In these uncertain times it is not unusual for boards operating pet-restricted communities to receive even more emotional support animal (ESA) requests than usual. What is unusual is the emerging trend that some people requesting these ESAs are retracting their requests when confronted with a...
Shared ownership communities have heeded the call and have implemented Covid-19 protocol, reshaping their daily operations to better safeguard their residents. In the past few weeks, the governor and Florida cities and counties have revised their emergency orders numerous times to take into account the pandemic’s...
There are many advantages to living in a multifamily condo or coop building in South Florida: great views, enviable locations and abundant amenities. However, there is always the possibility of water leaks. Not surprisingly, when these leaks occur, there is often an inherent tension and finger-pointing...
In the last few months, a growing number of community associations across Florida are being threatened with litigation because their websites are allegedly not friendly to visually impaired users. The genesis for these association website suits may lie with the holding in the recent Domino’s Pizza...
Last week I was preparing an amendment to a set of recorded governing documents for a local community that were over 50 years old. There had been several amendments over those decades and I was asked to provide a few more updates by the recently...
Security concerns are always at or near the top of the list of priorities in shared ownership communities. With personal home technology evolving at a dizzying pace, many homeowners are considering the installation of video doorbells such as those offered by Ring or Nest. However,...
Over the years, I have heard from many clients decrying owners who harass or verbally abuse the board, staff, vendors, or other residents. Sometimes boards can tune out the rantings of the resident dissident but when does violence become foreseeable? We can never have an...
Naturally there is the sense that incumbent board members have access to emails and other information that might not be readily available to other candidates particularly if those email addresses were not provided in conjunction with a consent to receiving notices electronically. Letters, candidate information...
Few aspects of condominium and cooperative association operations are as heavily regulated as the budgeting process and yet too many boards take an informal approach to these crucial director functions. From Section 718.504, which lists the required operating expense categories, to Section 718.112, which delineates the...
Florida condominiums, cooperatives and, to a lesser degree, homeowners' associations are subject to the imposition of fines and penalties by the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshare and Mobile Homes ("Division") for a variety of mistakes and missteps. The Division plans to pass sweeping changes to...
