community association amendments Tag Archives

July 31, 2022

Miami Herald Real Estate Column by Jonathan Mofsky: “Ruling Shows Pitfalls of Associations Enacting Changes Without Required Votes”

by Siegfried Rivera

Siegfried Rivera

The firm’s latest “Real Estate Counselor” column in today’s Miami Herald is authored by partner Jonathan M. Mofsky and titled “Ruling Shows Pitfalls of Associations Enacting Changes Without Required Votes.” It focuses on a recent ruling by Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal that illustrates the potential consequences of associations that undergo alterations to their amenities and enact rule changes without the required vote and approval of their unit owners. Jonathan’s article reads:

. . . The case initially stems from a filing for mandatory non-binding arbitration with the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes under the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Michelle and Kevin Flint, owners of several units at the Lexington Place condominium in Orlando, objected to the condo association’s elimination of a common element dog park and a court for wallyball (i.e., a sport similar to volleyball played on a racquetball court). They alleged the association performed these material alterations without a vote and majority approval of the unit owners in violation of its own declaration of condominium.

The Flints also challenged a board-enacted rule that prevented tenants from maintaining pets at the condominium, which they claimed violated the pet restrictions contained in the declaration.

The couple prevailed in these proceedings on both issues. However, the association chose to escalate the matter by filing a lawsuit in Orange County circuit court based on the same arguments originally presented in arbitration.

The circuit court also ruled in favor of the Flints and affirmed the arbitrator’s decision. After considering the different provisions in the association’s declaration as well as the arguments of the parties, the court found that because the association’s declaration required approval by a majority vote of the unit owners prior to performing the alterations, the association’s board of directors alone lacked the authority to eliminate the community’s dog park and wallyball court.

July 3, 2022

Firm’s Miami Herald Real Estate Column by Lindsey Thurswell Lehr: “Community Associations Should Consider Amending Their Amendments Process”

by Siegfried Rivera

Siegfried Rivera

The latest edition of the firm’s Miami Herald “Real Estate Counselor” column appears in today’s edition of the newspaper and is authored by Lindsey Thurswell Lehr. The article, which is headlined “Community Associations Should Consider Amending Their Amendments Process,” focuses on the inability for many community associations to amend their governing documents, and it suggests a possible solution. Lindsey’s article reads:

. . . Declarations, covenants and bylaws are recorded in the local court registry and provided to all buyers prior to their purchase, as they essentially set the terms of the contract and serve as mini constitutions setting forth the rights and duties between unit owners and their association.

These governing documents are originally codified by a community’s developer, and they often include dated and problematic provisions that are in dire need of updating as communities grow and owners’ goals change.

However, amendments to an association’s recorded governing documents often require a vote of the unit-owner membership, and sometimes the documents demand a minimum approval of two-thirds or even three-quarters of all the owners for an amendment to be ratified.

Such voting thresholds are extremely difficult for most communities to achieve. In fact, many Florida communities have difficulty achieving the legally mandated minimum voter-participation requirements to conduct valid board member elections or hold membership meetings.

Indeed, changing the recorded governing documents is often significantly more difficult than matters requiring only a simple vote of the board of directors, but communities with troublesome and outdated provisions should still take the challenge head on and make it a priority.

June 9, 2021

Suit Against Boca Condo Association Spotlights Importance of Governing Document Amendments, Filings

by Laura Manning-Hudson

Laura Manning-Hudson

A lawsuit that was recently filed against the Promenade at Boca Pointe Condominium Association highlights the importance of properly adopting changes to an association’s governing documents and recording them in the local court registry where the association is located. If the allegations in the lawsuit hold up in court, the association for the Boca-area community could be forced to pay the plaintiff unit-owners’ lost rental income and legal bills.

According to the suit, the association is making up rules to prevent condo owners Gerardo and Ana Vizcaino from leasing their unit for a full year. The suit states that the association’s new rule, which it apparently adopted at an August 2020 board meeting after a simple vote of the board the directors, was never approved by the members by a formal vote.

Indeed, the suit alleges that the association president acknowledged in a notice to all of the unit owners that the board’s adoption of a rule restricting rentals to one tenant per 12-month period was invalid because it had not been approved by the unit owners via an amendment to the governing documents. The only restriction in the association’s recorded declaration pertaining to rentals states that owners are only restricted from renting units for terms of less than thirty days. No other restrictions are included in the recorded governing documents.