WHAT’S A QUORUM?

By Jan Bergemann

Published October 7, 2016

 

According to WIKIPEDIA it’s “A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group.”

Sounds simple – and many folks here in Florida think so – but in all reality is far from simple. It can be really tricky. Many lawsuits and arbitrations have been fought over the interpretation of the number required to create a quorum.

 

Our Florida legislature hasn’t made it any easier for owners of property in community associations to determine how many members have to be present in order to establish the quorum as required by statutes and governing documents. The wording in the statutes differs from condo to HOA, and when the governing documents come into play we see often more confusion than clear understanding.

 

CONDO FS 718.112(2)(b)

(b) Quorum; voting requirements; proxies.--

1. Unless a lower number is provided in the bylaws, the percentage of voting interests required to constitute a quorum at a meeting of the members is a majority of the voting interests. Unless otherwise provided in this chapter or in the declaration, articles of incorporation, or bylaws, and except as provided in subparagraph (d)4., decisions shall be made by a majority of the voting interests represented at a meeting at which a quorum is present.

 

HOA FS 720.303(1)(a)

Unless a lower number is provided in the bylaws, the percentage of voting interests required to constitute a quorum at a meeting of the members shall be 30 percent of the total voting interests. Unless otherwise provided in this chapter or in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, decisions that require a vote of the members must be made by the concurrence of at least a majority of the voting interests present, in person or by proxy, at a meeting at which a quorum has been attained.

 

And then add the wording of the governing documents trying to tell you how many board members your association should have. More riddles to be solved!

 

Every association is more or less different – and needs a different approach. Still considering establishing a quorum easy as One-Two-Three?


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Jan Bergemann Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice, Florida 's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group. CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in community  

associations. He moved to Florida in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues for his own purposes. End of retirement!

 

CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in Tallahassee - finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.

 

The organization has two websites to inform interested Florida homeowners and condo owners:

News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.

Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.

   
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all service providers surely have a different interest! We are trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking in Florida !


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