Florida Condo Boards Risk Sanctions If Fail To Share Records With Owners, Renters
In the aftermath of the Surfside condo collapse, the Florida Legislature has made a number of changes to the state's condo law in 2024. This is one of the changes.
A common complaint of Florida condo owners is the purported widespread refusal of association boards of directors and property managers to share material information about their respective communities.
During the 2024 legislative session, Florida officials made another effort to deal with this criticism by further revising the state’s condo law.
As the latest version of the Florida condo law currently stands, associations are required to collect 20 records - dubbed the “Official Records” - that must be maintained and made available for inspection to unit owners and their representatives.
Units owners gain access to the records within two weeks of submitting a written request.
The law goes on to state that Florida condo associations “may not require a member to demonstrate any purpose or state any reason for the inspection.”
Any board members or property managers who refuse to comply with the requirements face a variety of sanctions, including possible misdemeanor charges, fines and removal from office.
The measures are part of an ongoing effort by the Florida legislature in the aftermath of the Champlain Towers South condo collapse in the barrier island town of Surfside on June 24, 2021, to bring more transparency to condo associations, which have a reputation for being shrouded in secrecy, intimidation and corruption.
Nearly 100 people died and a $1 billion settlement was reached with the families of the victims.
A federal investigation is currently underway but the preliminary reports suggest a flawed design coupled with a lack of upkeep by the condominium’s association contributed to the disaster.