What does Section 718.112 require of condominium directors in Florida?

Each newly elected or appointed condo director must submit a written certification to the secretary plus a certificate of completing a course of at least four hours, within one year before or 90 days after taking office. The certification is valid for seven years while service is uninterrupted, and directors owe one hour of continuing education each year on recent changes to the law.

Florida board certification laws, explained

Q: What does Section 720.3033 require of HOA directors in Florida?

Every newly elected or appointed HOA director must complete a department-approved board certification course within 90 days, covering financial literacy and transparency, recordkeeping, levying of fines, and notice and meeting requirements. The certificate is valid for up to four years from completion, and directors owe annual continuing education (4 hours under 2,500 parcels, 8 hours at 2,500 or more).

Current as of July 3, 2026

Two Florida statutes set the certification and continuing-education rules for community-association boards: Section 720.3033 for homeowners associations and Section 718.112for condominiums. Below is a readable summary of each, with citations to the primary source. This is education, not legal advice. For your association’s specific situation, talk to a Florida community association attorney. Where the law is genuinely unsettled, we say so and label it as an interpretation.

HOA boards: Section 720.3033, Florida Statutes

Who must certify. Every newly elected or appointed HOA director. The requirement follows your seat on the board, not any officer title.

The 90-day window. Section 720.3033(1)(a) requires each director, within 90 days after being elected or appointed, to submit a certificate of having satisfactorily completed the educational curriculum administered by a department-approved education provider. The department is the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

What satisfies it. Since HB 1203 (2024), simply signing that you read the governing documents is no longer enough. An actual certificate of completion is required. The curriculum must cover financial literacy and transparency, recordkeeping, levying of fines, and notice and meeting requirements.

How long it lasts. The certificate is valid for up to four years, measured from the completion date, not the election date. Directors must complete the education at least every four years.

Continuing education. Directors owe at least 4 hours of continuing education annually if the association has fewer than 2,500 parcels, and at least 8 hours if it has 2,500 or more.

If a director does not comply. Section 720.3033(1)(b) provides that a director who does not timely file the educational certificate is suspended from the board until he or she complies. This is a curable suspension, not a removal.

How the annual period works. Section 720.3033 says continuing education is due “annually” without defining the period in the statute text. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation has told us the annual period runs from the anniversary of the director’s certification. The Department also confirmed that an HOA director may count the Board Member Certification toward that requirement once every four years, and that a director whose certificate lapses is suspended from the board until a new certificate is filed with the association’s secretary, which cures the suspension. We cover these in the continuing education article and the certificate-expiration article.

Condominium boards: Section 718.112, Florida Statutes

Who must certify. Every newly elected or appointed condominium director, under Section 718.112(2)(d)5.b. (placed there by HB 1021 in 2024 and renumbered by HB 913 in 2025).

The window. A director must submit the written certification and educational certificate within one year before, or 90 days after, being elected or appointed. The course may be taken up to a year in advance.

What satisfies it. Two things, both mandatory: a written certification to the secretary that the director has read the governing documents and will uphold them and their fiduciary duty, plus a certificate of completing a course of at least four hours. The course must cover milestone inspections, structural integrity reserve studies, elections, recordkeeping, financial literacy and transparency, levying of fines, and notice and meeting requirements.

How long it lasts. Valid for seven years from the date of issuance, and it does not have to be resubmitted as long as the director serves without interruption during that period. A gap in service breaks the continuity and requires recertifying on return.

Annual update hour. One year after submitting the most recent certification, and annually thereafter, a director must complete at least one hour of continuing education on recent changes to Chapter 718 and its administrative rules.

Enforcement. HB 913 gave the Division of Florida Condominiums express enforcement authority over board-education violations, effective July 1, 2025. A director who fails to timely file the certification is suspended until he or she complies.

For the full walkthrough, read condo board certification after the 2024 and 2025 laws.

Where to go next

When you are ready to complete the requirement, start the HOA training or the condo training. For answers to specific questions, browse the Knowledge Center.