Does a Licensed CAM Still Need Florida Board Certification?
You hold a CAM license.
You just got elected to your condo board.
The license feels like it should cover the new role. It does not.
Florida law treats the two as separate. A CAM license lets you manage communities for pay. A board seat carries its own certification rule. Holding one does not satisfy the other.
The two-part rule for condo directors
Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes sets the requirement. A new condo director must complete two steps within 90 days of election or appointment.
First, take a four-hour course. The course must come from a provider approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
Second, file a written certification with the association secretary. The certification states that you read the declaration, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and current written policies. It confirms you will uphold those documents and carry out your fiduciary duty.
Both steps are required. One does not replace the other.
What changed in 2024
The rules used to be looser. A director could file the written certification and skip the course. That shortcut is gone. House Bill 1021 removed the "in lieu of" option in 2024. Every new director now takes the course and files the certification.
Why the CAM license does not count
A CAM license and a board certification serve different roles. The CAM credential governs paid management work. The board certification governs service as a director. The statute lists no exemption for CAMs who join a board.
One DBPR-approved course provider makes the gap clear. CAMs may attend these classes, but they earn no continuing education credit for them. The two tracks stay separate by design.
The deadline matters
The 90-day clock starts the day you are elected or appointed. Miss it, and the law suspends you from the board until you comply. This ranks among the most common compliance failures for new directors. Many wait until day 80 to start.
The course runs four hours and often lives online as video. You can finish it in a single afternoon. There is no reason to push it to the deadline.
One more obligation each year
The first certification is not the end. Directors owe a one-hour continuing education course every year after. That course covers changes to Chapter 718 from the prior year. Mark the renewal date the same way you mark the first deadline.
What to do
A CAM license is valuable. It does not exempt you from board certification. Take the four-hour course, file the written certification, and do both within 90 days. Then keep up with the yearly one-hour refresher.
This post covers the general rule. It is not legal advice. Confirm your own situation with the association's counsel or the DBPR approved-provider list.
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