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Meetings & Records · A first-time chair’s guide

Robert’s Rules for Condo Board Meetings

New to Robert’s Rules? Follow a meeting from the agenda to adjournment, with plain-language explanations and sample words you can use as chair.

Follow the meeting steps See a sample discussion and vote

What are Robert’s Rules?

Robert’s Rules of Order is a handbook for how a group conducts a meeting and makes decisions. It gives the chair a way to take up business, give people a fair chance to speak, and make clear what the group decided. You can start with a few terms and learn the less common procedures as you need them. [1]

Chair
The person running the meeting. The chair keeps business moving and explains what the board is considering.
Agenda
The list of topics the meeting will cover, in the order you expect to take them up.
Quorum
The minimum attendance needed to conduct business under the applicable rules. Check the number for this board and meeting.
Motion
A specific proposal for the board to act on. If it passes, the board has adopted the proposal.

Find the rules your board actually uses. Check Florida condominium law and your association’s current governing documents and properly adopted meeting rules. Search the bylaws and amendments for “Robert” or “parliamentary authority.” Check which meetings the provision covers. If Robert’s Rules applies, use it where the law, governing documents, and applicable special rules leave room for it. Chapter 617 can also supply corporate rules for a nonprofit association. See how Chapters 617 and 718 work together. [1] [2]

Before the meeting

  1. Write a specific agenda. List the action people can expect. “Consider Proposal A for a drainage inspection” tells owners more than “Maintenance.” Mark which items are updates and which may need a decision.
  2. Check the notice. Florida law generally requires condominium board meeting notices to identify every agenda item specifically. Check when and how to give notice, and whether the subject or meeting format triggers additional requirements. Put a new, nonurgent decision on the agenda for a properly noticed meeting. [2]
  3. Prepare for the decisions. Gather proposals, draft minutes, and any other materials. Confirm quorum, who can vote, and how many yes votes each proposed decision needs. Ask the secretary or designated recorder to capture the final wording and votes.
  4. Plan how owners will be heard. Florida condominium owners have statutory rights to attend board meetings and speak about agenda items, subject to applicable exceptions and reasonable rules. The statute also gives owners a right to ask questions on certain subjects. Plan to hear relevant owner comments before the board decides an item. [2]

Meeting notice and delivery · Quorum requirements · Florida condominium board meetings

Run the meeting in order

  1. Open and confirm quorum. “I call the meeting to order. We have five directors present and a quorum.” Introduce the agenda and explain when owners can speak. If quorum is absent, hold off on substantive business and check the procedure for what the board can do next.
  2. Handle prior minutes and reports. Take up any corrections to draft minutes before approval, if scheduled. Hear the reports on the agenda and identify which, if any, call for separate action.
  3. Take one agenda item at a time. Introduce the item and the decision the board faces. Give owners their applicable opportunity to speak. Recognize speakers one at a time and keep discussion on the current item.
  4. Make the decision clear. For an action item, state the exact motion, take the vote, and announce whether it passed. If it passed, confirm who will carry it out and by when. Then move on to the next item.
  5. Close the meeting. Confirm follow-up assignments and adjourn under the applicable procedure. Have the secretary record the time of adjournment.

Take a motion from proposal to decision

  1. Make the proposal. A director says, “I move to…” and states exactly what the board would authorize. Include the scope, spending limit, or conditions that matter.
  2. Get a second if required, then state the motion. A second means another member is willing to consider the proposal. The chair repeats the wording so everyone knows what’s before the board.
  3. Discuss and handle any changes. Hear owners as applicable and give directors a fair chance to discuss. An amendment is a proposed change to the wording. Under the ordinary procedure, decide on the amendment first, then vote on the main motion as it stands. Read that final wording aloud before taking the vote.
  4. Vote and announce the result. Take the vote in a way that lets the secretary identify each present director’s vote or abstention. Apply the required threshold, announce the result, and state what happens next. [2]

Small boards can often work more informally. Under Robert’s Rules’ small-board procedure, which generally applies when about a dozen board members or fewer are present, a second generally isn’t needed. Directors may discuss an item before anyone makes a motion. Check your association’s applicable rules. [1]

