House Bill 679: Relating to Residential Properties

REP. ANDY GARDINER

COMMENT:

THIS BILL WAS CLEARLY WRITTEN TO SPITE THE WORK OF THE 9 (nine) MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON CONDOMINIUM & HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION GOVERNANCE. NO OTHER EXPLANATION POSSIBLE!

THIS BILL IS GETTING WORSE WITH EVERY AMENDMENT. WHOEVER WROTE THE PROVISIONS FOR PRESUIT ARBITRATION AND PRESUIT MEDIATION MUST BE VERY "CONFUSED."

Instead of making things easier it complicates the whole issue and makes simple controversies a big legal issue.

Filing a Small Claims Court lawsuit for not providing documents can be filed for less than $100.00 -- and free mediation will be provided.

Many of the "qualified mediators" (attorneys) barely know where to find FS 720 in the law books. Now they are suddenly promoted to arbitrators?

Sorry, people, April 1 is long past -- this can only be a joke!

Representative Ambler's dream of his Home Court Advantage bill was renamed "Home Court Advantage Dispute Resolution Act" -- but actually it should be named ATTORNEYS' FULL EMPLOYMENT ACT.

Even attorneys complain about too many foreclosures and the bad effect on the associations. But that doesn't stop this bill from re-establishing foreclosures for fines again.

Whoever wrote this bill should surely get credit for writing the worst -- and most ill-advised -- HOA bill in the last 10 (ten) years. It's plainly a piece of garbage that isn't even worth amending!

Any legislator voting YES on this bill must hate the homeowners living in mandatory association in his/her district.

THIS BILL IS AN INSULT TO EVERY CITIZEN IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA !


