A new Florida law impacts COAs by requiring a substitute budget proposal if the board's proposed budget by is least 115% of the previous year's budget. This substitute budget must be presented for unit owner approval and exclude discretionary expenditures, but "discretionary" is not defined. The law aims to increase transparency and owner involvement in budget decisions, with specific exclusions for necessary expenses like anticipated repair costs, insurance premiums and mandatory reserves.

A Florida COA is grappling with a costly $4.5 million roof replacement to maintain insurance coverage, despite inspections indicating their 15 roofs have 187 years of life left. This reflects a wider issue in Florida's insurance market, where policies are frequently nonrenewed or canceled due to roof conditions, and unlike homeowners who can sometimes prevent cancellations with inspections, COAs don't have the same protections. Citizens Property Insurance, the state's insurer of last resort, has enforced stricter guidelines, leaving many condo associations vulnerable and exacerbating financial pressures.

In 2024, a quarter of US owners faced HOA or condo fees, resulting in strained wallets, with 3 million paying over $500 monthly, according to a US Census Bureau survey. New York had the highest median fee at $739, while Arkansas had the lowest at $47. The high percentage of owners paying rising fees is a result of the growing trend for newly built communities that come with high fees, says Realtor.com® economist Joel Berner. Also, there was a disparity in fees between mortgaged and non-mortgaged homes, with owners in all 50 states without mortgages paying more in fees (or there was no significant difference).

An HOA member in Florida has an issue regarding the dual roles of committee members involved in the compliance and fining processes. The concern is whether it's appropriate for those investigating and reporting compliance violations to the board to also decide on fines, potentially leading to conflicts of interest. The fining/suspension committee should be independent to maintain impartiality in its decisions, as its role is to act as an appeal board for board-imposed fines or suspensions, suggests attorney Richard DeBoest.

When team members feel frustrated by their leaders' leadership styles, the best advice might be clearly communicating their needs to their leaders, says leadership coach Kristin Hendrix. Instead of expecting leaders to intuitively know what they need, team members should actively express their preferences and collaborate with leaders to create a mutually beneficial professional relationship.

The constant barrage of notifications and information has led to what researchers call "continuous partial attention," making it difficult to focus on important tasks, says author Danny Kenny, who notes that attention can be trained like a muscle. There are techniques people can practice to keep their attention on their goals, such as using specific points of focus for their eyes, thinking about how present actions connect to future outcomes and planning positive solutions to anticipated obstacles.

The CMCA Study Pathway Plan is a suggested eight-week roadmap to help candidates prepare for the CMCA exam with structure and confidence. It begins with a two-week Pre-Study Phase for orientation and self-assessment, followed by a six-week Active Study Phase focused on targeted review, practice and reinforcement across all exam domains. Designed for candidates at all experience levels, the plan provides study strategies, resources and tools to build knowledge and address gaps—requiring about five to 10 hours per week, with flexibility to adjust based on individual needs. The CMCA Study Pathway Plan can be found beginning on Page 20 of the updated CMCA Study Guide under Section 3: Exam Preparation and Study Pathway.