Example · A drainage inspection

  1. Chair “Next is the drainage inspection. What questions or comments do owners have about Proposal A?”
  2. Director “I move to approve the drainage inspection described in Proposal A at a cost of up to $600.”
  3. Chair “The motion is to approve Proposal A up to $600. What questions or changes do directors have?”
  4. Chair “The wording is unchanged. We need three yes votes. I’ll call each director’s name for a yes, no, or abstention.”
  5. Chair “The vote is four in favor and one opposed. The motion carries. The manager will schedule the inspection.”

This example assumes five eligible directors are present, the board has quorum, and its procedure allows a motion without a second. The secretary records each director’s vote by name.

Practice making and amending a motion.

What to do when the meeting gets stuck

Unanimous consent means the chair asks if anyone objects and proceeds if nobody does, where the procedure permits. If someone objects, use the ordinary process. For a Florida condo board, this procedure still has to satisfy applicable notice, quorum, voting, and minutes requirements. Take and record each director’s vote or abstention whenever required. [1] [2]

After the meeting

Prepare minutes that record what the board did. Include attendance, the final wording and disposition of motions, and each present director’s vote or abstention as required by Florida law. Record the adjournment time and put the draft minutes through the board’s approval process. Keep a separate follow-up list so people know who owns each assignment and when it’s due. [1] [2]

Sample minute entry

“The board approved the drainage inspection described in Proposal A at a cost of up to $600. Yes: Directors Allen, Brooks, Chen, and Diaz. No: Director Ellis. The manager will schedule the inspection.”

Board meeting minutes guide.

Voting reference

Identify the decision, who is eligible to vote, and the number of yes votes required. A board decision, an officer election, and a unit-owner vote can each use different rules. Florida law bars directors from casting board votes by email or proxy. Secret ballots are allowed for electing officers and generally barred for other board votes. [2]

What happens with a tie or an abstention?

For a Florida nonprofit board, § 617.0824(3) generally requires a majority of the directors present when there is a quorum, unless the articles or bylaws require more. Check for a condominium-specific rule or a different requirement for the decision, including any conflict-of-interest procedure. [2]

For example, if four directors are present and a majority of those present is required, the board needs three yes votes. Both a 2–2 tie and a tally of two yes, one no, and one abstention fall short. An abstention is recorded as such and the number of yes votes needed stays the same in this example. If the rule is based on votes cast, abstentions generally stay out of that count. [1] [2]

Does the president vote only to break a tie?

Under Robert’s Rules for small boards, a president who is also a voting director can ordinarily make motions, debate, and cast one vote. In a larger assembly using the ordinary procedure, the eligible chair generally votes when the vote is by ballot or when their vote affects the result. Follow the rules for the particular body and meeting. [1]

See the president’s voting examples in Board Q&A · Condominium elections

How the UCO Delegate Assembly uses Robert’s Rules

UCO’s posted bylaws use Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised at Delegate Assembly meetings for procedures its articles or bylaws leave open. Article V also has its own provisions on delegate eligibility, voting, the agenda, and member participation. If you serve as a delegate and an association director, check which body is meeting and which rules apply. [3]

UCO Bylaws guide · 1999 model association documents

Sources and related guides

  1. The Robert’s Rules Association’s official FAQ and Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition. See §§ 4–5 on motions, 44:12–13 on chair voting, 48:2 on minutes, and 49:21 on small boards. How an organization adopts Robert’s Rules.
  2. Florida Statutes Chapter 617, especially § 617.0824, and Florida Statutes Chapter 718, especially §§ 718.111(1)(b), 718.112(2)(c), and 718.3027.
  3. UCO’s posted bylaws (PDF), Article V, Sections G–K.

President’s vote in Board Q&A · Board Meetings · Meetings & Records · Board Leadership

Reviewed November 7, 2026. Board Synergy Club provides independent education. For a disputed vote or a decision with significant consequences, confirm the current rules and governing documents for the association.