Condo Owner Voting Rights in Florida (2026) | ReservesPro

Condo owner voting rights in Florida come down to a short list of decisions that the board cannot make on its own, and most of them decide what you pay. The notices for the annual meeting and the budget meeting arrive with agendas that read like procedure, so it is easy to let them pass. But the budget, a vote to waive reserves and a vote on how to pay for structural repairs set your assessments for years, and when turnout is low, a small group of owners makes those calls for everyone.

This guide follows the 2026 text of the Florida Condominium Act. It covers what you vote on, how board elections work, the proxy and electronic voting rules, and the votes with the biggest effect on your wallet.

What Florida condo owners can vote on

The Florida Condominium Act (Chapter 718) and the association's governing documents (the declaration, the bylaws and the rules) decide what owners vote on and what the board decides alone. The statute sets defaults, and your declaration or bylaws can change many of them.

The big owner votes:

Board member elections: held at the annual meeting.
Amendments to the declaration: two-thirds of the units when the declaration sets no other method (§718.110(1)(a)).
Amendments to the bylaws: the threshold is in the bylaws themselves.
Material alterations to common elements: 75 percent of the total voting interests when the declaration sets no other procedure (§718.113(2)(a)).
Budgets: the board adopts the budget, but if the proposed assessments are more than 115 percent of last year's, owners can adopt a substitute budget instead (§718.112(2)(e)).
Reserve funding waivers: a majority of the total voting interests can vote to fund less than the required reserves, with a hard limit for structural items (see below).
Special assessments: the governing documents say who levies these, and some need an owner vote (see below).
Recall of board members: 10 percent of the voting interests can call a recall meeting, and a majority of all the voting interests can remove a director at that meeting or by written agreement (§718.112(2)(l)).

What the board decides on its own:

Ordinary maintenance, repair and replacement of common elements.
Vendor contracts within the budget.
Rule enforcement decisions.
Board meeting agendas, although 20 percent of the voting interests can petition to put an item on one, and the board must place it on an agenda within 60 days (§718.112(2)(c)).

The distinction matters. If a decision is in the owner-vote category, the board cannot make it alone, and a board that tries is acting outside its authority. See how to challenge a condo board decision in Florida for what to do if that happens.

How condo board elections work in Florida

Florida Statute §718.112(2)(d) sets the election procedure. The steps, in order:

60-day first notice. At least 60 days before the election, the association must send each owner a first notice of the election date.

40-day candidate deadline. To get on the ballot, an eligible owner gives the association written notice of intent to run at least 40 days before the election.

14- to 34-day second notice. Between 14 and 34 days before the election, owners receive the second notice with the agenda and a ballot that lists every candidate.

Secret ballot. Unless the bylaws say otherwise, the election is by secret ballot. If there are no more candidates than open seats, there is no election, and the candidates join the board when the annual meeting adjourns.

The 20 percent rule. There is no quorum requirement for an election, but at least 20 percent of the eligible voters must cast a ballot for the election to be valid. The candidates with the most votes win.

No proxies in board elections. Unlike other association votes, you cannot hand your election vote to someone else. Owners vote by written ballot or voting machine, through an online voting system if the board has adopted one, or by emailed ballot (more on both below).

Term limits under Florida Statute §718.112(2)(d)3. cap board members at 8 consecutive years, and only service on or after July 1, 2018 counts toward the limit. A director past the cap can stay on with the approval of two-thirds of all votes cast in the election, or when there are not enough eligible candidates to fill the seats.

To run for the board, you need to:

Be current on your assessments. A delinquent owner cannot be a candidate.
Not be suspended or removed by the state division that regulates condos.
Have no felony conviction, unless your civil rights have been restored for at least 5 years.
Give written notice of intent at least 40 days before the election.

The bar is low. When there are no more candidates than open seats, there is no election, so an owner who files on time can join the board simply by being on the ballot.

Proxy voting vs. limited proxy vs. electronic voting

Florida treats the three ways to vote on non-election matters differently, and for residential condos the defaults are strict.