  H679  GENERAL BILL/CS/CS by Policy & Budget Council; Safety & Security
  Council; Gardiner; (CO-SPONSORS) Altman; Anderson; Nelson; Precourt;
  Skidmore  (Similar CS/S 2504, Compare H 0963, H 1185, CS/CS/S 1580,
  S 2330)
  Residential Properties; Provides specified supervision & regulation
  exemptions for homeowners' association swimming pools; requires
  residential pools & spas built after specified date to have certain
  features; revises provisions relating to homeowners' association board
  meetings, inspection & copying of records, reserve accounts of budgets;
  prohibits salary or compensation of certain association personnel;
  provides exceptions; revises lien restriction, etc.  EFFECTIVE DATE:
  07/01/2008 except as otherwise provided.
  01/22/08 HOUSE  Filed
  01/27/08 HOUSE  Referred to Safety & Security Council; Policy & Budget
                  Council
  02/21/08 HOUSE  Referred to Courts (SS) by Safety & Security Council
  03/04/08 HOUSE  Introduced, referred to Safety & Security Council; Policy &
                  Budget Council -HJ 00056; Referred to Courts (SS) by Safety &
                  Security Council -HJ 00134
  04/07/08 HOUSE  Referral to Courts (SS) revoked by Safety & Security Council
                  -HJ 00422; Now in Safety & Security Council; On Council
                  agenda-- Safety & Security Council, 04/09/08, 8:00 am, Reed
                  Hall
  04/09/08 HOUSE  CS by Safety & Security Council; YEAS  15  NAYS  0 -HJ 00515
  04/14/08 HOUSE  CS read 1st time on 04/14/08 -HJ 00507
  04/11/08 HOUSE  CS filed
  04/14/08 HOUSE  Now in Policy & Budget Council -HJ 00514; On Council agenda--
                  Policy & Budget Council, 04/15/08, 9:00 am, 212-K
  04/15/08 HOUSE  CS/CS by- Policy & Budget Council; YEAS  29  NAYS  5
  04/18/08 HOUSE  CS read 1st time on 04/18/08; CS filed; Placed on Calendar
  04/22/08 HOUSE  Placed on Special Order Calendar
1
A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to residential properties; amending s.
3 34.01, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; amending s.
4 514.011, F.S.; providing definitions; amending s.
5 514.0115, F.S.; providing specified supervision and
6 regulation exemptions for homeowners' association swimming
7 pools; amending s. 515.25, F.S.; conforming a cross-
8 reference; creating s. 515.295, F.S.; providing
9 definitions; requiring residential pools and spas built
10 after a specified date to have certain features; amending
11 s. 720.302, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; providing
12 legislative intent; amending s. 720.303, F.S.; revising
13 provisions relating to homeowners' association board
14 meetings, inspection and copying of records, and reserve
15 accounts of budgets; prohibiting salary or compensation of
16 certain association personnel for certain duties;
17 providing exceptions; amending s. 720.305, F.S.; revising
18 a lien restriction; amending s. 720.306, F.S.; providing
19 absentee ballot voting requirements; requiring newly
20 elected members of a board of directors to make certain
21 certifications in writing to the association; providing
22 for disqualification for failure to make such
23 certifications; requiring an association to retain such
24 certifications for a certain time; repealing s. 720.311,
25 F.S., relating to dispute resolution; providing that
26 dispute resolution proceedings that are pending as of the
27 date of repeal shall continue under the repealed
28 provisions; amending s. 720.401, F.S.; revising certain
29 prospective parcel owner disclosure summary requirements;
30 creating part IV of ch. 720, F.S.; creating s. 720.501,
31 F.S.; providing a short title; creating s. 720.502, F.S.;
32 providing legislative findings; creating s. 720.503, F.S.;
33 providing applicability; providing for mediation and
34 arbitration of homeowners' association disputes; providing
35 exceptions; authorizing the filing of a motion for
36 temporary injunctive relief; providing for the tolling of
37 applicable statutes of limitations; creating s. 720.504,
38 F.S.; providing notification requirements; creating s.
39 720.505, F.S.; providing a statutory notice form for
40 referral to mediation; providing requirements for the
41 service of such notice; requiring parties to share costs
42 of presuit mediation equally; providing response
43 requirements; providing scheduling requirements; providing
44 for impasse under certain conditions; prohibiting certain
45 parties from recovering attorney's fees and costs in
46 subsequent litigation proceedings; creating s. 720.506,
47 F.S.; authorizing certain persons to opt out of presuit
48 mediation; providing requirements for a person to opt out
49 of such mediation; creating s. 720.507, F.S.; providing a
50 statutory notice form for referral to arbitration;
51 providing requirements for the service of such notice;
52 requiring parties to share costs of arbitration equally;
53 providing scheduling requirements; providing for impasse
54 under certain conditions; prohibiting certain parties from
55 recovering attorney's fees and costs in subsequent
56 litigation proceedings; creating s. 720.508, F.S.;
