The post Greater Groves Annual Meeting & Elections first appeared on Greater Groves Community.

Per our by-laws, the board may suspend homeowners voting rights if a homeowner fails to pay the membership fee of $10.00 by March 31st of every year.

Greater Groves has close to 500 homes, and currently there are ONLY 47 ACTIVE MEMBERS, which means around 90% OF HOMEOWNERS WILL NOT be eligible to vote because their voting rights have been suspended for this year elections.

This year there are two voting matters for members to vote on: the PUD agreement and the appointment of a new board of directors.

LET YOUR VOICES BE HEARD AND VOTE!

2025 Candidates Listed Below in Alphabetical Order: To learn more about candidates, visit the HOA’s official website, or you can attend the board meeting on October 18, 2024, at 7pm.

Robert (Bob) Carrier
Jeffrey Dubey
Lissette Flores-Aponte
Mike Grogan
James Johnson
Tom Wall
Edward Williams

Need to pay your $10.00 membership dues? You have options; unfortunately, none are electronically yet.
Homeowners can go to the office by the pool during HOA business hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Homeowners can drop it off at the HOA’s mailbox near the office door in the pool enclosure.
Homeowners can mail a check to the HOA directly, or you simply bring your membership dues to any board meeting and make payment.

The post Greater Groves Membership Fee and Voting first appeared on Greater Groves Community.

Board members in office should take the electoral process and voting process seriously, and they should make sure that all rules are appropriately followed and that appointments are made fairly. The way a community operates and the standard of living for its residents can be greatly impacted by the efficacy of its board of directors.

Election Process Overview
Nomination of Candidates
Voter Registration
Candidate Forum or Debate (optional but recommended)
Notice of Election (14 days before the election)
Casting of Votes
Vote Counting
Announcement of Results

Nomination of Candidates
The board or election committee issues a call for candidates, usually a few weeks before the election.
Interested candidates must submit their names by the deadline, typically a few weeks before the election.

Eligibility to Run for the Board
Generally, any homeowner can be a candidate for board membership as long as the homeowner is in good standing. Restrictions may apply to: Felons whose civil rights have not been restored for at least 5 years. Individuals delinquent in payment of any monetary obligation to the association.

Voter Eligibility and Registration
Homeowners are typically automatically members of their HOA especially in a PUD.
Members must often be current on dues and assessments to be eligible to vote.
Note: Refer to your bylaws as to membership guidelines. New laws have been implemented as of July 2024, which reference the process in which a board can suspend a homeowner’s membership.

Notice of Election
Section 720.306(5) of the Florida Homeowners’ Association Act states that the notice of membership meetings, which would include the annual meeting, must be mailed, delivered, or electronically transmitted to the members no less than 14 days prior to the date of the meeting. Electronic transmission (e-mail) may only be used for official notices if the member has consented in writing to receive legal notices in that fashion. If conducting an election, ballots and list of all candidates in alphabetical order by surname must be mailed to all homeowners.

Voting Methods
In-person voting at the annual meeting
Mail-in ballots
By Proxy

Quorum and Voting Requirements
A quorum is typically a simple majority (50% plus one) of voting interests, unless bylaws specify a lower percentage. For a valid election in HOAs, at least 30% of eligible voters must cast a ballot.

Vote Counting Procedure (Fla. Admin. Code R. 61B-23.0021(10))
Ballots are collected and handled by an impartial committee.
Outer envelopes are checked against the list of qualified voters.
Voters are checked off the list as having voted.
Inner envelopes are removed and counted in the presence of any homeowners in attendance.
Any inner envelope containing more than one ballot is marked “Disregarded” and not counted.

NOTE:
Board members must always maintain neutrality;, it is their fiduciary duty. Residents decide who gets their vote, and entrusted board members should never advocate or attempt to persuade voters, even if they believe one candidate is more fit for the position. That means no campaigning for one candidate or making derogatory or unsubstantiated remarks about another.

2024 New Statue: Criminal prohibitions against fraudulent voting activity, provided it is a first degree misdemeanor for:

Knowingly aiding, abetting, or advising a person in the commission of a fraudulent voting activity related to association elections.

Agreeing, conspiring, combining, or confederating with at least one other person to commit a fraudulent voting activity related to association elections.

