Tamarac city commissioners on Wednesday voted to keep the controversial deal to buy Shaker Village’s clubhouse alive through at least December 31 while a lawsuit challenging the land sale plays out. Read the article…………………………….
Condo owner wonders about enforcement regarding flags, posters of support hanging in windows (FL)
Question: I live in a community governed by an HOA, and I have a question regarding flags and posters in windows. As a result of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, many of our residents put American and Israeli flags on their homes as a show of support. Many of them also put […]
Woman stole over $200K from Clearwater condominium complex, police say (FL)
A St. Petersburg woman was arrested Friday after police say she stole over $216,000 from a Clearwater condominium complex while she worked there as a property manager. Read the article…………………………….
Mother-daughter-boyfriend trio accused of defrauding West Kendall HOA; 2 arrested (FL)
Thirty-eight-year-old Yasnely Pedroso had once been fired from the Westwind Lakes Garden Homes Condominium Association, Inc. for destroying records, among other things, according to police. Enter her mother, Idoris Pedroso. According to Miami-Dade police, when the 63-year-old became board president, she rehired her daughter as an assistant. Read the article…………………………….
Army veteran whose condo insurance jumped 563% last year takes crusade to Tallahassee (FL)
Thomas Baker, the Daytona Beach Shores condo owner who complained about his building’s property insurance rate rocketing up 563% last year, took his concerns to Tallahassee this week.\ Unlike the lobbyists in their business suits, the 80-year-old Vietnam veteran and U.S. Army retiree wore his uniform to stand out in the Florida Capitol halls. Read […]
Erosion causes concern for beachfront condominiums in Palm Beach (FL)
Concerned residents of Palm Beach oceanfront condominiums told the Town Council this week that erosion is a growing concern — and Palm Beach staff say help is on the way, though not before hurricane season. Representatives from two condominiums spoke to the council during Tuesday’s meeting, saying properties on the town’s South End were hit […]
Real estate Q&A: What if someone can’t pay ‘rather large’ special assessment? (FL)
Q: Our condominium association recently passed a rather large special assessment to get some work done that we do not have enough money in reserve to cover. Times are tight, and some of our neighbors will have trouble paying. What happens if someone is unable to pay a large special assessment? Read the Q&A………………………………..
Inside the battle for the Hammocks HOA’s future leadership (FL)
Over a year after five people were charged with running a massive fraud at the Hammocks, the homeowners association is again embroiled in contention. Court-appointed receiver David Gersten has been overseeing the HOA since the November 2022 arrests of four ex-board members and a fifth person. Read the article…………………………….
Florida storm-proofing grant program may expand to condos
There is bipartisan support in the Florida House for a proposal giving condo associations money to harden their buildings against hurricanes. The proposal (House Bill 1029) is a pilot program designed to expand the My Safe Florida Home Program. It would allow condo associations, like residential homeowners, to pursue matching grant dollars Read the […]
‘Condo 3.0’ bill boosting safety, board accountability heads to final House panel (FL)
A bill designed to give teeth to Florida’s condo laws and ensure that condo board members are honest and accountable is now one House committee OK shy of a floor vote. Members of the House State Administration and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee voted unanimously to advance the measure (HB 1021) after approving a pair of amendments […]
Florida Lawmakers Advance Bill Cracking Down on Condo Boards
Since the tragic Surfside condo collapse in 2021 that killed 98 people, Florida lawmakers have passed several laws to improve safety. Today, the Senate appropriations committee advanced a bill that will help control rogue condo boards and provide residents more oversight. Read the article…………………………….
LOCAL NEWS Residents at Ramblewood East condo community hope for changes after board association election (FL)
For the first time in many years, change may be coming to the sprawling Ramblewood East condo community in Coral Springs. On Monday, residents in the gigantic community of more than 1,000 units were voting on who would serve on the condo association board. Read the article…………………………….
Castle Key’s 54% Condo Rate Hike Gets Hearing, Showing New Pressures in Florida
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation next week will hold hearings on two property insurers’ requests for 54% average rate increases, one of which has already affected more than 105,000 condominium unit owners. Read the article…………………………….
Repairs have started for Tower III at Calypso Condominium Association (FL)
Panama City Beach officials are working to get people back in their condo units as quickly as possible after people at Tower III at Calypso Resort Condominiums had to vacate the building by Sunday morning due to structural issues. Read the article…………………………….
Jacksonville condo owners shocked after being told they need to pay $13,000 by summer to make repairs to complex (FL)
Owners at a Jacksonville condo complex are stressed because they were recently told they need to pay up to $13,000 for improvements by this summer. The Board of Directors recently approved a special assessment for almost half a million dollars which means some units will have to pay almost $13,000 by June 30. Read the […]
Tower III at Calypso Resort Condominium Association, Inc. releases statement on Tower III vacate orders (FL)
Legal representatives for the Tower III at Calypso Resort Condominium Association, Inc. have sent out a release regarding the recent Order to Vacate Property for the resort’s Tower III, issued by the City of Panama City Beach Building Department. Read the article…………………………….
