Just joined your Florida condo board? The 4-hour course, the yearly hour and the 90-day clock

Annual meeting season brings new faces to many Florida condo boards. Some are retirees with time to give. Some stepped up because nobody else would. Either way, Florida law expects something from them soon after they take the seat.

The rule is in section 718.112(2)(d) of the 2026 Florida Statutes, the part of the condo law that covers how boards are elected. This article explains what a new director must do, by when, and what happens if it does not get done. It is a guide, not legal advice. The association attorney and the state's condo division are the right places to ask about a specific case.

Two things every new director must turn in

Under section 718.112(2)(d), a newly elected or appointed director must give the association's secretary two things.

• A written certification. The director certifies in writing that he or she has read the association's governing documents and current written policies, will uphold them, and will meet his or her fiduciary responsibility to the owners. A fiduciary responsibility is a legal duty to act in the owners' best interest.
• An educational certificate. This shows the director finished the required course, taught by the division or by a division-approved condominium education provider.

The statute says "the educational curriculum must be at least 4 hours long." It must cover milestone inspections, structural integrity reserve studies, elections, recordkeeping, financial literacy and transparency, levying of fines, and notice and meeting requirements.

The 90-day clock

A director can take the course ahead of time or right after joining. The law accepts the certification and certificate if they are turned in within one year before the director's election or appointment, or within 90 days after it.

So a director elected at a meeting this month has about three months to finish. A director who took the course within the past year before the election may already be covered.

Once turned in, the written certification and the educational certificate are valid for seven years from when they were issued. A director who serves without a break during that time does not have to turn them in again.

One more hour, every year

The four hours are not the end of it. One year after the most recent submission, and every year after that, a director must turn in a certificate showing at least one hour of continuing education. The statute says this hour covers recent changes to the condo law, Chapter 718, and the related rules.

Florida's condo law has changed often in recent years, so the yearly hour is meant to keep board members current.

What happens if a director misses the deadline

The statute is direct. A director who does not turn in the certification and educational certificate on time is suspended from the board until he or she complies. While the director is suspended, the law allows the board to fill the seat temporarily.

The paperwork does not disappear into a drawer, either. The secretary must keep it and make it available for owners to inspect for seven years after the director's election, or for as long as the director serves without a break, whichever is longer. Section 718.111(12)(a) also lists "all satisfactorily completed board member educational certificates" among the association's official records.

Where the course comes from

The division's education page says it offers courses for condo stakeholders, including the four-hour Board Member Certification course required by the statute. The page also links to a list of approved providers for the certification course and a separate list of approved continuing education providers.

The same page describes a free, self-paced online course from the division. Its wording about whether that online course counts toward the legal requirement is not consistent, so a director planning to use it should confirm with the division first. The division's education team can be reached at ctmheducation@myfloridalicense.com or 954-202-6831, according to the page.

What to do

If you are a unit owner:

• After an election, it is fair to ask whether each new director has turned in the written certification and the educational certificate.
• Remember that the certificates are official records. You can ask in writing to see them, as you would any other record.
• If you want to understand your building better, the same course topics, such as SIRS, milestone inspections and fines, are useful for owners too.
• For questions about your rights, the division and the state Condominium Ombudsman's office can help. A private attorney can advise on your situation.

If you just joined the board:

• Write down your election or appointment date and count 90 days. Put that date on your calendar.
• Find a course on the division's list of approved providers, or a course offered by the division itself. Keep the certificate.
• Read the declaration, bylaws, rules and written policies before you sign the written certification.
• Give both documents to the association's secretary and ask for a note that they were received.
• Mark one year from your submission for your first hour of continuing education, and repeat each year.
• Ask the association attorney if you are unsure whether a past course still counts.

If you are the board secretary, keep a simple list of each director's submission date, certificate date and next yearly deadline. It makes the seven-year record easy to find when an owner asks.