57 providing rules of procedure for presuit mediation and
58 presuit arbitration proceedings; providing for
59 confidentiality; creating s. 720.509, F.S.; providing
60 qualifications for mediators and arbitrators; creating s.
61 720.510, F.S.; providing for enforcement of mediation
62 settlement agreements and arbitration awards; requiring
63 the department to apply for and implement a federal grant
64 for enforcing swimming pool safety standards; requiring
65 the Department of Health, the Department of Community
66 Affairs, and the Florida Building Commission to assess
67 state statutes and the Florida Building Code to determine
68 if changes are needed to comply with federal standards
69 pertaining to swimming pool and spa safety; requiring the
70 Department of Health to present the assessment to the
71 Legislature by a specified date; providing effective
72 dates.
73
74 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
75
76      Section 1.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of section
77 34.01, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
78      34.01  Jurisdiction of county court.--
79      (1)  County courts shall have original jurisdiction:
80      (d)  Of disputes occurring in the homeowners' associations
81 as described in part IV of chapter 720 s. 720.311(2)(a), which
82 shall be concurrent with jurisdiction of the circuit courts.
83      Section 2.  Section 514.011, Florida Statutes, is amended
84 to read:
85      514.011  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the term:
86      (1)  "Department" means the Department of Health.
87      (2)  "Homeowners' association" means a homeowners'
88 association as defined in s. 720.301.
89      (3)(5)  "Portable pool" means a pool or spa, and related
90 equipment systems of any kind, which is designed or intended to
91 be movable from location to location.
92      (4)(3)  "Private pool" means a facility used only by an
93 individual, family, or living unit members and their guests
94 which does not serve any type of cooperative housing or joint
95 tenancy of five or more living units.
96      (5)(4)  "Public bathing place" means a body of water,
97 natural or modified by humans, for swimming, diving, and
98 recreational bathing, together with adjacent shoreline or land
99 area, buildings, equipment, and appurtenances pertaining
100 thereto, used by consent of the owner or owners and held out to
101 the public by any person or public body, irrespective of whether
102 a fee is charged for the use thereof. The bathing water areas of
103 public bathing places include, but are not limited to, lakes,
104 ponds, rivers, streams, artificial impoundments, and waters
105 along the coastal and intracoastal beaches and shores of the
106 state.
107      (6)(2)  "Public swimming pool" or "public pool" means a
108 watertight structure of concrete, masonry, or other approved
109 materials which is located either indoors or outdoors, used for
110 bathing or swimming by humans, and filled with a filtered and
111 disinfected water supply, together with buildings,
112 appurtenances, and equipment used in connection therewith. A
113 public swimming pool or public pool shall mean a conventional
114 pool, spa-type pool, wading pool, special purpose pool, or water
115 recreation attraction, to which admission may be gained with or
116 without payment of a fee and includes, but is not limited to,
117 pools operated by or serving camps, churches, cities, counties,
118 day care centers, group home facilities for eight or more
119 clients, health spas, institutions, parks, state agencies,
120 schools, subdivisions, or the cooperative living-type projects
121 of five or more living units, such as apartments,
122 boardinghouses, hotels, mobile home parks, motels, recreational
123 vehicle parks, and townhouses.
124      Section 3.  Subsection (2) of section 514.0115, Florida
125 Statutes, is amended to read:
126      514.0115  Exemptions from supervision or regulation;
127 variances.--
128      (2)(a)  Pools serving no more than 32 condominium or
129 cooperative units or 32 parcels governed by a homeowners'
130 association which are not operated as a public lodging
131 establishment shall be exempt from supervision under this
132 chapter, except for water quality.
133      (b)  Pools serving condominium or cooperative associations
134 of more than 32 units or homeowners' associations of more than
135 32 parcels and whose recorded documents prohibit the rental or
136 sublease of the units for periods of less than 60 days are
137 exempt from supervision under this chapter, except that the
138 homeowners' association or condominium or cooperative owner or
139 association must file applications with the department and
140 obtain construction plans approval and receive an initial
141 operating permit. The department shall inspect the swimming
142 pools at such places annually, at the fee set forth in s.
143 514.033(3), or upon request by a unit owner, to determine
144 compliance with department rules relating to water quality and
145 lifesaving equipment. The department may not require compliance
146 with rules relating to swimming pool lifeguard standards.
