Florida HB 1021 (Ch. 2024-244): Condo Director Education, Records and Penalties

Quick Answer

CS/CS/CS/HB 1021 (2024), "Community Associations," is a broad reform of Florida condominium and cooperative law and of community association manager (CAM) rules. It added director education, quarterly condominium meetings, stronger official records duties, criminal penalties, hurricane protection rules, owner retaliation limits and a wider Division role. It became Chapter 2024-244 after the Governor approved it on June 14, 2024. Its effective dates are split: July 1, 2024 generally, with later dates for some parts, so check the date for each provision.

At a Glance

What the Law Says

We read the Senate bill page (history, votes and the 26-section citations table) and the Regulated Industries Committee bill summary. We did not read the full enrolled text, so this page follows the summary and states only dates the summary gives.

Community association managers

• CAMs and CAM firms must return all association records within 20 business days after termination of the services agreement or a written request, whichever comes first, with license suspension and civil penalties for noncompliance.
• New conflict-of-interest rules: if an association considers a bid over $2,500 for a good or service (other than management) from a CAM or CAM firm, its directors, officers, financial-interest holders or relatives, it must also solicit multiple bids from third parties.
• The proposed activity must be on the board agenda with contracts attached and entered in the minutes, and the board must approve such contracts, and all management contracts, by "an affirmative vote of two-thirds of all directors present."

Official records

• Good-faith obligation to obtain and recover lost or destroyed records "as is reasonably possible."
• Email addresses and fax numbers may be accessible to owners who consented to electronic notice, with no sale or sharing of that information.
• Records go to the unit owner at no charge if the Division subpoenas records the association failed to provide on time.
• Associations must keep invoices and other documents that substantiate receipts and expenditures, and respond to a records request with a checklist of all records provided.
• Effective January 1, 2026, the website or mobile application records threshold drops from 150 units to 25 units.

Criminal provisions

• Second degree misdemeanor: knowingly, willfully and repeatedly (two or more violations in 12 months) violating records inspection and copying requirements.
• First degree misdemeanor: knowingly and intentionally defacing or destroying required accounting records, or failing to create or maintain them, with intent to harm the association or members; and specified fraudulent voting activity, including aiding or abetting it.
• Third degree felony: willfully refusing to produce records to avoid detection or punishment for a crime; and an officer, director or manager knowingly soliciting, offering to accept, or accepting a kickback.
• Officers and directors charged with a criminal violation under Chapter 718 are "deemed removed from office" and a vacancy is declared.

Budgets, reserves and meetings

• No reduction in the type of financial statement (compiled, reviewed or audited) in consecutive years.
• Notice that the structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) is available within 45 days of completion; the association must notify the Division within 45 days after completion and the Division must keep a database.
• Temporary pause or reduction of reserve funding, on majority approval of the members, if the entire building is uninhabitable because of a natural emergency as determined by the local enforcement agency.
• Associations of 10 or more units must meet quarterly, with agendas that let members ask about construction or repair status, revenues and expenditures, and other issues. Assessment meeting notices must state the cost and purpose and attach any proposed contract.

Director education and certification

• Newly elected or appointed directors must submit a written certification that they read the governing documents and will faithfully discharge their duties, and a certificate of completion of an approved course.
• The course is four hours, covering milestone inspections, SIRS, elections, recordkeeping, financial literacy and transparency, fines and meetings.
• Directors must complete at least one hour of continuing education each year on recent condominium law changes.
• Directors certify to the Division on its form that all directors completed the requirements, except for timeshare condominiums.

Voting, hurricane protection and retaliation

• Owners must be told at least 90 days before an election that voting rights may be suspended for nonpayment.
• Owners may consent to electronic voting by electronic means, and if the board authorizes online voting it must honor an owner's request to vote electronically at later elections unless the owner opts out.
• Uniform definition and approval procedure for hurricane protection; declarations must delineate responsibility for maintenance, repair and replacement of hurricane protection, exterior doors, windows and glass apertures; owners are not responsible for removal and reinstallation costs when removal is needed to repair condominium property.
• Condominium associations are added to the SLAPP suit prohibition, and associations may not retaliate against owners who report to government or law enforcement by raising assessments or threatening possession or other civil actions, or spend association funds on defamation, libel or tortious interference actions against an owner.

