Florida condominium and HOA boards generally must give advance notice of board meetings, identify agenda items, allow owners to attend and speak on designated items, and keep the meeting open unless a statutory exception applies. The details differ between Chapter 718 condominiums and Chapter 720 homeowners associations.
When a board decision affects an owner’s money, property use, or unit, the notice and agenda are often the best starting point. They show what owners were told before the meeting and help frame whether the board acted within the matter that was noticed.
Is It Actually a Board Meeting?
A board meeting is generally a gathering of a quorum of directors for the purpose of conducting association business. The label is not necessarily controlling. Calling a gathering a “workshop,” “planning session,” or informal discussion does not automatically remove it from the statute if a quorum is conducting association business. Conversely, directors who happen to attend the same social event do not necessarily create a board meeting merely by being present.
Condominium and HOA Meeting Rules at a Glance
| Issue | Condominium | HOA |
|---|---|---|
| Primary statute | § 718.112(2)(c) | § 720.303(2) |
| Ordinary board-meeting notice | Generally posted at least 48 continuous hours before the meeting, except in an emergency | Generally posted at least 48 hours before the meeting, except in an emergency; the statute provides alternatives in specified circumstances |
| Special assessment / certain use-rule changes | Generally at least 14 days’ written and posted notice | Generally at least 14 days’ written and posted notice |
| Owner participation | Owners generally may attend and speak on designated agenda items, subject to reasonable written rules | Members generally may attend and speak on designated agenda items, subject to reasonable written rules |
| Recording | Owners have an express statutory right to tape record or videotape board meetings, subject to reasonable rules | Parcel owners have an express statutory right to record board and membership meetings, subject to reasonable rules |
When Is 14-Day Notice Required?
Ordinary board meetings generally use the shorter notice period shown above. Longer notice applies to certain subjects. For condominiums, a nonemergency board meeting concerning a special assessment or an amendment to rules regarding unit use generally requires at least 14 days’ written and posted notice. For HOAs, meetings at which a special assessment or an amendment to rules regarding parcel use will be considered generally use a comparable 14-day written-and-posted notice procedure.
For a condominium action subject to the 14-day rule, the statutory affidavit showing compliance with the notice requirements is part of the official records. If an owner is evaluating a disputed meeting, that affidavit can be more useful than relying only on a later recollection of when a notice appeared.
The Agenda Must Tell Owners What Is Being Considered
A meeting notice is not merely a calendar announcement. The agenda should identify the matters the board expects to address. Vague labels such as “new business” or “other business” may not tell owners enough when the board is considering a material decision.
Special assessments have additional requirements. A condominium notice concerning an assessment must state that assessments will be considered and provide the estimated cost and a description of the purpose. An HOA may not levy an assessment at a board meeting unless the meeting notice states that assessments will be considered and describes the nature of the assessment. For a deeper assessment analysis, see Florida HOA and Condo Special Assessments: What Owners Should Review.
Condominium Contracts and Video Meetings Have Additional Rules
Current condominium law adds requirements for some board actions. If an agenda item concerns approval of a contract for goods or services, the association must make the contract available in one of the methods permitted by section 718.112, including providing it with the meeting notice, making it available for inspection and copying upon written request, or making it available on the association’s website or mobile application.
If a condominium board meeting is conducted by video conference, the notice must state that fact and include the required access information and a physical location. The meeting must be recorded, and the recording must be maintained as an official association record.
Can Owners Attend, Speak, and Record?
Condominium unit owners and HOA members generally have the right to attend open board meetings and speak regarding designated agenda items. Associations may adopt reasonable written rules governing the frequency, duration, and manner of owner statements. Those rules can organize participation but should not eliminate the statutory right.
Owners also have statutory recording rights. A condominium owner may tape record or videotape board meetings, and an HOA parcel owner may record board and membership meetings, subject to reasonable association rules.
When May a Board Meeting Be Closed?
The open-meeting requirement has limited exceptions. Both statutes permit certain closed meetings with association counsel concerning proposed or pending litigation when the discussion is protected by the attorney-client privilege. Meetings held to discuss personnel matters may also be closed. The presence of association counsel by itself does not turn an otherwise open board meeting into a closed session.
How an Owner Should Evaluate a Questionable Meeting
- Identify the association type and meeting type. Determine whether Chapter 718 or Chapter 720 applies and whether the gathering was a board meeting, membership meeting, committee meeting, or another type of meeting.
- Preserve the notice and agenda. Save the version actually posted or delivered, along with the envelope, email, portal record, photograph of posting, or other evidence showing timing.
- Compare the agenda with what the board actually did. Review the minutes, recorded votes, contracts, resolutions, and any available recording.
- Check for a special notice rule. Special assessments, certain use-rule amendments, condominium contracts, and video meetings may trigger additional requirements.
- Separate the procedural issue from the underlying decision. A notice or meeting problem can matter without automatically establishing that every action taken at the meeting is void.
Many of these materials may be obtained through an official records request.
Owner Takeaway
Do not evaluate a board meeting only by asking whether owners were told that “a meeting” would occur. Compare the actual notice, agenda, delivery or posting evidence, meeting record, and final board action with the rules that apply to that association and subject.
Sources reviewed: October 1, 2026.