147      Section 4.  Subsection (9) of section 515.25, Florida
148 Statutes, is amended to read:
149      515.25  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the term:
150      (9)  "Public swimming pool" means a swimming pool, as
151 defined in s. 514.011(6)(2), which is operated, with or without
152 charge, for the use of the general public; however, the term
153 does not include a swimming pool located on the grounds of a
154 private residence.
155      Section 5.  Effective January 1, 2009, section 515.295,
156 Florida Statutes, is created to read:
157      515.295  Residential swimming pool and spa drain-cover
158 safety.--
159      (1)  For purposes of this section, the term:
160      (a)  "ASME/ANSI" as applied to a safety standard means a
161 standard that is accredited by the American National Standards
162 Institute and published by the American Society of Mechanical
163 Engineers.
164      (b)  "Main drain" means a submerged suction outlet
165 typically located at the bottom of a swimming pool or spa to
166 conduct water to a recirculating pump.
167      (c)  "Safety vacuum release system" means a vacuum release
168 system capable of providing vacuum release at a suction outlet
169 caused by a high vacuum occurrence due to a suction outlet flow
170 blockage.
171      (d)  "Unblockable drain" means a drain of any size and
172 shape which a human body cannot sufficiently block to create a
173 suction-entrapment hazard.
174      (2)  All residential swimming pools and spas constructed on
175 or after January 1, 2009, must have more than one drain, one or
176 more unblockable drains, or no main drain.
177      (3)  All residential swimming pools and spas constructed on
178 or after January 1, 2009, must be equipped with one or more of
179 the following devices and systems designed to prevent entrapment
180 by the pool or spa drain:
181      (a)  A safety vacuum release system that ceases operation
182 of the pump, reverses the circulation flow, or otherwise
183 provides a vacuum release at a suction outlet when a blockage is
184 detected. Such system must have been tested by an independent
185 third party and found to conform to ASME/ANSI standard
186 A112.19.17 or ASTM standard F2387.
187      (b)  A suction-limiting vent system that has a tamper-
188 resistant atmospheric opening.
189      (c)  A gravity drainage system that uses a collector tank.
190      (d)  An automatic pump shut-off system.
191      (e)  A device or system that disables the drain.
192      (f)  Any other system determined by the department to be
193 equally effective as, or better than, the systems described in
194 this subsection at preventing or eliminating the risk of injury
195 or death associated with swimming pool and spa drainage systems.
196      (4)  Any device or system described in subsection (3) must
197 meet the requirements of any ASME/ANSI or ASTM performance
198 standard, if there is such a standard for such a device or
199 system, or any applicable consumer product safety standard.
200      Section 6.  Subsection (2) of section 720.302, Florida
201 Statutes, is amended to read:
202      720.302  Purposes, scope, and application.--
203      (2)  The Legislature recognizes that it is not in the best
204 interest of homeowners' associations or the individual
205 association members thereof to create or impose a bureau or
206 other agency of state government to regulate the affairs of
207 homeowners' associations. However, in accordance with part IV of
208 this chapter s. 720.311, the Legislature finds that homeowners'
209 associations and their individual members will benefit from an
210 expedited alternative process for resolution of election and
211 recall disputes and presuit mediation of other disputes
212 involving covenant enforcement in homeowner's associations and
213 deed restricted communities using the procedures provided in
214 part IV of and authorizes the department to hear, administer,
215 and determine these disputes as more fully set forth in this
216 chapter. Further, the Legislature recognizes that certain
217 contract rights have been created for the benefit of homeowners'
218 associations and members thereof as well as deed-restricted
219 communities before the effective date of this act and that this
220 chapter is ss. 720.301-720.407 are not intended to impair such
221 contract rights, including, but not limited to, the rights of
222 the developer to complete the community as initially
223 contemplated.
224      Section 7.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (2), paragraphs (a)
225 and (c) of subsection (5), and paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (f),
226 and (g) of subsection (6) of section 720.303, Florida Statutes,
227 are amended, and subsection (12) is added to that section, to
228 read:
229      720.303  Association powers and duties; meetings of board;
230 official records; budgets; financial reporting; association
231 funds; recalls.--
232      (2)  BOARD MEETINGS.--
233      (b)  Members have the right to attend all meetings of the
234 board and to speak on any matter placed on the agenda by
