CAM FAQs

What is the function of the Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers?

The Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers review, evaluate and advises the Department staff on recommendations for changes to applicable laws, adoption of rules, prelicensure education, licensure examination, continuing education and Professional Standards of Conduct.

What are the statutes and rules that govern community association managers?

Chapter 468, Part VIII, of the Florida Statutes and Rule 61-20 and 61-E14, Florida Administrative Code.

Where can I obtain the laws and rules of the Council?

The laws and rules may be obtained on the Council’s website, Statutes and Rules.

When and where is the next Council meeting?

The date and locations of the council meetings are available on the main page, Council Meeting Information.

When is a community association manager’s license required?

A license is required when an individual receives compensation for management services when the association or associations served contain more than 10 units or have an annual budget or budgets in excess of $100,000.00.

What are the requirements for obtaining a community association manager license?

The applicant must be at least 18 years of age, file a complete application, submit electronic fingerprints taken through a FDLE approved vendor, complete 16 hours of CAM approved prelicensure education, pay the appropriate fees, be of good moral character and pass the state examination.

What are the fees for community association manager’s applications?

The total fee paid with your application is $205.50:
• Application – $50.00 (non-refundable)
• Fingerprint Processing – varies by vendor
• Examination – $50.50
• License – $100.00
• Unlicensed Activity – $5.00

If you request a refund a refund form must be completed and submitted to the Department for approval. The application fee is non-refundable and refunds can not be issued after 3 years from submission of payment to the Department.

How do I find an approved pre-licensure education course?

The list of approved pre-licensure education providers can be found on the main page.

Are there any provisions for an applicant that cannot attend the pre-licensure course in-person?

Yes, applicants are authorized to take the pre-licensure course by correspondence or online as long as it is through an approved pre-licensure education provider.

How long do I have to take the exam once I am exam eligible?

Per Section 468.433(2)(d), Florida Statutes the exam must be passed within 12 months of completing the pre-licensure education to obtain a license. (This includes any re-take exam)

Can I get an extension to sit for the exam due to illness or hardship?

No, there is no provision to extend the examination more than 12 months after the completion of the pre-licensure education. Section 468.433(2)(d), Florida Statutes mandates the pre-licensure education shall be completed within the 12 months prior to the date of the examination.

How do I submit my fingerprint information?

For information about fingerprinting, please visit our Fingerprinting webpage.

I passed the examination. How long does it take for my Computer Based Testing examination results to get to the Department?

The vendor reports the results of the examination within 48 hours.

I have been convicted of a crime. Can I still obtain a community association manager (CAM) license?

Persons who have been convicted of a crime may apply for a CAM license. Each application will be reviewed on its own merit to determine if the good moral character requirement has been met, which is defined in Rule 61-20.001(5). Supporting documentation showing all the disposition of all charges and / or all sanctions has been satisfied should be submitted with your application.

Where do I mail my application?

Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Central Intake Unit
2601 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0783

How may I obtain assistance on completing my application?

If you have any questions or need assistance completing the application, please contact the department’s Customer Contact Center at 850.487.1395.

What are some of the activities of a community association manager?

Activities include: 1) controlling or disbursing association funds; 2) determining how or when to prepare budgets or other financial documents for an association; 3) determining how or when to provide notice of meetings or to conduct association meetings; 4) maintaining and/or having authorization to spend association petty cash; 5) coordinating maintenance for the residential development; and 6) performing other day-to-day services involved with the operation of a community association.

What are Standards of Professional Conduct for a CAM?

CAM licensees shall adhere to standards of professional conduct as part of the duties of the licensee. This is defined in Rule 61E14-2.001, Florida Administrative Code.

What types of properties hire community association managers?

Community association management can be applicable to mobile home parks, planned unit developments, homeowners associations, cooperatives, timeshares, condominiums, or other residential units, which are part of a residential development scheme and which are authorized to impose a fee that may become a lien on the parcel.

Is a person required to have a community association manager license if he or she wants to manage apartment buildings?

A community association manager license is not applicable to the management of apartment buildings, commercial property or single-family dwellings. There is no state license for a property manager, but a real estate license may be required.

General information regarding property management field is available from http://www.allpropertymanagement.com/propertylaw/property-management-law-in-florida.html.

Does the community association manager law apply to owners or council members?

This law applies to any individual, including unit owners, council members and officers, who conduct management activities for the association and receive remuneration or compensation for doing so.

Is an association required to hire a community association manager (CAM)?

Chapter 468, Part VIII, Florida Statutes, does not require a board of directors to hire a licensed CAM. The board of directors as a whole is the entity responsible for operating and managing the community association. The board members and officers can perform management services without hiring an outside manager and without obtaining a license, provided they receive no remuneration or compensation.

