Elections and How They Work, Part One: The Board of Directors

Election time. Hopefully you won’t have to deal with rallies and smear campaigns in your condo association. But, as with any bureaucratic aspect of your association, there are procedures to follow. Here’s a breakdown of what formalities you’ll need to be aware of, as well as tips for how to amend your bylaws to create a voting process that best serves your community.

First Notice

60 days prior to the election a notice must be mailed, hand-delivered or e-mailed to each unit owner. This notice also lets people know that if they’d like to run for the board, they must submit their notice of intent 40 days prior to the election.

Second Notice

The second notice must be sent out not more than 34 days, but not less than 14 days prior to the election.

There are a number of additional regulations to follow regarding notices of intent, information sheets, ballots and envelopes, as well as conducting your election. These are all detailed in Florida Statute 718.112.

Yes, it’s a process. And to add to all this there are additional rules like: a board member may not serve more than 4 consecutive 2-year terms or in an association of more than 10 units, co-owners can’t both be on the board unless they own more than one unit.

What if it could be simpler?

It can and we can help. Every association has the choice to adopt alternate election procedures. But this can only be done by amending the bylaws, which is not a procedure recommended for the layman. Consult an attorney to help you decide what you can and cannot amend when it comes to your condo association’s elections.

Our job is to make certain Florida law is being followed, while also serving you to create an election process that works for your community. You have options. Let us know how we can help.