235 petition of the voting interests for at least 3 minutes. The
236 association may adopt written reasonable rules expanding the
237 right of members to speak and governing the frequency, duration,
238 and other manner of member statements, which rules must be
239 consistent with this paragraph and may include a sign-up sheet
240 for members wishing to speak. Notwithstanding any other law, the
241 requirement that board meetings and committee meetings be open
242 to the members is inapplicable to meetings between the board or
243 a committee to discuss proposed or pending litigation with and
244 the association's attorney, and with respect to meetings of the
245 board held for the purpose of discussing personnel matters.
246      (5)  INSPECTION AND COPYING OF RECORDS.--The official
247 records shall be maintained within the state and must be open to
248 inspection and available for photocopying by members or their
249 authorized agents at reasonable times and places within 10
250 business days after receipt of a written request for access.
251 This subsection may be complied with by having a copy of the
252 official records available for inspection or copying in the
253 community. If the association has a photocopy machine available
254 where the records are maintained, it must provide parcel owners
255 with copies on request during the inspection if the entire
256 request is limited to no more than 25 pages.
257      (a)  The failure of an association to provide access to the
258 records within 10 business days after receipt of a written
259 request submitted by certified mail, return receipt requested,
260 creates a rebuttable presumption that the association willfully
261 failed to comply with this subsection.
262      (c)  The association may adopt reasonable written rules
263 governing the frequency, time, location, notice, records to be
264 inspected, and manner of inspections, but may not impose a
265 requirement that a parcel owner demonstrate any proper purpose
266 for the inspection, state any reason for the inspection, or
267 limit a parcel owner's right to inspect records to less than one
268 8-hour business day per month. The association may impose fees
269 to cover the costs of providing copies of the official records,
270 including, without limitation, the costs of copying. The
271 association may charge up to 50 cents per page for copies made
272 on the association's photocopier. If the association does not
273 have a photocopy machine available where the records are kept,
274 or if the records requested to be copied exceed 25 pages in
275 length, the association may have copies made by an outside
276 vendor or association management company personnel and may
277 charge the actual cost of copying, including any reasonable
278 costs involving personnel fees and charges at an hourly rate for
279 employee time to cover administrative costs to the association.
280 The association shall maintain an adequate number of copies of
281 the recorded governing documents, to ensure their availability
282 to members and prospective members. Notwithstanding the
283 provisions of this paragraph, the following records shall not be
284 accessible to members or parcel owners:
285      1.  Any record protected by the lawyer-client privilege as
286 described in s. 90.502 and any record protected by the work-
287 product privilege, including, but not limited to, any record
288 prepared by an association attorney or prepared at the
289 attorney's express direction which reflects a mental impression,
290 conclusion, litigation strategy, or legal theory of the attorney
291 or the association and was prepared exclusively for civil or
292 criminal litigation or for adversarial administrative
293 proceedings or which was prepared in anticipation of imminent
294 civil or criminal litigation or imminent adversarial
295 administrative proceedings until the conclusion of the
296 litigation or adversarial administrative proceedings.
297      2.  Information obtained by an association in connection
298 with the approval of the lease, sale, or other transfer of a
299 parcel.
300      3.  Disciplinary, health, insurance, and personnel records
301 of the association's employees.
302      4.  Medical records of parcel owners or community
303 residents.
304      (6)  BUDGETS.--
305      (b)  In addition to annual operating expenses, the budget
306 may include reserve accounts for capital expenditures and
307 deferred maintenance for which the association is responsible.
308 To the extent that such reserve accounts are not created or
309 established pursuant to paragraph (d), funding of such reserves
310 shall be limited to the extent that the governing documents do
311 not limit increases in assessments, including reserves. If the
312 budget of the association includes reserve accounts created or
313 established pursuant to paragraph (d), such reserves shall be
314 determined, maintained, and waived in the manner provided in
315 this subsection. Once an association provides for reserve
316 accounts created or established pursuant to paragraph (d) in the
317 budget, the association shall thereafter determine, maintain,
