Association Movie Night Raises Copyright Questions
Q: Our social committee wants to start a “movie night” that is open to all of our residents. Would this violate copyright laws? (C.S., via e-mail)
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Candidate Statements Permitted in Board Elections
Q: Is it permissible for a candidate for the board to include personal information about himself or herself in the official ballot mailing sent by our condominium association? Does the board have the right to edit these or withhold inflammatory comments? (S.M., via e-mail)
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Fine Amounts Set by Statute
Q: My association is threatening to fine me $100.00 per day for not following their mask rules. Is there a law that allows associations to fine $100.00 per day? (J.G., via e-mail) …
Amendment Voting Percentages Cause Confusion
Q: Our declaration of condominium requires “two-thirds vote, by proxy or in person,” to approve an amendment. For example, if only 20% of members participate in a meeting, this would enable passage if 12% of the membership at a meeting to approve. Is this correct? Is there a minimum number of these “interests” required to …
Records Inspection Rights Explained
Q: I asked my association’s manager for a copy of our community pool’s permit and was told to go get it from the Florida Department of Health myself. Is our manager required to provide a permit like this to the owners when asked for a copy? (B.B., via e-mail) …
’Material Alteration’ Voting Explained
Q: How can a condominium “material change” be approved? Who approves it, the board or the property owners? If several items are being altered, must each item be listed separately or can it be a single vote lumped together as one? (A.J., via e-mail)
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Can One Section Ban Rentals?
Q: I live in a condominium and there are several disruptive annual renters. There are six different sections but only one board. Each section is governed by their own declaration of condominium. Can one section approve an amendment to their declaration banning rentals even while other sections still allow rentals? G.P. …
Night Swimming Governed By State Codes
Q: Our homeowners’ association pool is only open from “dawn to dusk.” With the time change, it gets dark early. Residents who work are not able to use the pool during the week. Can the board change the pool hours or is “dawn to dusk” mandated by the state? (L.T., via e-mail)
A: …
Board Members Can’t Vote By Proxy
Q: I have an HOA question about board members voting by proxy. I believe that they cannot submit their own personal vote via proxy, but are they allowed to simply collect unlimited proxies? The board members collect and give the proxies to one board member to distribute. Is this legal? (E.L., via e-mail) …
Board Makes Parking Rules
Q: Is it necessary for the board of my condominium association to get a vote from the owners to change parking rules? They want to restrict me from parking my third vehicle on the property. I have been living here for over a year with three vehicles and no problem. (R.T., via e-mail) …
Condominium Insurance Explained
Q: We recently discovered that the air handler drain in the unit above us became clogged resulting in water damage to our unit. Our insurance covered some of the costs, but not all. We were not in the unit when this occurred and it was some time before we discovered it, resulting in mold. Would …
Can Political Flags Be Flown?
Q: I went on a walk in my community and saw at least 8 homes flying either Trump or Biden flags. Is it legal to fly a political flag on a home located in a homeowners association? I.B.
A: Sections 720.304(2)(a) and 720.3075(3) of the Florida Homeowners Association …