Can I change my address online?

Yes, at www.MyFloridaLicense.com > Online Services. The main address and license mailing address can be changed online for all license types. You can also change your telephone number and email address here.

Your website provides for "main", "mailing", and "location" addresses. What are the differences?

Three types of addresses have been established to support your needs: main, license mailing, and license location. Main Address – This address is the primary address on file. License Mailing Address – This is the address where the mail associated with a particular license will be sent (if different from the main or license location addresses). License Location Address – This is the address where the place of business is physically located. An example of the use of different addresses: If Jane Doe is a contractor that works for ACME Builders, she may have 3 different addresses listed in her profile. Her main address would be the address of ACME Builders’ corporate headquarters. Her license mailing may be her home so she doesn’t have to visit the office to pick up her mail. Finally, her License Location would be the address of the ACME Builders’ local office where she works. If Jane Doe worked independently, she might have only one address on file (Main Address) as her office is the same place she wishes to receive her mail.

How can I change my address, telephone number or email address if I do not have a computer?

You may submit the change in writing or by fax to:
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Central Intake Unit – License Maintenance
2601 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783
Fax: 850.488.8040

How do I request a refund?

In order to request a refund, please submit your claim in writing. Please include your application, file number, or license number, and the reason for your refund request. Please allow 3 – 4 weeks for processing from the time the request was received by the department.

How do I request a certification of my license?

You can verify your license to another state by using DBPR’s Online Services. Create an online account or logon to your existing account at www.myfloridalicense.com. Select “Request License Certification” from the License Menu. Complete the online application and pay the $25 fee by credit card or electronic check. A copy of your license record will be created and mailed by U.S. mail directly to the address you provide during the transaction. Please allow 10 business days for the other state to receive the document. You will also receive an email copy of the certification for your records.
If you need to send certification of your license to multiple states you will repeat the instructions above and pay the required $25 application fee for each request.

What is required to renew my license?

All community association managers’ licenses expire September 30 of even numbered year. To renew you must complete the required 15 hours of continuing education and renewal fee of $100, after September 30 the renewal fee is $125.

To renew a license that is current and active and you wish to renew as inactive the renewal fee is $100. After September 30 the fee will be $140.

To renew a license that is current and inactive and you wish to reactivate the license, you must pay the fee of $125. After September 30, the fee will be $150.

All licensees who are initially licensed as a CAM for 24 months or less prior to renewal are exempt from CE renewal requirements. Those licensees will be responsible for meeting CE requirements at the end of the next renewal cycle. The term more than 24 months means being licenses 24 months plus one day.

My license expired two or more years ago, and is now null and void. How do I become a licensed community association manager again?

You may petition for reinstatement of a null and void license if you failed to renew your license due to illness or economic hardship. (You will have to provide proof of hardship.) If the council denies reinstatement, you will be required to reapply for licensure as a new applicant, including pre-licensure education. However, you will not be required to take the state exam again.

I am not using my community association manager license. Can I place my license in an inactive status?

Yes, if you do this during the renewal cycle you will need to indicate going inactive status on your renewal form and submit an inactive renewal fee of $100, no continuing education is required for the renewal into an inactive status. If outside of the renewal cycle you may submit a request and a change of status fee of $15.

To renew a license Inactive after September 30 the renewal fee is $125.

How can I reactivate my inactive license?

You must complete the required 15 hours of continuing education and submit the appropriate form with a $25 fee.

Will the continuing education hours I take to reactivate my license count toward the continuing education hours required to renew my license?

Yes, as long as they were completed during that renewal cycle.

I have just received my community association manager license. Will I be required to comply with the continuing education requirements for my first license renewal?

All licensees who are initially licensed as a CAM for 24 months or less prior to renewal are exempt from CE renewal requirements. Those licensees will be responsible for meeting CE requirements at the end of the next renewal cycle. The term more than 24 months means being licensed 24 months plus one day.

What are the continuing education requirements for renewal?

All community association manager licensees must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 15 hours of instruction that are 50 minutes each, during each license renewal period, which shall include the required hours at an approved legal update seminar.

The 15 hours of continuing education shall be comprised of the following:

  • three (3) hours of legal update;
  • three (3) hours of instruction on insurance and financial management topics;
  • three (3) hours of instruction on the operation of the community association’s physical property;
  • three (3) hours of instruction on human resources topic’s relating to community association management; and
  • three (3) hours of additional instruction in any area described above, or in any course or courses directly related to the management or administration of community associations.