318 and waive reserves in compliance with this subsection. Nothing
319 in this section precludes termination of a reserve account
320 established pursuant to this paragraph upon approval of a
321 majority of the voting interests of the association. Upon such
322 approval, the terminating reserve account shall be removed from
323 the budget.
324      (c)1.  If the budget of the association does not provide
325 for reserve accounts created or established pursuant to
326 paragraph (d) governed by this subsection and the association is
327 responsible for the repair and maintenance of capital
328 improvements that may result in a special assessment if reserves
329 are not provided, each financial report for the preceding fiscal
330 year required by subsection (7) shall contain the following
331 statement in conspicuous type: THE BUDGET OF THE ASSOCIATION
332 DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR RESERVE ACCOUNTS FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
333 AND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT MAY RESULT IN SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS.
334 OWNERS MAY ELECT TO PROVIDE FOR RESERVE ACCOUNTS PURSUANT TO THE
335 PROVISIONS OF SECTION 720.303(6), FLORIDA STATUTES, UPON THE
336 APPROVAL OF NOT LESS THAN A MAJORITY OF THE TOTAL VOTING
337 INTERESTS OF THE ASSOCIATION ATTAINED BY VOTE OF THE MEMBERS AT
338 A MEETING OR BY WRITTEN CONSENT EXECUTED BY A MAJORITY OF THE
339 VOTING INTERESTS.
340      2.  If the budget of the association does provide for
341 funding of accounts for deferred expenditures, including, but
342 not limited to, funds for capital expenditures and deferred
343 maintenance, but such accounts are not created or established
344 pursuant to paragraph (d), each financial report for the
345 preceding fiscal year required by subsection (7) shall also
346 contain the following statement in conspicuous type: THE BUDGET
347 OF THE ASSOCIATION DOES PROVIDE FOR LIMITED VOLUNTARY DEFERRED
348 EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTS, INCLUDING CAPITAL EXPENDITURES AND
349 DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, SUBJECT TO LIMITS ON FUNDING CONTAINED IN
350 OUR GOVERNING DOCUMENTS. BECAUSE THE OWNERS HAVE NOT ELECTED TO
351 PROVIDE FOR RESERVE ACCOUNTS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF
352 SECTION 720.303(6), FLORIDA STATUTES, THESE FUNDS ARE NOT
353 SUBJECT TO THE RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF SUCH FUNDS SET FORTH IN
354 THAT STATUTE, NOR ARE RESERVES CALCULATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
355 THAT STATUTE.
356      (d)  An association shall be deemed to have provided for
357 reserve accounts when reserve accounts have been initially
358 established by the developer or when the membership of the
359 association affirmatively elects to provide for reserves. If
360 reserve accounts are not initially provided for by the
361 developer, the membership of the association may elect to do so
362 upon the affirmative approval of not less than a majority of the
363 total voting interests of the association. Such approval may be
364 attained by vote of the members at a duly called meeting of the
365 membership or upon a written consent executed by not less than a
366 majority of the total voting interests in the community. The
367 approval action of the membership shall state that reserve
368 accounts shall be provided for in the budget and shall designate
369 the components for which the reserve accounts are to be
370 established. Upon approval by the membership, the board of
371 directors shall provide for the required reserve accounts for
372 inclusion in the budget in the next fiscal year following the
373 approval and in each year thereafter. Once established as
374 provided in this subsection, the reserve accounts shall be
375 funded or maintained or shall have their funding waived in the
376 manner provided in paragraph (f).
377      (f)  After one or more Once a reserve account or reserve
378 accounts are established, the membership of the association,
379 upon a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present,
380 may provide for no reserves or less reserves than required by
381 this section. If a meeting of the unit owners has been called to
382 determine whether to waive or reduce the funding of reserves and
383 no such result is achieved or a quorum is not present, the
384 reserves as included in the budget shall go into effect. After
385 the turnover, the developer may vote its voting interest to
386 waive or reduce the funding of reserves. Any vote taken pursuant
387 to this subsection to waive or reduce reserves shall be
388 applicable only to one budget year.
389      (g)  Funding formulas for reserves authorized by this
390 section shall be based on either a separate analysis of each of
391 the required assets or a pooled analysis of two or more of the
392 required assets.
393      1.  If the association maintains separate reserve accounts
394 for each of the required assets, the amount of the contribution
395 to each reserve account shall be the sum of the following two
396 calculations:
