryan Paz-Hernandez’s campaign for the Miami-Dade Commission now has support from the political arm of a community-led homeowners’ association (HOA) group serving residents in the district he hopes to represent at County Hall. Read the article…………………………….