Florida HOA boards

Frequently asked questions

Board Docket is Florida HOA board correspondence software. It keeps one association-owned record per matter so directors may communicate electronically, prepare a consent agenda, and record Adopted or Not adopted only after a noticed meeting. It is not an electronic vote, not legal advice, and not HOA management software.

What is Board Docket?

Board Docket is Florida HOA board correspondence software. It keeps one association-owned record per matter so directors may communicate electronically, prepare a consent agenda, and record Adopted or Not adopted only after a noticed meeting. It is not an electronic vote, not legal advice, and not HOA management software.

Can Florida HOA directors cast a board vote in Board Docket?

No. Florida Statute §720.303(2)(a) lets directors communicate electronically. It does not let them cast a board vote here. Board Docket never records a binding electronic board vote. Formal board action is recorded only after a duly noticed meeting as Adopted or Not adopted.

How does Florida Statute §720.303(2)(a) apply here?

That statute lets Florida HOA directors communicate by email or other electronic means. It does not authorize an electronic board vote on an association matter. Board Docket is that distinction in software: talk on the record; decide after a noticed meeting. Ready for Consent Agenda is preparation, not a vote.

Is Board Docket HOA management software?

No. Board Docket sits beside Vantaca, AppFolio, and other HOA suites. It does not handle work orders, assessments, or architectural requests. One job: board business should not live in reply-all email.

Who owns the records if the management company changes?

The association is the tenant and owns every record and the Stripe customer. Ending a management engagement ends management access immediately. Files and billing stay with the HOA. A management company may pay as agent; they never own the data.

What does Ready for Consent Agenda mean?

Ready for Consent Agenda is preparation, not a decision and not a vote. Directors mark Ready so those items can batch onto a consent agenda. Silence is never ready. Formal action still happens at a noticed meeting, recorded as Adopted or Not adopted.

Can association members post or vote in Board Docket?

No. Members never post and never vote. On a live association they do not sign in to Board Docket. The Board Administrator enables a private Owners portal link under More → Owners and pastes it once on the association’s secure member website. That portal shows released materials, shared items, inspectable closed board records, and a meeting calendar. Staff may release selected documents before a meeting without opening the board conversation. Closed-session items never appear. This is not a vote.

How do members open Board Docket materials?

Members do not sign in. The Board Administrator enables the Shared Owners portal under More → Owners and places that one private link on the association’s secure website. Day-to-day releases update inside Board Docket, so the HOA site does not need continual updates. Treat the link like a shared password and rotate it if it leaks. The public Owners demo tab is a sample tour only. This is not a vote.

Where is the meeting calendar?

Staff and directors open Meetings, then Calendar for the monthly view. Scheduled dates appear as chips; open a date for that meeting’s agenda and documents. Members use the Calendar button on the Owners portal (same private link as Updates). Their calendar never shows closed session. This is not a vote.

How do members get materials before a noticed meeting?

Management or the Board Administrator checks individual documents, images, or meeting recaps on the Action under Related documents, then Save member materials. That does not share the board conversation. On the meeting agenda, Member materials lists those releases so staff can review or Remove them. Members open those files on the Owners portal Updates list. Closed-session items cannot release materials to members. This is not a vote.

What is a closed session in Board Docket?

Closed session is a noticed-meeting agenda section with a stated basis (Personnel, or Meeting with association attorney) and a named roster. It is not a chat, not a private attorney mailbox, and not an electronic vote. The public packet stays consent plus regular. The closed packet is for roster members only. After the meeting, the record is still Adopted or Not adopted. Confirm process with association counsel.

Does association counsel get a member login?

No. Counsel is association counsel, not a member and not a director. The Board Administrator invites them, or staff add their email on Request attorney review. They see only closed-session items they are listed on, plus a records package sent to that email. Standing counsel is not a blanket grant. They cannot open ordinary docket items, Billing, seats, branding, export, or the Official records list. On a package they were asked to review, they may exclude documents or commentary and confirm. That confirmation releases the copies. Ending counsel kills their sessions; writings stay with the association.

Does placing an item in closed session make it privileged?

No. Privilege is not automatic. Closed placement hides the item from members in the app. A records-request ZIP still needs a human exclusion with justification, pre-filled from that basis. Confirm process with association counsel and the current Florida Statutes. Board Docket is not legal advice.

