Rising HOA fees and condo assessments are now a political issue in Palm Beach County, and the owners feeling it most are the ones on fixed incomes. On October 13, 2026, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel brought state and county officials together in West Palm Beach to talk about what government can do.
WFLX and WPTV both covered the panel. Neither report describes a bill that has been filed.
A board cannot change the insurance market or the reserve law. It can show, line by line, where every dollar goes. Florida law already requires most of the documents. The gap is usually in how they are presented.
What happened in West Palm Beach
WFLX reporter Matt Sczesny covered the panel on October 13, 2026. State Sen. Mack Bernard told the room, "This is really tough. But we don't want another Surfside, but at the same time what we want to do is create new affordable housing," according to WPTV.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores described what he hears from owners. "What we're seeing is a lot of transparency issues, questioning each other, are these fees necessary or not necessary," WPTV quoted him as saying. WFLX also quoted him on the money side: "More dollars coming to help these seniors stay in their homes."
Both outlets described three ideas: financial help for seniors, more state oversight of homeowners associations, and limits on attorney fees charged to condo owners. All three are proposals. None is law.
Read Flores's words again. The complaint is not only that fees are high. It is that owners cannot tell whether the fees are necessary. A board can fix that this year.
Why rising HOA fees are hard for a board to control
Most of a community budget is spent on things the board does not price. Property insurance is quoted by carriers. Reserve funding for condos follows a formula in state law.
Section 718.112(2)(f) of the Florida Statutes says a condo budget "must include reserve accounts for capital expenditures and deferred maintenance." The same paragraph names "roof replacement, building painting, and pavement resurfacing" as items that must be funded regardless of cost. Any other item with a replacement cost above $25,000, or the inflation-adjusted figure set by the state, must be funded too.
When a board explains an increase, the honest answer is often "insurance went up and the reserve study says we are behind." Owners can accept that answer when they can see the numbers behind it.
What Florida law already requires an HOA board to show owners
For homeowners associations, Chapter 720 sets the floor. We read the 2026 edition of the Florida Statutes on the Florida Senate website in October 2026.
The budget. Section 720.303(6)(a) says the association "shall prepare an annual budget that sets out the annual operating expenses." The budget "must reflect the estimated revenues and expenses for that year and the estimated surplus or deficit as of the end of the current year." Each member gets a copy, or a written notice that a copy is available at no charge.
The year-end financial report. Section 720.303(7) says the association must prepare a financial report within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year. It must deliver that report, or a notice that it is available, within 21 days after it is completed and not later than 120 days after year end. The level of detail depends on total annual revenues:
- Less than $150,000: a report of cash receipts and expenditures.
- $150,000 to less than $300,000: compiled financial statements.
- $300,000 to less than $500,000: reviewed financial statements.
- $500,000 or more: audited financial statements.
- 1,000 parcels or more: audited financial statements, whatever the revenue.
Official records. Section 720.303(4) lists the records an association must keep for at least seven years. They include "accurate, itemized, and detailed records of all receipts and expenditures," a statement of account for each member, and all tax returns and financial statements. Section 720.303(5) says those records must be made available for inspection within 10 business days after the board receives a written request.
The website rule. Section 720.303(4)(b) says that by January 1, 2025, an association with 100 or more parcels must post a set of documents online. The list includes the annual budget and any proposed budget, the financial report and any monthly income or expense statement, current insurance policies, and executory contracts and bids. That requirement came from CS/CS/HB 1203 of 2024, which became Chapter 2024-221 and took effect July 1, 2024.
What Florida law already requires a condo board to show owners
Condominiums fall under Chapter 718, and the rules are tighter.
The budget meeting. Section 718.112(2)(e) says any meeting where a proposed annual budget will be considered "shall be open to all unit owners." At least 14 days before that meeting, the board must send each owner "a notice of such meeting and a copy of the proposed annual budget." It may hand deliver, mail or send it electronically. An officer or manager must sign an affidavit confirming the notice went out, and that affidavit becomes an official record.
Line items. Section 718.112(2)(f) says the proposed budget "must be detailed and must show the amounts budgeted by accounts and expense classifications." The board must adopt the budget at least 14 days before the fiscal year starts.
The 115 percent rule. Under Section 718.112(2)(e)2, a budget with assessments above 115 percent of the prior year's needs a substitute budget with no discretionary spending. Required reserves, non-recurring repair costs and insurance premiums are excluded from that calculation. We explain how that rule works for 2027 budgets in our post on the 115 percent substitute budget.
The year-end report. Section 718.111(13) uses the same revenue thresholds as the HOA law: compiled statements at $150,000, reviewed at $300,000, audited at $500,000. The association must prepare the report within 90 days after year end. It must deliver the report, or a notice that it is available, within 21 days after completion and no later than 180 days after year end. CS/CS/HB 913 of 2025, now Chapter 2025-175, listed "revising the timeframe in which the association must deliver a copy of the most recent financial report" among its changes.
Official records and the website. Section 718.111(12)(c) says records must be made available within 10 working days after a written request. Section 718.111(12)(g) says an association with 25 or more units must post digital copies of its key documents on a website or app. Each document must go up within 30 days after the association receives or creates it. The posted set includes the annual budget, any proposed budget, the financial report, monthly income or expense statements, approved board minutes, and bids and contracts. Section 18 of Chapter 2025-175 amended Chapter 2024-244 so that the 25-unit threshold took effect January 1, 2026.