Division, ombudsman and other items

• Division post-turnover jurisdiction expands to financial procedures, elections, records access, meeting procedures, conflicts disclosure, removal of directors or officers, procedural completion of SIRS, and written owner inquiries.
• Division must refer suspected criminal activity to law enforcement, and the Division and Ombudsman may attend board and owner meetings.
• The Condominium Ombudsman is appointed by the DBPR secretary and need not be an attorney.
• Limitation and repose periods for certain association actions do not begin to run until owners elect a majority of the board.
• Effective October 1, 2024: nondeveloper sellers must give buyers the association's most recent annual financial statement and budget; developers of nonresidential condominiums may use a surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit for escrow; and condominiums within a portion of a building or multiple parcel building have disclosure and records rights.

What This Means in Practice

For boards

• Track which provision starts on which date. Many started July 1, 2024, but the website threshold started January 1, 2026.
• Build a records response checklist and a recovery effort for missing records.
• Route any CAM-related bid over $2,500 through the multiple-bid and two-thirds-vote process.
• Complete director certification and education for every director and track the annual hour.
• Our reading: the criminal provisions point to intent or repetition, but the exact elements are in the statute. Review them with counsel.

For owners

You have stronger tools to obtain records, to get a checklist with the response, and to object to retaliation. Ask the board for the quarterly meeting schedule if your condominium has 10 or more units.

What we did not verify

• The threshold wording for quarterly meetings. The summary says "10 or more units." We did not read the statute wording, so confirm the exact threshold in § 718.112.
• The course deadline for new directors and the validity period of certificates; the summary does not state them, so we do not.
• Full text of the end-of-bill effective-date provisions.
• Later changes: HB 913 (2025) amended the video-conference, financial reporting, electronic voting and portion-of-building rules, so check the 2026 statute.

Timeline

Related Florida Law

• HB 913 (2025): later condominium and cooperative changes
• SB 154 (2023): milestone inspections and reserves
• Section 718.112: director certification and education
• Section 718.111: official records, insurance and reporting
• HB 1203 (2024): the parallel HOA reform
• Florida HOA law changes 2021 to 2025
• Florida HOA laws complete guide

Board Checklist

• Confirm each director's written certification and course certificate are on file.
• Calendar the annual one-hour education update.
• Adopt a records response checklist and retain invoices and documents supporting receipts and expenditures.
• Confirm whether your website or app obligation applies at 25 units since January 1, 2026.
• Schedule quarterly meetings if you have 10 or more units, and include owner question time.
• Send the 90-day voting-rights suspension notice before elections where it applies.
• Review hurricane protection and declaration responsibilities with counsel.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did HB 1021 take effect?

July 1, 2024 generally. The summary lists October 1, 2024 for some sales and escrow items and January 1, 2026 for the 25-unit website threshold.

What is the new website threshold?

Effective January 1, 2026, the threshold for maintaining specified records on a website or mobile application drops from 150 units to 25 units.

How long does a CAM have to return records?

Within 20 business days after termination of the services agreement or a written request, whichever occurs first.

What training must new directors complete?

A written certification and a certificate of completion of an approved four-hour course, plus at least one hour of continuing education each year.

Does a director charged with a crime stay in office?

The summary says an officer or director charged with a criminal violation under Chapter 718 is deemed removed from office and a vacancy is declared.

Can an association retaliate against an owner who complains?

The summary says associations are prohibited from retaliating, for example by increasing assessments or threatening possession or other civil actions, against owners who report complaints to government agencies or law enforcement.

Does it apply to HOAs?

The condominium provisions do not. The CAM provisions in Chapter 468 apply to managers generally. HOAs were addressed in HB 1203 (2024).

Where This Comes From

We read the Florida Senate bill page for CS/CS/CS/HB 1021 (2024), including its history, votes and statute citations, and the Regulated Industries Committee bill summary, at flsenate.gov. We did not read the enrolled text of Chapter 2024-244. Details not in the summary, including the director certification deadlines and certificate term, are omitted.

How APM Helps

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Legal disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and associations differ. Confirm the current statute text and how it applies to your governing documents with a licensed Florida attorney before acting.