Bylaws; cooperative association

Common Elements summary — Section 719.106 sets the mandatory contents of every Florida cooperative's bylaws and the rules of association governance. It requires bylaws to address officers, board composition, election procedures, meeting notices, quorums, voting, and the procedure for filling board vacancies. It also sets statutory defaults that apply where the bylaws are silent. Key defaults: members' meetings must be held at least annually; notice must be posted on cooperative property and mailed or hand-delivered to every member at least 14 days in advance; the agenda must accompany the notice; board meetings must be open to all members with at least 48 hours' posted notice (executive sessions are permitted only for personnel matters, pending litigation, and similar narrow topics). For practitioners: 719.106 is more prescriptive than condo 718.112 in some respects (cooperative bylaws cannot waive most procedural requirements) and looser in others (no statutory committee requirements). When advising a cooperative board, always read the bylaws side-by-side with 719.106 to spot where the bylaws purport to override a statutory mandate — the statute wins.

Not legal advice. Click through to the official source for statutory text.