Living in a Florida HOA

You Have More Rights Than You Might Think

Many Florida HOA residents don't know what the law gives them. Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes, the Homeowners' Association Act, sets rules your board has to follow, and some of them apply whatever your governing documents say.

This guide covers HOAs. If you live in a condominium, Chapter 718 applies instead. See Florida Condo Laws.

Your Right to Meeting Access

Board meetings must be open to all members (§720.303(2)). Two kinds of meetings can be closed: meetings with the association's attorney about proposed or pending litigation, and meetings about personnel matters.

At board meetings, you have the right to:

• Attend the open session
• Speak on every designated agenda item. The association can set reasonable written rules on how often and how long members speak, and it can use a sign-up sheet
• Record the meeting on audio or video, subject to the board's reasonable rules on recording (§720.306(10))

If 20 percent of the total voting interests petition the board, it must take up the item at a meeting within 60 days, and each member gets at least 3 minutes to speak on it (§720.303(2)(d)).

Running for the Board

All members are eligible to serve, with two exceptions (§720.306(9)):

• Delinquency. You can't run if you owe the association any fee, fine or other money on the last day you could be nominated.
• Felony conviction. You can't run unless your civil rights have been restored for at least 5 years.

You don't need prior experience, and it's one of the most direct ways to influence how your community is run.

To run:

1. Check your bylaws for how candidates are nominated. If the process allows nominations in advance, the association doesn't have to take nominations at the meeting. If it doesn't, you can nominate yourself at the meeting where the election is held.
2. Follow the voting procedure in your governing documents. Chapter 720 leaves most election mechanics to them.
3. Know that no vote is needed if there are no more candidates than open seats.

Unless your documents say otherwise, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast.

If you believe an election was conducted improperly, you have 60 days after the results are announced to challenge it, either through binding arbitration with the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes or in court.

Requesting HOA Records

Florida Statute 720.303(5) gives you the right to inspect and copy the association's official records, including:

• Budgets, financial statements and accounting records
• Minutes of board and member meetings
• Contracts with vendors
• Governing documents
• Insurance policies
• Other written records related to running the association

How to request records:

1. Send a written request to the association or its management company. Use certified mail, return receipt requested, because the legal presumption that a late response was willful applies only to certified requests.
2. The association must make the records available within 10 business days after it receives the request.
3. If it doesn't, you can recover actual damages or minimum damages of $50 per calendar day for up to 10 days, starting on the 11th business day.

Keep a copy of every request you send and note the delivery date. For the full rules, see How to Request HOA Records in Florida.

Understanding Violations

If you receive a violation notice, don't ignore it, but don't assume the HOA is right either. The law sets a process before a fine or suspension can be imposed (§720.305(2)).

The required process:

1. The board proposes the fine or suspension and gives you at least 14 days' written notice of your right to a hearing. The notice must describe the alleged violation and any action required to cure it.
2. A hearing is held within 90 days after the notice, before a committee of at least 3 members who aren't officers, directors or employees of the association, or the spouse, parent, child, brother or sister of one.
3. You can attend, including by phone or other electronic means, and respond to the allegations.
4. The fine or suspension takes effect only if a majority of the committee approves it.
5. Within 7 days after the hearing, the committee must send you written notice of its findings.

If you cure the violation before the hearing, or in the way the notice specifies, no fine or suspension can be imposed. If the committee approves a fine, the payment date must be at least 30 days after you get that notice.

If the HOA skipped a step, respond in writing, cite §720.305, and ask for documentation that each step was followed.

Fine limits: $100 per violation, and up to $1,000 in total for a continuing violation, unless your governing documents provide otherwise. A fine of less than $1,000 can't become a lien on your home.

See What Happens If You Don't Pay HOA Fines in Florida.

Dispute Resolution

Most disputes with an HOA have to go to presuit mediation before anyone can sue (§720.311). That covers disputes over use of or changes to a parcel or the common areas, covenant enforcement, amendments to the governing documents, board and committee meetings, and access to official records.

• It isn't free. The parties share the mediator's fee equally unless they agree otherwise.
• It doesn't apply to money collection. Disputes over collecting assessments, fines or other money owed are excluded.
• Election and recall disputes are different. They can't be mediated. They go to the Division for arbitration or to court.
• If mediation fails, you can go to court. A party who refused to take part can't recover attorney fees, even after winning.

Keep records of everything. Save every letter and email, and note the date and person for each phone call. If a dispute escalates, documentation is what wins. See Resolving HOA Disputes in Florida.

Florida-Specific Considerations

Hurricane Season (June–November)

Know what your HOA is responsible for:

• What does the HOA's insurance cover? This is often common structures, landscaping and shared amenities
• What does your own homeowner's policy need to cover?
• Does the HOA have emergency vendor contracts for post-storm cleanup?
• Has the community had hurricane-related special assessments in the past?

Every HOA must adopt specifications for hurricane protection such as shutters and impact windows. It can't deny an application that meets those specifications, though it can require you to follow an existing unified building scheme (§720.3035(6)).

Short-Term Rental Rules

Many Florida communities restrict short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO. Under §720.306(1)(h), an amendment enacted after July 1, 2021 that restricts rentals generally applies only to owners who take title after it passes or who consent to it.

That protection has limits. An HOA can amend its documents to regulate rentals of less than 6 months, or to prohibit renting a parcel more than three times a calendar year, and those amendments bind all owners. Read your covenants and any recent amendments before listing your home.

HOA Insurance in Florida

Ask your HOA about:

• Current coverage amounts and carrier
• Any recent coverage reductions or policy changes
• Whether assessments have been levied to cover increased premiums

Quick Reference: Key Deadlines

Learn more

• Florida HOA Laws: A Plain-Language Guide to Florida Statute 720
• What Your Florida HOA Can and Cannot Restrict
• Florida Statutes §720.303 — meetings, records and recalls (2026)
• Florida Statutes §720.305 — fines and suspensions (2026)
• Florida Statutes §720.306 — member meetings and elections (2026)
• Florida Statutes §720.311 — dispute resolution (2026)

Statutory content on this page was last verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes on 2026-11-04. Confirm current statute text at flsenate.gov before relying on it.