MIAMI.- On October 1, the law known as the Homeowners’ Bill of Rights, aimed at combating bribery, fraudulent voting and conflicts of interest in homeowners’ associations. Florida.
HB-919 endorsed by the governor Ron DeSantis last June, required all HOA meeting notices to specifically identify each meeting’s agenda.
It also regulates that funds collected by HOA members for specific expenses cannot be mixed with other funds of the Association. Unused funds must be returned within 30 days of project completion.
HB-919 makes a director or manager of an HOA who accepts a bribe subject to a fine under Florida law. In this context, it states that fraudulent voting, maneuvers that prevent members of an association from exercising their right to vote, threats and bribery to influence the vote will be actions punishable as the first -degree misdemeanors.
The new legal text also prohibits fines from being a lien against the owner’s land.
For their part, the detractors of HB-919 consider that, although it is going in the right direction, the owners still have to fight for themselves, if there is a case they have to go to mediation, pay the it costs and many owners just do it. there is no money to fight the boards even though they are clearly breaking the law. They also criticized that part of the text was unclear and allowed electoral fraud.
On October 1, a dozen laws passed by the previous Florida legislature will go into effect.