General proxies. A general proxy lets another person vote for you at their own discretion. In a residential condominium, owners may not vote by general proxy on substantive matters. A general proxy can still count toward the quorum and can be used for nonsubstantive changes (§718.112(2)(b)2.).

Limited proxies. A limited proxy tells the holder how to vote on specific items. The statute requires a limited proxy for votes to waive or reduce reserves, to amend the declaration, the articles or the bylaws, and for any other matter that the chapter requires or permits owners to vote on. A proxy is good only for the meeting it was given for (and any lawful adjournment), expires 90 days after that first meeting, and you can revoke it at any time.

Electronic voting. Florida Statute §718.128 gives owners two electronic paths:

Online voting. The board can adopt an online voting system by resolution, and owners who consent can then vote through it. An owner who votes online counts as present for the quorum. If at least 25 percent of the voting interests petition the board to adopt online voting for the next scheduled election, the board must hold a meeting on it within 21 days. The board must receive the petition within 180 days after the last scheduled annual meeting.
Email ballots. If the association has not adopted online voting, it must designate an email address for ballots. An emailed ballot has spaces for your unit number and your first and last name, and it must reach that address no later than the scheduled time of the meeting. Sending your ballot by email waives the secrecy of that ballot, and the ballot must say so in capital letters. If you want to keep your vote secret, attend the meeting in person.

Quorum rules and why your presence matters

A quorum is the minimum share of voting interests that must be present for a meeting to do business. The thresholds:

Owner meetings: a majority of the voting interests, unless the bylaws set a lower number (§718.112(2)(b)1.). Decisions are then made by a majority of the voting interests at the meeting, unless the statute or the governing documents say otherwise.
Board elections: no quorum, but at least 20 percent of eligible voters must cast a ballot.
Votes that count all owners: some decisions need a share of the total voting interests, not only of those present. A reserve waiver needs a majority of all the voting interests, and a material alteration needs 75 percent when the declaration is silent.

Low turnout gives a small group of owners outsized control. As an illustrative example, take a 100-unit building whose bylaws set the quorum at 30 percent. If 30 owners attend and 16 vote in favor of a measure that needs only a majority of those present, the measure passes with the support of 16 owners out of 100.

If you are frustrated that "the board does whatever it wants," check the turnout at the last few owner meetings. When most owners stay home, the decisions belong to the owners who show up.

The votes that hit your wallet

These votes have the biggest direct effect on what owners pay.

The budget vote. The annual budget sets next year's assessments, including the reserve contribution. The board must send every owner the proposed budget at least 14 days before the budget meeting. If the proposed assessments are more than 115 percent of last year's, the board must also propose a substitute budget without discretionary spending, and owners can adopt it by a majority of all the voting interests (§718.112(2)(e)). The 115 percent test leaves out required reserves, irregular repair costs for the structural items and insurance premiums, so a reserve increase alone does not trigger it. A budget that under-funds reserves to keep assessments flat moves the cost to a future special assessment, so read it before the vote.

Reserve funding waivers. Owners can vote, by a majority of the total voting interests and by limited proxy, to fund less than the required reserves (§718.112(2)(f)2.b.). There is a hard limit. Buildings of three or more habitable stories must have a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS), a study of the roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and windows that sets the reserves for those items. For a budget adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners in an association that must have a SIRS cannot waive or reduce the reserves for those structural items (a multicondominium with a division-approved alternative funding method is the one exception). The other reserve items can still be waived, and the proxy must warn in capital letters that a waiver "MAY RESULT IN UNIT OWNER LIABILITY FOR PAYMENT OF UNANTICIPATED SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS."

That warning comes down to the funding goal, and reserve studies plan to one of three. Baseline funding keeps the balance just above zero, threshold funding keeps it above a floor the board picks, and full funding keeps the balance in step with the wear the building has already taken (our post on baseline vs. threshold vs. full funding walks through each). Full funding is the goal, because it has each owner pay for the wear on their own watch, and the only question for a board is how fast it gets there. Dollars saved in reserves earn interest while they wait, while dollars deferred come due later at a higher replacement price.

