Community Associations Institute (CAI), the designated condominium and cooperative educational provider for the State of Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums, and Mobile Homes, will hold FREE^* courses for condominium and cooperative unit owners in Florida over the course of 2007 and 2008. The courses, Conflict Resolution, Florida Condominium Association Operations, Florida Cooperative Association Operations, Financial Management of Florida Condominium Associations, and Regulation of Residential Condominium & Cooperative Associations in Florida, will be held in the following counties: Bay, Brevard, Broward, Collier, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Okaloosa, Sarasota, St. Johns, and Volusia. The Florida Condominium Association Operations and Florida Cooperative Association Operations courses are also available online. Learn more about these online courses.

Course Descriptions:

Conflict Resolution—This course will explore the role of the board of directors in creating and enforcing rules as well as how those rules ultimately impact unit owners. It will also review basic principles of group interaction, conflict management and communications and describe constructive steps that unit owners can take to prevent conflict from escalating into costly and damaging disputes. Finally, participants will leave with a basic understanding of alternatives to litigation in resolving disputes.

Florida Condominium Association Operations—This course focuses on the core responsibilities of associations. It touches on practical operational needs such as self-management, the bidding process for outside service providers, maintenance issues, accounting and legal services and how to plan for and conduct board meetings.

Florida Cooperative Association Operations—This course focuses on the legal foundation for cooperative associations. It also touches on practical operational needs such as self-management, the bidding process for outside service providers, maintenance issues, accounting and legal services and how to plan for and conduct board meetings.

Financial Management of Florida Condominium Associations—This course details the process of preparing financial statements and using the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). It will cover the three types of year-end financial statements and federal income tax filing responsibilities. It also discusses the purpose and importance of reserve studies and how to assess an association's financial health.

Regulation of Residential Condominium & Cooperative Associations in Florida—This course focuses on how federal and state statutes and regulations impact associations. Participants will review guiding documents such as Florida statutes and legislation including the Condominium Act and Cooperative Act, the Fire Safety Act, and the Florida Administrative Code. The course will also touch on federal laws such as the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, the Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

To see a list of classes in your area, please click on the name of the county in which you would like to take the class. (Class listings are for Fall/Winter 2007 and Winter/Spring 2008.)

Course Schedule—All Counties (MS Word)

To register for a class or to learn more about CAI's condominium and cooperative education classes in Florida e-mail your question, name, address, phone number, and the class that you'd like to attend to . Registration is not required, but is strongly suggested. Course seating may be limited to one owner occupant per condominium or cooperative unit based on space availability.

For more information about regulation of condominiums and cooperatives in the State of Florida, contact:

Department of Business and Professional Regulation
The Division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums and Mobile Homes
Customer Contact Center
E-mail:
Phone: 800-226-9101
Web site: http://www.state.fl.us/dbpr/lsc/condominiums/index.shtml

^*While free to attendees, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums and Mobile Homes fund these courses through the $4 assessment paid by all unit owners in registered condominium associations and cooperatives."

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Homeowners and Board members—visit the Reading Room and download a free copy of Introduction to Community Association Living.