Condo owner asks: But aren’t pools ‘private’ areas too, with regard to use of security cameras (FL)
Q: I read with interest your answer to a question regarding security cameras pointed at a pool. While I do agree on the basic premise of public spaces and expectation of privacy, what if we assume that the condo pool is a public place as well as a private place? Read the Q&A………………………………..
City orders evacuation at Panama City Beach condo (FL)
“On Thursday night, February 8, 2024, the city received a concerning report from Slider Engineering Group, Inc., following a structural inspection of all guardrails in Calypso Tower III,” city officials wrote in a letter to the condo owners. “The findings reveal significant structural integrity issues, particularly with the guardrails on the east side of the […]
New condo requirements bringing financial burdens to Volusia County owners, renters
“That was this was a wake-up call because what’s been going on, was there are millions of dollars of repairs at certain buildings, and the condo associations are hamstrung because you have to either have the reserves or you don’t,” said John Cadden, Condominium Advisory Group managing principal. Read the article…………………………….
Threats against Loxahatchee HOA members lead to discovery of explosive devices: Sheriff (FL)
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) Bomb Squad discovered multiple types of suspected explosive devices in the home of a man accused of making threats against members of a homeowners association, a probable cause affidavit stated. Read the article…………………………….
Spanish Main Yacht Club installs $1M of potable water pipes (FL)
Chairman of the Water Committee Tom Freiwald said Spanish Main Yacht Club was a 55-plus community in both the age of its residents and potable water lines. Due to repeated system failures, the Spanish Main Yacht Club had to replace its potable waterRead the article……………………………. lines, which were original to the condominium’s construction in 1966.
Strike-all Amendment to HB 1021 (FL)
Representative Lopez’s HB 1021 just passed the Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee with a strike-all amendment without objection and will be heard next in the State Administration & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee. The Senate counterpart to this bill, Senator Bradley’s SB 1178, does not currently match up. Read the article…………………………….
Tenant says mold grew for 3 years in Downtown condo while condo board stalled repairs (FL)
It’s one of the premier luxury condos in downtown Jacksonville, however a resident at Berkman Plaza says his experience has been anything but luxurious. Nearly 3 years ago a pipe burst on the 10th floor of Berkman Plaza and created massive damage in Nick Rosado’s 8th floor condo. Rosado is still trying to get his […]
Former condo manager files whistleblower suit, saying he was scapegoat for $105,000 scam (FL)
Former property manager Tony Rodriguez claims in a lawsuit he was unfairly fired from his position of 25 years at the Botanica Condominium by an abusive board for a $105,000 email fraud that was not his fault. Read the article…………………………….
Oldsmar woman accused of using $25K in HOA funds to pay her own bills (FL)
An Oldsmar woman is accused of using nearly $25,000 in funds from the HOA where she was a manager to pay her own bills, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Read the article…………………………….
MDFR evacuate tenants following fire at Sunny Isles Beach condominium (FL)
On Monday around 8 a.m., 7Skyforce was overhead as MDFR was on the scene at Parque Towers, located on the 300 block of Sunny Isles Boulevard, where they had all their equipment out to battle the flames inside. Read the article…………………………….
Florida condo policies could exit Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Florida regulators last week approved a plan that could lead to condominium-association policies leaving the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Read the article…………………………….
What happens to owners on fixed incomes when homeowner or condo association fees double? (FL)
Question: Recently our association fees went from $1,400.00 quarterly to $2,600.00. My question is, what is the worst that can happen to me if I am unable to pay? I will have difficulties coming up with that fee being a disabled Vietnam veteran. Read the Q&A………………………………..
Florida’s “Sunshine Law” applies to Condo and HOA board meetings, too
Florida’s Sunshine Law was first passed by the State Legislature in 1967 and requires that meetings conducting the official business of State, County, and municipal boards, commissions, and agencies are open to the public. Read the article…………………………….
Deteriorating Condo Set for Demolition As New Investor Hopes to Save Building and Refurbish It (FL)
According to a statement from the city, the homeowners of Villa Bianca owe more than $12.5 million in fines associated with inadequate care and maintenance of the building. Read the article…………………………….
HOA Q&A: How can an outdated declaration of condominium be updated? (FL)
Q: I am a new member on the board of directors of my condo association. I ran for the board because there are a few issues that I felt the past board was not addressing. One of which is that the declaration needs to be updated as it is from the 1970s and we are […]
An Orange County neighborhood ripped out its septic tanks to protect Wekiwa Springs. Now it’s sorry. (FL)
The gated community of more than 180 homes was the first of 17 neighborhoods in Orange County near the springs to buy into a septic-to-sewer conversion, a multiphase project originally estimated to cost $123 million. Read the article…………………………….
