Year: 2021

It’s amazing when you think about it……. I get asked questions about emotional support animals all the time.  I tell everyone that sometimes I can’t give an answer off the cuff.  I would need to know more, it’s not that simple.  Well, to prove that point, this is the third week in a row I’m…

Suppose an owner or a renter makes a request to keep an emotional support animal.  Suppose further that the person’s disability is not readily apparent.  What proof can the association ask for to prove the person is disabled? (b) If a person’s disability is not readily apparent, request reliable information that reasonably supports that the person…

Florida now has a statute that clarifies what associations should and should not do when someone asks to have an emotional support animal in a “no pet” community.  We will try to answer  a lot of your questions over the next two or three weeks regarding what you can and cannot do when an owner…

I often times get phone calls from board members who are upset about the fact that some new owner went through the screening process, filled out the application, paid the fee and showed up for an interview. But it turns out that there are more people living in the unit than expected and none of…

It’s funny how many times over the years, Boards have told me “We weren’t having a meeting, we were only talking about the condo” or “We weren’t having a meeting, we were in a workshop.” For clarification, let’s see how a “meeting” is defined by law. For a condominium, the Florida Administrative Code says: (1)(a)…

There certainly have been a few debates lately and there may be another on the way. Who Knows? Maybe you think Trump won. Maybe you think Biden won. Maybe you think Pence won or maybe you think Harris won.  It doesn’t matter  if some of you even think the fly won.  The bottom line is…

While the condo statute outlines a very specific and rigid procedure on how HOAs should  conduct the election, the HOA Statute doesn’t say much at all:     Elections of directors must be conducted in accordance with the procedures set forth in the governing documents of the association. Except as provided in paragraph (b), all…

Do you believe that your real estate taxes too high?  Why not appeal your tax bill as a group?  Under Florida Law, a condominium association can file a property tax appeal petition on behalf of all of the unit owners in the condominium.   Once a petition is filed, the Value Adjustment Board sets the case for…

This is a story about John and Jane. John lives in a condominium in Miami and Jane lines in an H.O.A. in Central Florida. Election season is approaching quickly in both of their communities. While it may seem at first glance that all things are equal…….that is certainly not the case.   The election in…

After living at Peaceful Paradise Condominium for 10 years and minding her own business, Darlys Dogooder decides that she hasn’t done enough volunteer work in her life and chooses to become a Board member. In fact, Darlys goes on to be a role model board member, devoting countless hours to her condominium, but today being…