The annotated chapter guide

What you actually own, what you share, and how the condominium form of ownership works under Florida law. The mental model the rest of the book builds on.

The declaration, articles, bylaws, and rules: what each one controls, which one wins in a conflict, and how to actually read yours.

What boards are legally required to do, what fiduciary duty means in practice, elections, meetings, and the limits of board power.

What a licensed Community Association Manager does, what they cannot do, and how the owner-manager-board triangle is supposed to work.

Where the money comes from and where it goes: regular assessments, special assessments, budget mechanics, and reserve funding under the new rules. Read this chapter free.

What the association insures versus what you insure, why premiums spiked, and how coverage gaps become owner problems.

The eternal question: who fixes what? How declarations divide responsibility between the association and the owner, and how disputes get resolved.

How rules are made and enforced, fines and suspensions, and the process the association must follow before either.

Arbitration, mediation, and litigation between owners and associations: the paths, the costs, and when each makes sense.

Estoppels, disclosures, approvals, and what every buyer should demand to see before closing on a Florida condo.

The systems view: how structure, envelope, and services fit together, and why deferred maintenance in one system cascades into others.

Roof types common on Florida condominiums, how they fail, what maintenance buys you, and what replacement really involves.

Stucco, cladding, sealants, and paint as a waterproofing system, and the warning signs owners walk past every day.

Impact ratings, water intrusion at openings, and the association-versus-owner responsibility line at the window frame.

Why water is the building's most patient enemy: balconies, walkways, planters, and the forensics of finding a leak's real source.

Spalling, rebar corrosion, and structural repair: what concrete restoration involves and why it dominates coastal reserve budgets.

Modernization versus maintenance, code requirements, and planning for the building's most complained-about system.

Common-area and unit systems, refrigerant transitions, humidity control, and the mold consequences of getting it wrong.

Risers, drains, and domestic water: pipe materials and their lifespans, repipe planning, and leak liability.

Service equipment, aging panels, EV charging, and the electrical questions insurers and inspectors now ask.

Alarms, sprinklers, and the engineered life-safety systems behind the inspection reports boards sign every year.

Pools, pavement, seawalls, landscaping, and the site systems that quietly consume budgets.

Milestone inspections and SIRS from the inspector's side of the clipboard: what happens, what the reports mean, and what comes next.

From reserve study line item to finished project: scoping, bidding, contracts, oversight, and how associations avoid paying twice.

The transition from developer control to owner control: the studies to commission, the deadlines that matter, and the claims process.

Where the market, the Legislature, and the building stock are heading, and what prepared associations are doing about it.