‘Heartbeat of this HOA:’ Ocoee woman helps make neighborhood a community (FL)
Here at News 6, we get a lot of emails about neighborhood homeowners associations. Most are complaints that go to our investigative or consumer units. But residents of one Ocoee neighborhood felt so strongly about someone on their board, they nominated her for the News 6 Getting Results award. Read the article…………………………….
Commentary: New frontiers in mediation with passage of ‘HOA Bill of Rights’ (FL)
In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed the “Homeowners’ Association Bill of Rights.” The bill enacted new laws addressing aspects of homeowners’ association management, including meetings of the board of directors and notice requirements, conflicts of interest of officers and directors, voting irregularities and the destruction of, or refusal to allow, inspection of official HOA records. […]
Florida lawmakers may offer hurricane hardening program to condo association
What the state considers a successful grant program to help harden Florida homes against hurricanes took a big step closer to sticking around for another year. Read the article…………………………….
Residents creeped out by security cameras aimed at pool from condo president’s windows (FL)
Question: One of the residents of our condo association (who also happens to be the board president) has put security cameras in his apartment windows pointing out onto the common areas of the complex (pool, barbeque, cabana, firepit). Some of the residents recently noticed these cameras in his unit and it made them uncomfortable. They […]
HOA Q&A: Can someone who has power of attorney for a property sit on the board? (FL)
Q: A unit owner has given her daughter a Power of Attorney granting her authority to deal with all matters related to her unit. The daughter has now submitted herself as a candidate for the Board of Directors arguing she will serve on behalf of her mother, the unit owner. Our bylaws require a director […]
HOA Q&A: Can the condominium association have someone enter my unit when I am not home? (FL)
Q: What rights does a condominium association have to enter my unit when I am not home? Read the Q&A……………………………
Association Wants to Go ‘Paperless (FL)
Q: Our condominium association wants to go “paperless” as much as possible for our meetings and move to “virtual” meetings both for convenience and cost savings. Do you have any guidelines on what this involves? Read the Q&A………………………………
Condominium fire claims life of 29-year-old woman in Tamarac (FL)
A condominium fire claimed the life of a 29-year-old woman in Tamarac, Tuesday. Emergency responders arrived at Versailles Gardens Condominium, located at 7900 S. Colony Circle, around 3:30 a.m. where they reported no other injuries, Read the article……………………………..
Florida Legislature to Pass Law Prohibiting Associations From Charging Estoppel Fees
Of all the subjects I never would have thought I would be writing to you about, it is this: the Florida Legislature is dangerously close to passing legislation that prohibits a Florida community association from charging a fee for the preparation and delivery of an estoppel certificate!!! Read the article…………………………….
Client Alert: Florida Senator Proposes Creation of State Database for Homeowners Association Information
On December 13, 2023, Florida State Senator Rodriguez filed Senate Bill 942 (2024), which, if adopted, would require the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to establish a searchable database of certain homeowners associations’ information no later than July 1, 2025. Read the article………………………….
Condo Association Presidents Say FL Seniors May Face Rising Fees and Trouble Selling Due To New Law
A new condominium safety law that will affect Florida condominiums was crafted following the Surfside, Florida condo collapse in 2021. A couple of provisions of the law require inspections of some condominiums as well as monetary reserves for future necessary repairs, according to Bay News 9 reporting in September 2023. Read the article……………………………..
Stricter standards, requirements seen in construction of new island condos (FL)
The collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside two and a half years sent shock waves through the Florida condo market, raising fears of additional collapses in older residential buildings. But stricter inspection and repair requirements put in place in 2022, a year after the disaster, have provided some sense of security for residents in […]
Town Hosting Special Condo Association Meeting (FL)
The town of Fort Myers Beach Town Council is hosting a special meeting with condo association presidents and residents on January 11th at 9AM. The council wants to address any questions condo associations have that might help them get open sooner. Read the article……………………………..
14 Condo Assn’s. Fined for Sea Turtle Violations (FL)
Under Marco’s Sea Turtle Lighting Ordinance, “after one warning in a calendar year, excluding an irreparable event (a sea turtle dies) the following shall apply:” Read the article………………………………
How a 1970s clerical error paved the way for Mattamy Homes to build on shuttered golf course (FL)
Circuit Court Judge G. Joseph Curley recently ruled that Mattamy Homes was not bound by an agreement signed in the 1970s that restricted the use of the golf course to recreational activity because the agreement was never formally recorded with the Palm Beach County Clerk’s Office. Read the article…………………………….
Central Florida lawmakers work to reduce fines that can be issued by HOAs (FL)
Two lawmakers from Central Florida are introducing legislation to limit the amount you could be fined by homeowner associations. Watch the news report…………………………..
CBS News Miami Investigates: Many frustrated with Ramblewood East condo association (FL)
The first thing you notice about Ramblewood East is the sheer size. The gigantic condo community on University Drive in northwest Broward County has 1,120 units, all under one association. Read the article…………………………….