Special assessment votes. The governing documents decide who levies a special assessment, and in many associations that is the board's job. The notice for a nonemergency special assessment must go out at least 14 days before the meeting and state the estimated cost and purpose (§718.112(2)(c)). In an association that must have a SIRS, a special assessment, loan or line of credit that funds the reserves for the structural items needs a majority of the total voting interests (§718.112(2)(f)2.c.). Not every special assessment is avoidable (a hurricane, a code change or a lawsuit can force one), but underfunded reserves are the cause a board controls.

Declaration and bylaws amendments. These can change everything from assessment formulas to maintenance responsibilities to architectural standards. Material changes deserve careful review.

Each of these votes looks procedural, but each one is a financial decision. The reserve waiver vote asks whether you want to pay in steady installments now or in a lump sum later. The budget vote decides how much capital risk the association takes on for the year.

To vote well on financial questions, you need the financial picture in front of you. The annual budget tells you what the association plans to spend, and the reserve study tells you what the professionals recommend. A capital plan puts reserves, insurance, debt and special assessments in one place, so the board can see each choice modeled before it votes, instead of finding out after.

See how a Reserves Pro Capital Plan works

More on the funding decisions tied to these votes:

How to Avoid Special Assessments: voting against under-funded budgets is the upstream prevention.
Fully Funded Reserves: what 100 percent funding requires.
SIRS Reserve Funding Florida 2026: what can and cannot be waived.

What to do if you think a vote was improper

Florida law gives owners specific routes for votes that broke the rules.

Election and recall disputes are not eligible for mediation. They must be arbitrated by the division or filed in court (§718.1255(5)), and a challenge to the election process must start within 60 days after the results are announced (§718.112(2)(d)5.c.).

Other disputes, such as a failure to give proper notice or to conduct a meeting properly, must go to division nonbinding arbitration or presuit mediation before a lawsuit (§718.1255(4)(a)). Some disagreements fall outside this process, including the levy of an assessment and claims that a director breached fiduciary duty.

The full playbook is in how to challenge a condo board decision in Florida.

FAQ

Can a condo board make decisions without owner approval in Florida? Yes, for ordinary operating decisions such as vendor contracts within the budget, routine maintenance and rule enforcement. Other decisions need an owner vote. These include amending the declaration or bylaws, material alterations to the common elements, waiving or reducing reserves, and, in an association that must have a structural integrity reserve study, a special assessment, loan or line of credit that funds the reserves for those structural items. Your governing documents can add more. If a board acts alone on a matter that needs an owner vote, owners can use division arbitration, presuit mediation or, for election disputes, arbitration or a court case.

What is a quorum for a condo association meeting in Florida? Under Florida law, the quorum for a meeting of the owners is a majority of the voting interests unless the bylaws set a lower number, and decisions are made by a majority of the voting interests at the meeting. Board elections are different. There is no quorum requirement, but at least 20 percent of eligible voters must cast a ballot for the election to be valid. Some votes need a share of all the owners, not only those present. A material alteration needs 75 percent of the total voting interests and a declaration amendment needs two-thirds of the units when the declaration sets no other method.

Can Florida condo owners vote electronically? Yes, in two ways under Florida law. If the board has adopted online voting by resolution, owners who consent can vote through that system, and they count toward the quorum. If the association has not adopted online voting, it must designate an email address that receives ballots. An emailed ballot has spaces for the unit number and the owner's first and last name, and sending it waives the secrecy of that ballot. Owners with at least 25 percent of the voting interests can petition the board to adopt online voting for the next election, and the board must hold a meeting on it within 21 days.

This post is general information about Florida condominium law and is not legal advice. Your declaration and bylaws can change the defaults described here, so consult your association attorney about your specific situation. It is also not financial advice; for budget and reserve decisions, consult your CPA, treasurer or RIA.