In Florida, your HOA must post notice of board meetings in a conspicuous place at least 48 hours in advance, and you have the right to attend, speak on agenda items, and record the meeting (Fla. Stat. §720.303(2)). Certain meetings, such as those involving special assessments or rule changes about parcel use, require at least 14 days' mailed notice. If the board meets in secret or shuts you out, the action it took can be challenged.

This is the hub for HOA meeting and notice rules in Florida. It explains what notice you are owed, what you can do at the meeting, and what to do when the board cuts corners.

Why meeting rules exist

Boards make the decisions that affect your money and your property: budgets, assessments, contracts, rule changes, and enforcement. Florida's open-meeting rules exist so those decisions happen in the open, where owners can watch and speak. A board that meets in private and announces results after the fact has taken your voice out of the process, and the law does not allow that.

The notice rules

Board meetings: 48 hours

Notice of a board meeting must specifically identify the agenda items and be posted in a conspicuous place in the community at least 48 hours in advance, except in a genuine emergency (Fla. Stat. §720.303(2)(c)). Many communities also post to a website or email list, and HOAs with 100 or more parcels must maintain an online record (Fla. Stat. §720.303(4)).

The agenda matters. The board is supposed to tell you what it will discuss so you can decide whether to show up.

Special assessments and certain rule changes: 14 days

For a meeting where the board will consider a special assessment, or a rule change regarding parcel use, written notice must go to members not less than 14 days before the meeting, and it must be posted conspicuously (Fla. Stat. §720.303(2)(c)). These decisions hit your wallet and your property rights, so the law requires a longer runway.

Member (annual) meetings: 14 days

The association must give members notice of membership meetings, mailed, delivered, or electronically transmitted, not less than 14 days before the meeting (Fla. Stat. §720.306).

Your rights at the meeting

Under Fla. Stat. §720.303(2), members have the right to:

  • Attend all board meetings.
  • Speak on all designated agenda items. The association may adopt reasonable written rules about the frequency, duration, and manner of member statements, but it cannot silence you entirely.
  • Record the meeting with audio or video equipment, subject to reasonable rules.

Two narrow exceptions let the board meet privately: meetings with the association's attorney about proposed or pending litigation where the content is privileged, and meetings to discuss personnel matters. Outside those, the meeting is open.

What the board must do

  1. Post notice with an agenda at least 48 hours ahead for a regular board meeting.
  2. Give 14 days' notice for special assessments, parcel-use rule changes, and member meetings.
  3. Let members attend and speak on agenda items.
  4. Allow recording.
  5. Keep minutes and make them available as official records for at least 7 years.

How to tell if the board broke the rules

  • Was there no posted notice, or was it posted less than 48 hours out?
  • Did the agenda fail to mention the item they actually voted on?
  • Did they hold a special-assessment vote without 14 days' mailed notice?
  • Were members blocked from attending, prevented from speaking on agenda items, or told they could not record?
  • Was a real decision made by phone, email, or text among board members outside a noticed meeting?

Any of these is a notice or open-meeting violation. Decisions made without proper notice can be challenged and, in some cases, undone.

Your options, step by step

Rung 1: Ask for the minutes and notice records. Confirm what was noticed and what was decided. Use the records request letter.

Rung 2: Object in writing. Notify the board of the specific notice or open-meeting defect and ask it to re-notice and re-vote properly. Use the meeting-notice objection letter.

Rung 3: Pre-suit mediation. Disputes about board and committee meetings are among those Florida routes to pre-suit mediation before most lawsuits (Fla. Stat. §720.311(2)). See pre-suit mediation explained.

Rung 4: Court. If mediation fails, a court can order the association to follow the notice rules and can invalidate improperly noticed actions.

A note on the state agency: DBPR does not police everyday HOA meeting or notice disputes. It handles HOA election and recall arbitration, licensed-manager complaints, and certain criminal matters. Everything else runs through mediation and the courts. See who regulates HOAs in Florida.

What you can do next

  1. Pull the minutes and notice records with the records request letter.
  2. Send the meeting-notice objection letter if a meeting was defective.
  3. If unresolved, escalate to pre-suit mediation, then court.