Florida HOA Lawyer Blog
The firm’s Michael L. Hyman authored an article that is featured as the “Board of Contributors” expert guest commentary column in today’s edition of the Daily Business Review, South Florida’s exclusive business daily and official court newspaper. The article, which is titled “Ruling: Community Associations Can Take Owners to Court Without Completing Arbitration,” discusses how Florida law calls for associations to file for nonbinding arbitration with the state agency that regulates condominiums prior to going to court. Michael notes that the law, which is designed to relieve Florida’s courts from routine disputes between community associations and their unit owners, certainly does not mean such arbitration proceedings under the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Condominiums must completely run their course prior to seeking emergency relief in local circuit court, as a recent ruling by the state’s Fourth District Court of Appeal reaffirmed. His article reads:
. . . In Aquarius Condominium Association v. Boris Goldberg, the owners of a unit refused to grant the association’s contractor access to their residence for the purposes of initiating a balcony renovation project as part of a mandated 40-year recertification for the property. In response, the association filed a petition for arbitration with the Division of Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes as prescribed under Florida law. On the very same day, it also filed an “emergency motion to abate arbitration and temporarily relinquish jurisdiction” in Broward County circuit court against the unit owners to seek injunctive relief to secure immediate access to the residence.
Apparently in light of the emergency court proceedings over the injunction, the arbitrator with the state agency abated the matter for three months and noted that the association would need to file a status report or the arbitration petition would be dismissed.
