HOA law changes went into effect on July 1 By Richard D. DeBoest   STUART, Fla. – Aug. 6, 2018 – Question: We understand there are some new laws impacting our homeowner’s association. Would you please recap the changes we need to know about? – P.B., Port St. Lucie Answer: Below is a summary of new laws applicable to Homeowner Associations subject to Chapter 720 Florida Statutes as of July 1, 2018, or October 1, 2018, as indicated: 1. Email communication by directors – 720.303(2)(a)/HB841: Effective July 1

Source: HOA law changes went into effect on July 1

STUART, Fla. – Aug. 6, 2018 – Question: We understand there are some new laws impacting our homeowner’s association. Would you please recap the changes we need to know about? – P.B., Port St. Lucie

Answer: Below is a summary of new laws applicable to Homeowner Associations subject to Chapter 720 Florida Statutes as of July 1, 2018, or October 1, 2018, as indicated:

1. Email communication by directors – 720.303(2)(a)/HB841: Effective July 1, 2018. Board members may communicate via e-mail but may not cast votes via e-mail. This aligns Chapter 720 with Chapter 718 and Chapter 719 on this point.

2. Fines and suspensions – 720.305(2)(b)14/HB841: Effective July 1, 2018. If the committee approves the fine it must be paid within 5 days of the committee meeting. This aligns 720 with 718 and 719 on the 5-day to pay requirement.

3. Amendments – 720.306(1)(e)-(f)/HB841: Effective July 1, 2018. Amendments must be presented to owners for a vote in the underline and strike through format or with the “substantial amendment” notation just like condominiums and cooperatives. Allows that an “immaterial error or omission” in the amendment process does not invalidate an otherwise properly adopted amendment. All amendments to the governing documents must be recorded in the public records to be legally affective. This includes amendments to the Board-adopted rules which in the past did not have to be recorded.

4. Elections – 720.305(9)(a)/HB841: Effective July 1, 2018. If an election of directors is not required because there are not more candidates than there are available seats on the Board, and if nominations are not required from the floor, then those candidates that submitted their names to run for the board are automatically seated at the annual membership meeting even if a quorum does not exist.

5. Restrictive endorsements – 720.3085(3)(b)/HB841: Effective July 1, 2018. Clarifies that any purported accord and satisfaction or restrictive endorsement on an assessment payment is void and the payment is applied according to the law.

6. Covenant preservation summary notice – 720.303 and 720.3032/HB617: Effective October 1, 2018. Substantially revises the method and notice requirements for a board to preserve the declaration of covenants from being extinguished by MRTA (Marketable Record Title Act). This is important for homeowners associations that are approaching 30 years from the date that the original Declaration of Covenants was recorded.

7. Covenant revitalization – 720.403(3)/HB617: Effective October 1, 2018. Expands the ability to revitalize covenants beyond residential homeowner associations so that commercial property associations and other non-residential associations can revitalize the covenants.

Question: The pool was recently renovated in my sub-neighborhood association and is already having issues, and there are members claiming bidding laws weren’t followed and conflict of interest exists. (a relative of the Master Association Board member’s company did the work). And people even claim the HOA president got a new roof and bath out of this deal. – B.C., Vero Beach

Answer: In a condominium, the association must obtain competitive bids for projects or services that will cost more than 5 percent of the annual budget including reserves. For HOAs it is the same, but the percentage is 10 percent. There are exceptions to the competitive bidding requirements, but renovation of the pool would not be an exception. If the cost was less than the statutory percentage no competitive bidding is required by law, but it is good business practice to competitive bid any goods or services that will cost a significant amount of money.

Obviously, if the HOA president obtained free services in exchange for awarding the pool project, this would be in violation of the law. However, I would caution you about making such allegations based on rumor in order to avoid allegations of slander or defamation.

It would be a conflict for a relative of your HOA sub-neighborhood board member to do the pool project work, and this would have to have been disclosed and approved properly by the disinterested Board members. However, from your question you indicate it was a relative of a member of the Master Board of Directors. This would not have been a conflict

STUART, Fla. – June 13, 2018 – You’ve heard it every year that you’ve lived in Florida: in hurricane season you need a plan for both your residence and yourself.Hopefully, you’ve done things like secure flood insurance, purchase a generator and make plans for help in installing your hurricane shutters if you can’t do it yourself.Here are some things you still can do:Survey your home and tally your possessions so you know exactly what you need to replace and how much it’s worth should a storm damage your home. Take a photo of each valuable asset with your cell phone.Inspect your roof covering to make sure all the shingles or tiles are secured and that none are cracked or missing. If you’re reroofing, consider spending about $500 extra to seal the roof deck.In Florida, after Hurricane Andrew, building codes changed to require that roofs must be attached to walls with metal straps. If you live in an older home, hopefully you’ve already taken steps to bring your roof up to the new code, if not don’t delay. If your roof can be accessed via an attic, these metal roof straps can be added to your home for several hundred dollars.Make sure posts supporting your porch or carport are firmly anchored to the ground.Check the seals around windows and doors. Florida’s hot, humid weather damages seals over time, allowing sideways-blowing rain to get in during a storm.Anyplace you have cable or other electrical wires coming into the side of your house, a hole was punched through the exterior wall, Seal the holes to prevent water from getting in with caulk.Make sure you’re not creating missiles by leaving things lying around in the yard. Your grill, lawn furniture, garden gnomes and other items should be stored indoors if they can’t be secured to the ground.Garage doors can blow in, and if you have an attic above that, they can also blow up and literally tear your house apart. Strengthen your existing garage door by installing a vertical garage door brace and reinforcing it with horizontal wooden beams.This year, as in every year, we must hope for the best while preparing for the worst.© 2018 Journal Media Group, Roberta Murray, The Norman-Page Team

Source: Uncommon ways to prepare for a hurricane