Having knowledge of a fraudulent voting activity related to association elections and giving any aid to the offender with intent that the offender avoid or escape detection, arrest, trial, or punishment.

Any officer or director charged with a criminal violation under ch. 720, F.S., must be removed from office and a vacancy declared.

For full list of New Election laws, Click here

The post HOA Fair Election Process first appeared on Greater Groves Community.

CREATING YOUR OWN HOA BOARD ELECTION RULES
The law requires homeowners associations to have and follow a set of election rules. You will typically find general rules within your governing documents, specifically the community bylaws. But, you also need more specific HOA board election rules to serve as a guide for your association. These rules are then considered part of your operating rules.

A lack of election rules could put your association at risk of potential liability. Additionally, failure to follow these rules can result in the overturning of your actions as an HOA board.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
Your HOA board election rules should establish candidate qualifications. One of the most obvious and mandatory qualifications, of course, is that the candidate must be a member of the association at the time of their nomination. Some associations even go as far as requiring candidates to have been a resident for at least a year. There are also others that disqualify candidates if they have any unpaid dues.

Other reasonable qualifications to become a director include but are not limited to:

No current violations of the governing documents
Not involved in legal issues with the HOA
Not related to any existing board member
No past felony convictions

NOMINATION PROCEDURES
The election rules must also indicate the candidate nomination procedures. These procedures can include:

Write-In Candidates. Depending on state laws and your governing documents, you may allow write-in candidates.

Self-Nominations. Associations generally can’t prohibit members from nominating themselves as candidates. Though, they must still meet the candidate qualifications.

EQUAL ACCESS TO ASSOCIATION MEDIA
Campaigning is often difficult without the media resources of the association. As such, you should consider providing candidates access to association media during HOA elections. If you grant access to one candidate, though, you must grant access to all candidates for fairness. Association media can include HOA websites, newsletters, and the like.

Should candidates use association media, you may not edit or remove any content from their campaign materials. But, you may include a disclaimer stating that the association is not responsible for the content and that responsibility rests upon the candidate alone.

EQUAL ACCESS TO COMMON AREAS
Candidates may also need to use common areas and meeting spaces within the association for campaigning purposes. In that case, you must include a rule that allows all candidates equal access to these areas and spaces. Your HOA must not charge the candidates to use these spaces as well.

VOTING QUALIFICATIONS
As part of your HOA voting rules, you must indicate voting qualifications. Explain the voting power of each association member as well as the validity of their vote. You must also describe the effect of proxies if your HOA uses them. Other than that, your HOA board election rules should clearly state the period for voting. This includes the start and end dates as well as the opening and closing times of the polls.

VOTER LIST AND CANDIDATE LIST ACCURACY
Your association’s board election rules must mandate the retention of a voter list and a candidate registration list. The HOA must then allow members to check their individual information for accuracy prior to the distribution of the ballots. The exact period depends on state laws and the association’s governing documents.

The voter list must include the following details:

Name
Voting power
Separate interest’s physical address
Parcel number
Mailing address for the ballot

BALLOT AND RULE DELIVERY
Associations must not deny any member of a ballot. If they own a separate interest in the HOA, then you must allow them a ballot and count their vote (provided they submitted the ballot on or before the deadline). The same goes for a person with a general power of attorney for a member.

CAN AN HOA ENDORSE A CANDIDATE?
During the election period, it may become clear to you that a particular candidate is best suited for the job. But, you must never endorse a specific candidate for a position on the board.

To ensure a fair election process, you must remain a neutral HOA board. That means exhibiting no personal bias or favoritism, even if it is glaringly obvious to you that one candidate stands out from the rest. You must allow homeowners to form their own opinions and simply trust in their good judgment.

Similarly, you should never speak ill of any candidate. Keep your thoughts to yourself even when asked by a member. But, that does not mean you can’t respectfully correct a candidate if they provide false information. Just remember not to criticize them or go after their character.

These points don’t just apply offline, though. Never badmouth or endorse a candidate on your social media pages or through other online communication channels. If a member posts on their Facebook page that they are voting for a particular candidate, refrain from liking or commenting on the post, too. That can be misconstrued as an endorsement.

The post ENSURING A FAIR AND SUCCESSFUL HOA ELECTION first appeared on Greater Groves Community.