The Florida Senate

718.103  Definitions.--As used in this chapter, the term:

(1)  "Assessment" means a share of the funds which are required for the payment of common expenses, which from time to time is assessed against the unit owner.

(2)  "Association" means, in addition to any entity responsible for the operation of common elements owned in undivided shares by unit owners, any entity which operates or maintains other real property in which unit owners have use rights, where membership in the entity is composed exclusively of unit owners or their elected or appointed representatives and is a required condition of unit ownership.

(3)  "Association property" means that property, real and personal, which is owned or leased by, or is dedicated by a recorded plat to, the association for the use and benefit of its members.

(4)  "Board of administration" or "board" means the board of directors or other representative body which is responsible for administration of the association.

(5)  "Buyer" means a person who purchases a condominium unit. The term "purchaser" may be used interchangeably with the term "buyer."

(6)  "Bylaws" means the bylaws of the association as they are amended from time to time.

(7)  "Committee" means a group of board members, unit owners, or board members and unit owners appointed by the board or a member of the board to make recommendations to the board regarding the proposed annual budget or to take action on behalf of the board.

(8)  "Common elements" means the portions of the condominium property not included in the units.

(9)  "Common expenses" means all expenses properly incurred by the association in the performance of its duties, including expenses specified in s. 718.115.

(10)  "Common surplus" means the amount of all receipts or revenues, including assessments, rents, or profits, collected by a condominium association which exceeds common expenses.

(11)  "Condominium" means that form of ownership of real property created pursuant to this chapter, which is comprised entirely of units that may be owned by one or more persons, and in which there is, appurtenant to each unit, an undivided share in common elements.

(12)  "Condominium parcel" means a unit, together with the undivided share in the common elements appurtenant to the unit.

(13)  "Condominium property" means the lands, leaseholds, and personal property that are subjected to condominium ownership, whether or not contiguous, and all improvements thereon and all easements and rights appurtenant thereto intended for use in connection with the condominium.

(14)  "Conspicuous type" means bold type in capital letters no smaller than the largest type, exclusive of headings, on the page on which it appears and, in all cases, at least 10-point type. Where conspicuous type is required, it must be separated on all sides from other type and print. Conspicuous type may be used in a contract for purchase and sale of a unit, a lease of a unit for more than 5 years, or a prospectus or offering circular only where required by law.

(15)  "Declaration" or "declaration of condominium" means the instrument or instruments by which a condominium is created, as they are from time to time amended.

(16)  "Developer" means a person who creates a condominium or offers condominium parcels for sale or lease in the ordinary course of business, but does not include an owner or lessee of a condominium or cooperative unit who has acquired the unit for his or her own occupancy, nor does it include a cooperative association which creates a condominium by conversion of an existing residential cooperative after control of the association has been transferred to the unit owners if, following the conversion, the unit owners will be the same persons who were unit owners of the cooperative and no units are offered for sale or lease to the public as part of the plan of conversion.

(17)  "Division" means the Division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums, and Mobile Homes of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

(18)  "Land" means the surface of a legally described parcel of real property and includes, unless otherwise specified in the declaration and whether separate from or including such surface, airspace lying above and subterranean space lying below such surface. However, if so defined in the declaration, the term "land" may mean all or any portion of the airspace or subterranean space between two legally identifiable elevations and may exclude the surface of a parcel of real property and may mean any combination of the foregoing, whether or not contiguous.

(19)  "Limited common elements" means those common elements which are reserved for the use of a certain unit or units to the exclusion of all other units, as specified in the declaration.

(20)  "Multicondominium" means a real estate development containing two or more condominiums, all of which are operated by the same association.

(21)  "Operation" or "operation of the condominium" includes the administration and management of the condominium property.

(22)  "Rental agreement" means any written agreement, or oral agreement if for less duration than 1 year, providing for use and occupancy of premises.

(23)  "Residential condominium" means a condominium consisting of two or more units, any of which are intended for use as a private temporary or permanent residence, except that a condominium is not a residential condominium if the use for which the units are intended is primarily commercial or industrial and not more than three units are intended to be used for private residence, and are intended to be used as housing for maintenance, managerial, janitorial, or other operational staff of the condominium. With respect to a condominium that is not a timeshare condominium, a residential unit includes a unit intended as a private temporary or permanent residence as well as a unit not intended for commercial or industrial use. With respect to a timeshare condominium, the timeshare instrument as defined in s. 721.05(33) shall govern the intended use of each unit in the condominium. If a condominium is a residential condominium but contains units intended to be used for commercial or industrial purposes, then, with respect to those units which are not intended for or used as private residences, the condominium is not a residential condominium. A condominium which contains both commercial and residential units is a mixed-use condominium and is subject to the requirements of s. 718.404.

(24)  "Special assessment" means any assessment levied against a unit owner other than the assessment required by a budget adopted annually.

(25)  "Timeshare estate" means any interest in a unit under which the exclusive right of use, possession, or occupancy of the unit circulates among the various purchasers of a timeshare plan pursuant to chapter 721 on a recurring basis for a period of time.

(26)  "Timeshare unit" means a unit in which timeshare estates have been created.

(27)  "Unit" means a part of the condominium property which is subject to exclusive ownership. A unit may be in improvements, land, or land and improvements together, as specified in the declaration.

(28)  "Unit owner" or "owner of a unit" means a record owner of legal title to a condominium parcel.

(29)  "Voting certificate" means a document which designates one of the record title owners, or the corporate, partnership, or entity representative, who is authorized to vote on behalf of a condominium unit that is owned by more than one owner or by any entity.

(30)  "Voting interests" means the voting rights distributed to the association members pursuant to s. 718.104(4)(j). In a multicondominium association, the voting interests of the association are the voting rights distributed to the unit owners in all condominiums operated by the association. On matters related to a specific condominium in a multicondominium association, the voting interests of the condominium are the voting rights distributed to the unit owners in that condominium.

History.--s. 1, ch. 76-222; s. 1, ch. 78-328; s. 2, ch. 80-3; s. 6, ch. 80-323; s. 1, ch. 84-368; s. 45, ch. 85-62; s. 1, ch. 90-151; s. 1, ch. 91-103; s. 5, ch. 91-426; s. 1, ch. 92-49; s. 34, ch. 95-274; s. 850, ch. 97-102; s. 1, ch. 98-322; s. 73, ch. 99-3; s. 48, ch. 2000-302; s. 19, ch. 2001-64.