The written notice before attorney fees
The attorney-fee complaint raised at the panel already has one answer in HOA law. Section 720.3085(3)(d) bars an association from requiring attorney fees on a past due assessment until one thing happens. It must first deliver "a written notice of late assessment to the parcel owner" that states the amount owed. The notice must give the owner a chance to pay "without the assessment of attorney fees."
The statute prints the form the notice must follow. It tells the owner the amounts "must be paid within 30 days after the date of this letter." It also says the association will proceed with further collection action "no sooner than 30 days after the date of this letter." The notice goes by first-class mail to the owner's address of record, and also to the parcel address if that is different. That paragraph was last amended by Chapter 2024-221.
A late owner should never hear from a lawyer before hearing about the balance. Send the statutory notice on time, every time, and keep the mailing affidavit in the records.
Turning the required documents into something owners understand
A compiled financial statement satisfies the statute. It does not tell an owner whether the fee is necessary. Here is what a board can add.
A one-page "where your fee goes" sheet. Take the adopted budget and divide every line by the number of units or parcels. Show the result as dollars per unit per month. Group it into six or seven buckets: insurance, reserves, utilities, repairs and maintenance, management and administration, legal and professional, and everything else. For example, an owner paying $900 a month would see that $310 of it is insurance and $220 is reserves.
Operating versus reserves, side by side. Show the operating budget and the reserve contribution as two columns. When they see that a large share is savings for a roof or a seawall, the increase reads as planning rather than waste. For condos, this split is already in the budget under Section 718.112(2)(f).
What changed and why. Add a short table with three columns: last year's amount, this year's amount, and the reason in one plain sentence. "Property insurance renewed at $412,000, up from $338,000, after the carrier reduced wind coverage." If the reason is a reserve study, name the study and its date.
Post the full set where owners already look. If the association meets the website threshold, the budget and financial report must be online anyway. Put the one-page sheet next to them. If it does not meet the threshold, a one-page sheet in the budget mailing costs nothing extra.
Offer the records before they are demanded. The 10-day inspection rule exists because owners sometimes have to fight for records. A board that posts the monthly income and expense statement every month rarely gets a records demand.
Why clear reporting is the best answer to the oversight debate
More state oversight, if it comes, will arrive as audits, filings and penalties. The problem Flores described, owners "questioning each other" about whether fees are necessary, is solved in advance by a board that shows its work.
A board that already does the following has little to fear from any new oversight bill:
- Sends the proposed budget on time with a plain-language cover sheet.
- Shows reserves and operating costs as separate numbers.
- Delivers the year-end report inside the statutory deadline.
- Posts every required document, and the monthly statement, where owners can find it.
- Sends the written notice of late assessment before any attorney is involved.
Each item is already required or already cheap. None of them lowers the fee. All of them lower the temperature in the room at the budget meeting.
Royale's association accounting team prepares budgets, monthly statements and year-end reports for condo and HOA boards, and can build the one-page owner summary described above alongside them. If your board wants a second set of eyes on how its numbers are presented, contact us and we will review your current budget package.
This article reports what the statutes say as of the date we read them. It is not legal advice. Confirm deadlines, thresholds and notice forms with your association's counsel before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Why are HOA fees going up in South Florida?
Insurance renewals and reserve funding are the two largest drivers in most budgets. For condos, Section 718.112(2)(f) requires reserves for roofs, painting, paving and any item with a replacement cost above $25,000.
Do owners have a right to see the association's financial records?
Yes. Section 720.303(5) gives HOA owners access within 10 business days of a written request. Section 718.111(12)(c) gives condo owners access within 10 working days.
Which associations must post documents online?
HOAs with 100 or more parcels, under Section 720.303(4)(b), since January 1, 2025. Condominiums with 25 or more units, under Section 718.111(12)(g), since January 1, 2026.
Can an HOA charge attorney fees on a late assessment right away?
No. Section 720.3085(3)(d) requires a written notice of late assessment first, sent by first-class mail, giving the owner 30 days to pay without attorney fees. The statute includes the required form.
When must a board deliver the year-end financial report?
An HOA must deliver it within 21 days of completion and no later than 120 days after the fiscal year ends, under Section 720.303(7). A condo must deliver it within 21 days of completion and no later than 180 days after year end, under Section 718.111(13).
Sources
- WFLX, Matt Sczesny, "Palm Beach County leaders, advocates seek solutions as rising HOA fees squeeze condo owners," October 13, 2026. wflx.com
- WPTV, Matt Sczesny, "Palm Beach County leaders, advocates seek solutions as rising HOA fees squeeze condo owners," October 13, 2026. wptv.com
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 720.303, Association powers and duties, official records, budgets and financial reporting. flsenate.gov
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 720.3085, Payment for assessments and lien claims. flsenate.gov
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 718.111, The association. flsenate.gov
- Florida Statutes (2026), s. 718.112, Bylaws. flsenate.gov
- CS/CS/HB 1203 (2024), Homeowners' Associations, Chapter 2024-221, Laws of Florida, approved May 31, 2024, effective July 1, 2024. flsenate.gov
- CS/CS/CS/HB 1021 (2024), Community Associations, Chapter 2024-244, Laws of Florida, approved June 14, 2024. flsenate.gov
- CS/CS/HB 913 (2025), Condominium and Cooperative Associations, Chapter 2025-175, Laws of Florida, approved June 23, 2025, effective July 1, 2025. flsenate.gov