397      a.  The total amount necessary, if any, to bring a negative
398 component balance to zero.
399      b.  The total estimated deferred maintenance expense or
400 estimated replacement cost of the reserve component less the
401 estimated balance of the reserve component as of the beginning
402 of the period for which the budget will be in effect. The
403 remainder, if greater than zero, shall be divided by the
404 estimated remaining useful life of the component.
405
406 The formula may be adjusted each year for changes in estimates
407 and deferred maintenance performed during the year and may
408 include factors such as inflation and earnings on invested
409 funds.
410      2.  If the association maintains a pooled account of two or
411 more of the required reserve assets, the amount of the
412 contribution to the pooled reserve account as disclosed on the
413 proposed budget shall not be less than that required to ensure
414 that the balance on hand at the beginning of the period for
415 which the budget will go into effect plus the projected annual
416 cash inflows over the remaining estimated useful life of all of
417 the assets that make up the reserve pool are equal to or greater
418 than the projected annual cash outflows over the remaining
419 estimated useful lives of all of the assets that make up the
420 reserve pool, based on the current reserve analysis. The
421 projected annual cash inflows may include estimated earnings
422 from investment of principal and accounts receivable minus the
423 allowance for doubtful accounts. The reserve funding formula
424 shall not include any type of balloon payments.
425      (12)  COMPENSATION PROHIBITED.-- A director, officer, or
426 committee member of the association may not receive directly or
427 indirectly any salary or compensation from the association for
428 performance of duties as a director, officer, or committee
429 member and such person may not in any other way benefit
430 financially from service to the association. This subsection
431 shall not be construed to preclude:
432      (a)  Participation by such person in a financial benefit
433 accruing to all or a significant number of members as a result
434 of actions lawfully taken by the board or a committee of which
435 he or she is a member, including, but not limited to, routine
436 maintenance, repair, or replacement of community assets;
437      (b)  Reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred by
438 such person on behalf of the association, subject to approval of
439 such reimbursement in accordance with procedures established by
440 the association's governing documents or, in the absence of such
441 procedures, in accordance with an approval process established
442 by the board;
443      (c)  Any recovery of insurance proceeds derived from a
444 policy of insurance maintained by the association for the
445 benefit of its members;
446      (d)  Any fee or compensation authorized in the governing
447 documents; or
448      (e)  Any fee or compensation authorized in advance by a
449 vote of a majority of the voting interests voting in person or
450 by proxy at the meeting of the members.
451      Section 8.  Subsection (2) of section 720.305, Florida
452 Statutes, are amended to read:
453      720.305  Obligations of members; remedies at law or in
454 equity; levy of fines and suspension of use rights; failure to
455 fill sufficient number of vacancies on board of directors to
456 constitute a quorum; appointment of receiver upon petition of
457 any member.--
458      (2)  If the governing documents so provide, an association
459 may suspend, for a reasonable period of time, the rights of a
460 member or a member's tenants, guests, or invitees, or both, to
461 use common areas and facilities and may levy reasonable fines,
462 not to exceed $100 per violation, against any member or any
463 tenant, guest, or invitee. A fine may be levied on the basis of
464 each day of a continuing violation, with a single notice and
465 opportunity for hearing, except that no such fine shall exceed
466 $1,000 in the aggregate unless otherwise provided in the
467 governing documents. A fine of less than $1,000 shall not become
468 a lien against a parcel. In any action to recover a fine, the
469 prevailing party is entitled to collect its reasonable
470 attorney's fees and costs from the nonprevailing party as
471 determined by the court.
472      (a)  A fine or suspension may not be imposed without notice
473 of at least 14 days to the person sought to be fined or
474 suspended and an opportunity for a hearing before a committee of
475 at least three members appointed by the board who are not
476 officers, directors, or employees of the association, or the
477 spouse, parent, child, brother, or sister of an officer,
478 director, or employee. If the committee, by majority vote, does
479 not approve a proposed fine or suspension, it may not be
480 imposed.
481      (b)  The requirements of this subsection do not apply to
482 the imposition of suspensions or fines upon any member because
483 of the failure of the member to pay assessments or other charges
484 when due if such action is authorized by the