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Florida law · Century Village West Palm Beach

How Chapters 617 and 718 Work Together

Your condominium association can be both a Florida nonprofit corporation and a condominium association. Start with the entity making the decision and the authority for that particular action.

Find the rule that applies Understand UCO’s role

Which law applies to a condominium board?

Chapter 718 · Condominium Act

Governs condominium operations, including board and owner meetings, elections, assessments, official records, and other condo-specific duties.

Chapter 617 · Nonprofit Corporation Act

Supplies corporate rules for nonprofit associations, including director and officer standards, committee authority, corporate filings, and director access to records.

§617.1703 tells you how to read them together. Chapter 718 controls where the chapters conflict or where Chapter 718 otherwise provides the applicable rule. Section 617.1703 also expressly excludes §§617.0605–617.0608 for corporations governed by the listed community-association chapters.

Section 718.111(1)–(2) recognizes applicable corporate law and expressly refers to Chapter 617 provisions on standards and monetary liability. Chapter 718 permits a condominium association to be organized for profit or not for profit, with a narrow exception for associations existing on January 1, 1977. Check your association’s Sunbiz record and articles for its corporate form.

Read the recorded declaration, articles, and bylaws for rules that apply to your association. When a statutory requirement and a document provision appear to point in different directions, ask counsel to identify the governing provision before the board acts.

How UCO fits into the picture

Your condominium association

Its board administers the condominium under Chapter 718, applicable corporate law, and its own governing documents. Start with the association when the issue involves its budget, board election, minutes, or responsibility for a building component.

United Civic Organization

Sunbiz lists UCO as a separate Florida nonprofit corporation. Article II of its published bylaws expressly refers to Chapter 617 and identifies the Delegate Assembly as UCO’s board of directors. Start with the applicable corporate law and UCO’s governing documents for questions about its internal governance or Assembly procedures.

Some work involves both organizations. For a shared service, identify who operates it, what property or rights are involved, and who has authority for the decision. The bilateral agreement reference copy addresses an association’s participation and shared services such as transportation. The published UCO bylaws also define membership in terms of qualifying unit titleholders. Which provision matters depends on the question. Check your association’s recorded documents and any signed agreement that applies to it.

The legal test depends on the facts. Section 718.103(3) defines a Chapter 718 association to include entities responsible for operating common elements owned by unit owners in undivided shares. It can also include an entity that operates or maintains other real property in which unit owners have use rights if membership is made up exclusively of unit owners or their elected or appointed representatives and membership is a condition of ownership. For a specific UCO or shared-property issue, have counsel apply that definition and the relevant provision to the actual documents and facts.

UCO’s Sunbiz record · UCO’s published bylaws (PDF) · Read the bilateral agreement guide · Explore UCO Explained

The cover of the posted bylaws PDF leaves the amendment date open. Confirm the operative version with UCO before relying on it for a specific decision.

Start with the decision in front of you

A director proposes voting by email

§617.0821 provides for unanimous written consent for certain corporate actions. Section 718.112(2)(c) specifically prohibits condo board members from voting by email on association matters. Put the proposed action on the agenda of a properly noticed meeting and follow the applicable vote procedure.

A director needs records for board work

Identify the association that holds the record and explain the board purpose. §617.16051 addresses inspection by directors for their duties. Section 718.111(12) sets out the separate process for condominium unit owners seeking official records.

An owner asks who chooses a representative

First identify the position. Your association’s director election follows Chapter 718 and the applicable governing documents. A question about seating a UCO delegate calls for the current UCO bylaws and procedures and the association’s own authorization records.

A director’s relative proposes a contract

§718.3027 expressly requires compliance with §617.0832 for covered transactions. Use the condo-specific agenda, disclosure, recusal, voting, and member follow-up procedures alongside the applicable corporate conflict rules.

Chapter 617 topics for board work

Use the Board Operations Handbook to identify the source of authority.

Official sources and review date

Reviewed November 7, 2026. Board Synergy Club provides independent education. A decision involving a particular agreement, corporate status, property right, or dispute should be reviewed against the current law and documents.