New laws applicable to condominiums effective July 1

Editor’s note: Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross respond to questions about Florida community association law. With offices in Naples, Fort Myers, Coral Gables and Boca Raton, the firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, litigation, estate planning and business law.

Question: We understand there are new laws impacting condominium associations. Would you please recap the changes we need to know about? C.D., Naples

Answer: Here is a summary of new laws as of July 1, 2018 applicable to condominiums:

• Official Records – 718.111(12)(b)/HB841. Plans, permits, warranties, declaration, articles, bylaws, rules, meeting minutes and accounting records from the inception of the association must now be kept forever. Chapter 718 previously required these documents to be kept for only seven years. All other records must still be kept for seven years with exception of ballots, proxies and related voting material that only needs to be kept for one year.
• Access to Official Records – 718.111(12)(b)/HB841. Access to official records must be made available within 10 working days. Formerly, it was five working days but since the penalty did not arise until after 10 working days, effectively nothing has changed. 
• Website Creation – 718.111(12)(g)1/HB841. The requirement imposed in 2017 that condominiums (excluding timeshares) must create a website and post digital copies of most of its official records on its website by July 1, 2018 has been extended to Jan. 1, 2019. The term association has been replaced by the term condominium thereby making it clear that multi-condominium associations that manage several condominiums, each with less than 150 units but cumulatively 150 or more units, are now exempt from the website requirement.
• Website Records – 718.111(12)(g)2. e and g/HB841. A list of all bids in excess of $500 received by the association for materials, equipment or services within the past year must now be posted on the website if a website is required. Additionally, the monthly income or expense statement must be posted.
• Website Records Failure to Post – 718.111(12)(g)4/HB841. The failure to post required records on the website is not sufficient to invalidate any action or decision of the association’s board or any committee.
• Board and Members Meeting Notices on Website – 718.112(2)(c)1 and (d)/HB841. In addition to sending and posting notices for board and members meetings by regular mail, the board may now adopt a rule to allow the posting of such notices on the website if a website is required. The rule must also require that an email be sent to all owners who have requested electronic notice with a link to the posted notice.  
• Term Limits – 718.112(2)(d)2/HB841. The 2017 law limiting a director from serving no more than four consecutive two-year terms has been changed. The law now provides that, regardless of the length of the term (one year or two years), a director cannot serve more than eight consecutive years unless no other eligible candidates run or at least two-thirds of those who vote approve the person to continue serving beyond eight consecutive years. The revised language also clarifies that if the governing documents so provide, directors may be elected to serve terms of more than two years each.  
• Electronic Notice – 718.112(2)(d)6/HB841. An owner, who consents to electronic notice, is solely responsible for removing or bypassing filters that block receipt of emails.  This will prevent an owner from objecting to a lack of notice if the notice is stopped by the owner’s spam filter.
• Recalls – 718.112(2)(j)1/HB841. A director is recalled immediately at the conclusion of the board meeting held to consider the recall if the recall is deemed “facially valid.” Under the prior 2017 change in the law, which created a number of procedural ambiguities, the director was apparently recalled even if the recall agreements were clearly insufficient in number to effectuate a recall.  Note that a definition of facially valid is not provided.
• Recalls Attorney Fees – 718.112(2)(j)6/HB841. If a recalled board member files a petition for arbitration to challenge the recall and is successful, then the arbitrator may award reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. If the board member is unsuccessful, the arbitrator may award the other party its attorneys’ fees and costs but only if the challenge is found to have been “frivolous.”
• Material Alterations – 718.113(2)(a)/HB841. Clarifies that any material alteration or substantial addition to the common elements that requires owner approval must be approved before the work commences. 
• Electronic Vehicle Charging – 718.112(8) and 718.121(2)/HB841. Allows unit owners to install electronic vehicle charging stations in their limited common element parking spaces under certain conditions and subject to certain requirements. Among other things, the owner must pay to install a separate meter and pay for the electricity. Further, the owner’s insurance must also name the association as an additional insured, and if the association’s insurance premium goes up as a result of the charging station, the owner must pay the increase. Moreover, if the owner fails to pay the contractor that installs the charging equipment, the contractor cannot file a construction lien against the association.
• Contracts with Directors – 718.3026(3) and 718.3027(2)/HB841. The 2017 change in the law allowing an association to contract with a director under certain circumstances but allowing owners to void any such contract with a vote at the next members meeting was removed from 718.3026 and relocated to 718.3027.
• Fines and Suspension Committees/Payment of Fine – 718.303(3)(b)/HB841. Provides that the fining committee has three members and that the members cannot be the spouse, parent, child, brother, sister or employee of any director. Formerly, the condominium law did not set the number of members and only prohibited board members and persons residing with a board member from being on the committee. Oddly, the new law removes the prohibition that a member of the committee cannot be residing with a director. If the committee approves the fine, it must be paid within five days of the committee meeting. The association must give written notice of the fine or suspension after the committee approves it by mail or hand delivery.

Attorney Richard D. DeBoest is a shareholder at the law firm of Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross. Visit the website at www.gadclaw.com or ask questions about your issues for future columns by sending an inquiry to: info@gadclaw.com.