Living in a condominium means that you are tied into a community that shares in the maintenance and upkeep of the building, and must abide by certain rules. The condo association probably has a board that makes important decisions, but most residents will want to have a voice when it comes to rules changes, possible raises in the association dues, and so on.
In Florida, the law requires that association members must be notified when three types of condo meetings are going to take place. First, any meeting at which a quorum of members of the board is going to attend must be open to all unit owners.
Some meetings may be held with less than a quorum, but nevertheless must be open to the members. A meeting in which a committee is going to take final action on behalf of the board must be open to the owners. In fact, most committee meetings are supposed to be open, unless the condo’s bylaws make an exemption.
Exceptions to these open meeting rules exist in the law. A meeting between a committee or the full board and the association’s attorney to receive legal advice in regard to prospective or pending litigation can be closed, as can meetings about personnel matters.
The purpose of this law is to keep the condo association’s actions a transparent as possible. Homeowners have a large financial stake in the condo’s well-being, and deserve to know what is going on, and to have a chance to voice their opinion.
