TALLAHASSEE (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A bill filed in Tallahassee last week could eventually change how homeowners’ associations and condominium boards run their business in Florida. That includes places like Boca Raton, where condos and deed-restricted neighborhoods are basically the default.
It’s House Bill 657, filed Dec. 4 for the 2026 legislative session. Nothing has moved yet. No hearings, no votes. Just a filing. Still, it reaches into a lot of familiar HOA headaches—dispute resolution, governing documents, rental rules, and even a new path to dissolve an HOA.
In Boca, that’s not some abstract issue. You’ve got high-rises near the beach, gated communities west of Military, older developments tucked behind the big corridors. Plenty of boards. Plenty of rules. Plenty of fights and drama, too.
One of the bill’s big swings is dispute resolution. It strips out certain pre-suit mediation requirements for some condo and HOA disputes. Under current law, a lot of conflicts get pushed through mediation or arbitration steps before anyone can seriously tee things up in court. HB 657 rewrites parts of that process, shifting how disputes can move into arbitration or a courtroom.
Maybe that speeds things up. Maybe it just means people lawyer up sooner. Either way, it’s a change.
Then there’s the dissolution piece, which is probably the headline-grabber. The bill lays out a formal process to terminate a homeowners’ association through a “plan of termination.” It’s not simple and it’s not quick.
It starts with a petition. At least 20 percent of the voting members would have to sign on and submit it to the board. The board would then be required to hold a meeting within 60 days after receipt. The bill also says voting interests can’t be suspended “for any reason” when the vote is on termination.
To actually approve the plan, it would take at least two-thirds of the total voting interests. Not just whoever shows up that night, but two-thirds of the total.
If it passes, the plan goes to a community association court program for review and approval, or to a court of competent jurisdiction if a community association court program doesn’t exist. The court has a 45-day window to flag procedural deficiencies or accept it, and if notice isn’t provided in that window, the plan is presumed accepted.
The bill gets granular about what happens after that. It lays out how assets are distributed, how lawful debts are paid, and how association property can vest in a termination trustee. It also says members can’t be personally liable for unpaid obligations beyond regular assessments or special assessments that already existed before the termination vote.
One of the bill’s legislative findings is blunt: in some circumstances, continued enforcement of covenants may no longer serve the homeowners’ or the community’s interest. In Florida right now—insurance costs, assessments, ongoing maintenance issues—that line is going to hit home for some people.
HB 657 also takes a run at governing documents. Starting July 1, 2026, newly formed associations would be required to include a specific statement in their governing documents that they are governed by the Florida Condominium Act. Associations that already exist would have until Jan. 1, 2027, to hold a meeting and vote on whether to amend their governing documents to include that same statement. The bill requires approval by a majority of the voting interests at a meeting where a quorum is attained.
Which means more meetings, more mailers, more proxies. The usual.
Rental restrictions are in here, too. The bill preserves language around when rental rules apply to current owners versus future buyers, and it keeps the concept that associations may regulate rentals shorter than six months and may prohibit renting a parcel more than three times in a calendar year.
And hovering over all of it is a new court structure idea. The bill authorizes circuit courts to create and administer a “community association court program” with jurisdiction over disputes under the Condominium Act, Cooperative Act, and Homeowners’ Association Act. Those programs would have the ability to verify and compel compliance with statutory requirements, impose civil penalties, appoint receivers, and award attorney fees and costs.
The bill doesn’t shy away from consequences for bad conduct during an HOA termination push, either. It describes certain actions as unlawful—failing to call or notice a meeting after receiving a valid petition, spending association funds to campaign for or against termination, concealing financial or property records relevant to the plan. Officers or directors who violate that section could face civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation, removal by court order, or personal liability for legal fees incurred by petitioners.
The proposed effective date is July 1, 2026. But that’s only if this thing survives the legislative process, which is a whole different beast.
For now, HB 657 is just filed paper. Early stage. But for Boca Raton residents who live under HOA or condo rules—and that’s a lot of people—it’s the kind of bill that could eventually change the ground rules in a real way.