All licensees who are initially licensed as a CAM for 24 months or less prior to renewal are exempt from CE renewal requirements. Those licensees will be responsible for meeting CE requirements at the end of the next renewal cycle. The term more than 24 months means being licensed 24 months plus one day.

I am a continuing education provider. When will my providership and courses expire?

Providerships expire May 31 of every odd numbered year. A continuing education provider initially approved during the last 90 days prior to May 31 of an odd numbered year shall not be required to reapply as a condition for renewing provider status. Continuing education courses are valid for 24 months from the date of issuance. Continuing education providers must reapply to course approval within 90 days from the expiration of the 24 month period.

I am a pre-licensure education provider. When will my providership expire?

Pre-licensure education provider status shall be valid from the date of approval until May 31 of the next even-numbered year.

I have a complaint about a community association manager. Whom do I contact?

Contact the department’s Customer Contact Center at 850.487.1395 or file a complaint online at www.MyFloridaLicense.com > File a Complaint.

I have a complaint about an unlicensed community association manager. Whom do I contact?

Contact the department’s toll-free unlicensed activity complaint line at 1.866.532.1440 or file a complaint online at www.MyFloridaLicense.com > File a Complaint.

CAM Firm FAQs

Does a business offering community association management or a Community Association Management (CAM) Firm need to be licensed?

Yes. Effective January 1, 2009 all Community Association Management Firms (CAM Firms) must be licensed by the Department. Florida Statutes define the term “Community association management” to mean management of community associations for compensation when the association or associations served contain more than 10 units or a budget of $100,000 or greater.

What types of business require a CAM firm license?

Section 468.431(3), Florida Statutes, defines “community association management firm” to include a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trust, association, sole proprietorship, or other similar organization engaging in the business of community association management for the purpose of providing any of the services described above.

What types of services fall under Community Association Management?

Section 468.431(2), Florida Statute further defines “community association management” as controlling or disbursing funds of a community association, preparing budgets or other financial documents for a community association, assisting in the noticing or conduct of community association meetings, and coordinating maintenance for the residential development and other day-to-day services involved with the operation of a community association. A person who performs clerical or ministerial functions under the direct supervision and control of a licensed manager or who is charged only with performing the maintenance of a community association and who does not assist in any of the management services described in this subsection is not required to be licensed under this part.

My business is licensed as a real estate corporation, do I still need a CAM Firm license?

If your business is offering community association management services as defined by Section 468.431(3), Florida Statute then you are required to also have a CAM Firm license. A real estate license does not allow you to perform “community association management” services.

I previously registered my CAM business with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and my business still offers CAM services. Does my business need a license?

Yes. If your CAM business meets the definition as described in question one, the business must be licensed by the department as a CAM firm. All prior CAM Firm registrations were voided after the effective date of the licensure requirement of January 2009.

What are the requirements for a CAM Firm license?

Submit the completed CAM Firm application, pay the required fee and ensure at least one licensed CAM is listed as the designated CAM for the CAM Firm.

What are the fees for the CAM Firm license?

The fee for the initial license is $105.00. The fee includes a five dollar unlicensed activity fee. The renewal fee is also $105.00.

When will the Community Association Management Firm license expire?

The Management Firm license is valid for two years from issuance and will expire on September 30 of odd numbered years.

Where can I obtain a Community Association Management license application?

Applications are available on the main page, Apply For A License.

Do I need to notify the department if anything changes in my company, i.e. officers, designated CAM, name, address, etc.?

Yes. You must notify the department within thirty (30) days of any changes in your licensing structure by completing the application for noted changes.

Do I need a licensed CAM working for my firm?

Yes. You must employ at least one licensed CAM at all times that works for your firm, or your CAM firm license becomes invalid during the time period when you do not employ a CAM. The Firm is required to notify the Department of the designated CAM and any changes to the designated CAM with the Firm.

Is there a grace period to replace a departed designated CAM?

No. You must have at least one licensed CAM employed at all times, or your license becomes invalid during that period of time.

If a CAM firm’s license authority becomes void, can the individual CAM license holders working for the firm continue to work?

The individual CAM license holder can work in his or her own capacity, but not as a representative of the CAM firm when the firm does not hold a valid CAM firm license.

Where can I obtain additional information about CAM and CAM firm licensure?

Additional information can be found on the CAM main page.

Need Help?

All requests for publications, documents, forms, applications for licenses, permits and other similar certifications can be obtained by contacting the Customer Contact Center.

Division of Professions
Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers
2601 Blair Stone Road
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0783

Telephone: 850.487.1395
Facsimile: 850.488.8040