Florida statute · Chapter 720
§720.303(4)(b)
Florida HOA Compliance: What Chapter 720 and HB 1203 Require
This page provides general information about Florida statutes governing homeowners' associations. It does not constitute legal advice. Requirements vary by association structure, size, and circumstances. Confirm how these obligations apply to your specific association with your association's counsel.
Since January 1, 2025, Florida homeowners' associations with 100 or more parcels have been required to maintain a website or mobile application where parcel owners can access digital copies of the association's official records — including a section accessible only to owners and association staff. The requirement was created by House Bill 1203 (2024), which amended Chapter 720, Florida Statutes (§720.303(4)(b)1).
The website requirement is the obligation that gets the headlines. It is not the one that stands alone. A Florida HOA also answers to statutory rules on official records and owner inspection, meeting and board notices, fining and suspension procedure (§720.305), elections (§720.306), estoppel certificates (§720.30851), and records retention — and HB 1203 raised the stakes on several of them.
This page covers who the website rule reaches, what must be posted, and the wider Chapter 720 obligations around it.
Who is covered
The website/app requirement applies to HOAs with 100 or more parcels. Smaller HOAs are not required to maintain a website under this provision — though they remain fully subject to Chapter 720's records, inspection, notice, and meeting obligations.
Condominium associations are governed separately: Chapter 718 sets its own website thresholds and deadlines — see our Florida condo records requirements guide.
What must be available on the website or app
The association must post, or make available for download, digital copies of specified official records, including:
- the articles of incorporation, bylaws, and declaration of covenants, with all amendments
- the current rules of the association
- executory contracts and bids received within the last year
- the annual budget and any proposed budgets to be considered
- financial reports and monthly income-expense statements
- current insurance policies
- director certifications
- contracts or transactions in which a director has a conflict of interest
- notices of, and agendas for, board and member meetings, posted in advance per the statutory timeline
The protected portion: the website or app must include a subpage or portal that is not accessible to the general public (§720.303(4)(b)2) — only to parcel owners and association employees. Upon a parcel owner's written request, the association must provide the owner a username and password and access to the protected sections (§720.303(4)(b)3).
What HB 1203 changed beyond the website
HB 1203 was a broad accountability bill, not a website bill. Among its changes to Chapter 720:
- Records violations now carry real teeth. Certain knowing-and-intentional official-records violations — including denying access or destroying records in specified circumstances — can expose individuals to criminal liability, not just association-level consequences. The specifics depend on the conduct and circumstances; this is general description, not legal advice.
- Director education. HOA directors are subject to statutory education and certification requirements within a defined window of taking office, plus continuing education on an ongoing basis.
- Community association manager accountability. CAMs and CAM firms picked up new obligations around records turnover, meeting attendance, and responsiveness.
- Retention. Official records must be maintained for the statutory retention period — at least seven years for most categories, unless governing documents require longer.
HOA (Ch. 720) vs condo (Ch. 718): don't borrow the wrong rulebook
Florida governs condominiums under Chapter 718 and HOAs under Chapter 720. Both address official records, websites, notices, and owner access — but thresholds, deadlines, and procedures differ. The condo website rule reaches associations on a different timeline than the HOA 100-parcel rule; fining and suspension procedure differs between §718.303 and §720.305; estoppel mechanics live in parallel but separate sections. Identify which chapter governs your association before relying on any requirement — and note that cooperatives answer to a third chapter, 719, entirely.
How RecordGuards helps
RecordGuards gives a Florida HOA one place to organize its official records, publish the records owners are entitled to see, control owner-only access behind authenticated accounts, and keep an append-only audit history of every records action — who accessed what, and when. It is designed to help associations meet Chapter 720's records-access and website obligations, alongside the notice, fining-procedure, election, and estoppel workflows the same statute imposes. It does not replace the association's own legal judgment.
Common questions
- Does my Florida HOA need a website?
- If the association has 100 or more parcels, yes — since January 1, 2025, Chapter 720 requires a website or mobile application where parcel owners can access digital copies of specified official records. Smaller HOAs are not subject to the website requirement but remain subject to the chapter's records and inspection obligations. Confirm your association's status with counsel.
- What documents must a Florida HOA post online?
- The statute specifies the list — governing documents and amendments, current rules, budgets, financial reporting, executory contracts and bids, current insurance policies, director certifications, director-conflict contracts, and meeting notices with agendas among them. Part of the site must be a protected area accessible only to parcel owners and association employees. Confirm the current statutory list with counsel.
- What was the deadline for the Florida HOA website requirement?
- January 1, 2025, for homeowners' associations with 100 or more parcels, under House Bill 1203 (2024). Condominium associations follow separate Chapter 718 deadlines and thresholds.
- What are the penalties for HOA records violations in Florida?
- It depends on the conduct. Chapter 720 provides civil consequences for records failures, and following HB 1203, certain knowing-and-intentional violations can carry criminal exposure for individuals. The specific consequences are set by statute and depend on the circumstances — an association should consult counsel rather than rely on a general description.
- Is an HOA website the same requirement as a condo website in Florida?
- No. HOAs answer to Chapter 720 (100-parcel threshold), condominiums to Chapter 718 (different thresholds and timeline), and cooperatives to Chapter 719. The obligations resemble each other but differ in coverage, deadlines, and required content. Identify your chapter first.
- Can a third-party platform satisfy the HOA website requirement?
- A records platform can host the required records, provide the owner-only protected access the statute contemplates, and keep an auditable history of records actions. RecordGuards is designed to help associations meet Chapter 720's website and records-access obligations — it does not replace the association's own legal judgment, and associations should confirm their compliance posture with counsel.