Is this legal advice or a Florida statute library?

No. Board Docket is not legal advice and not a hosted Florida-statute library. Each governance rule cites a source you enter: policy, governing documents, or a Florida statute. Confirm process with association counsel and the current Florida Statutes. A Florida HOA governance handout is available for operational planning with counsel. It is not a statute library.

What does Ask in the header answer?

Ask is Board Docket product help. It answers from the public manuals and this FAQ only. It cannot see an association’s docket, closed-session packet, or a records request. It is not legal advice, not a vote, and not Club Court Manager. Signed-in Search finds items you can already open. Confirm process with association counsel.

How do people sign in?

They enter the email they already read. Board Docket sends a 6-digit code to that mailbox. Type it in the same browser. There is no clickable login link. A new association does not change its mail host. The Cedar Ridge sample uses addresses that are not mailboxes, so that sample shows the code on the sign-in page. Mail from outside the association goes to the address shown in Mail, on mail.boarddocket.com. This is not a vote.

What is Mailbox in Board Docket?

Mailbox is participant-private association email on mail.boarddocket.com. To, Cc, and Bcc decide who sees a Mail thread and who can reply. Anyone not addressed does not. On the Queue there is no Cc. Each director sees only their own comments and management’s replies. Other directors do not. Management and the Board Administrator see every director’s comments. Advance moves that same item to the Docket. Every comment made on the Queue is then visible to every director who can open the item, and to management and the Board Administrator. There is still no Cc. Engaged management, directors (including the Board Administrator), counsel, and committee members open it from the Mail tab. Owners without a committee assignment do not. On desktop it is a three-pane email client (folders, thread list, reading/compose). Folders are Inbox, Sent, Drafts, Archive, Junk, and Trash. Drag a thread onto Inbox, Archive, Junk, or Trash. Delete and Junk hide that thread from you only, and Restore to Inbox brings it back. A received message is not erased. Share with full board, Forward to lead, and Forward to board move your copy to Archive. The people added still see it in Inbox. Management and the Board Administrator can Send to staff from a thread still in Mail. That emails engaged management and archives the item on the Docket. If the email fails, the thread stays in Mail. Opening a conversation uses the same form as a new message: From, To, Cc/Bcc, formatting, and attachments. Cc / Bcc opens those fields; Hide Cc / Bcc closes them. On To, All, each director, and the manager are names with a circle, and All selects everyone on that line. The subject stays on that thread. Save draft and Send as are for a new message. To, Cc, and Bcc each include a box for any email address, comma-separated. Addresses you type receive the message by email. Names with a circle stay in Board Docket. Adding an outside address on a reply makes that thread external, and later messages on it go to those addresses. Discuss privately still starts a separate internal thread. A thread leaves Mail when it is placed on the Queue (Suggest for consideration, or Send to Queue) or filed onto one existing Queue or Docket item (Add to item). On desktop, pick the title, then Add to item. On the phone, Add to item opens the Queue and Docket list; check one item, then Add. The phone bottom bar is Mail, Queue, Docket, and Meetings. The lit tab is where you are. Owners see Updates and do not see Docket or Meetings. Counsel sees Closed. The top-right menu is not where those four live. Send to Queue asks for a project name for one email or several. The email subjects stay in the description. Each mail message and its attachments move onto that Queue item so the progression stays visible. Opening the item stays on Queue until Advance. Later comments, including a later email on that thread, stay on the item so the conversation does not split. Forward into Docket (email-to-draft) is a staff-only Mailbox folder that creates a draft, not a Queue conversation. Allowed attachments import up to 15 MB each and 45 MB total; oversized or disallowed files are skipped with a note on the item. Messages are association records from creation. Suggest for consideration is not a staff-only draft and not a vote. Personal email notices are content-free. Confirm records handling with association counsel.

What are committees in Board Docket?

The Board Administrator creates committees under More → Committees and assigns members and one lead. Membership is not a HOA login role. Committee rooms use Mailbox with a one-way ladder: participants, forward to lead, then the lead (or a seated director after forward to board) may Suggest for consideration — a board-visible suggested item, not a live Docket matter and not a vote. Management is not auto-added when a lead forwards to the board. Confirm Florida Statute §720.303(2) open-meeting applicability with association counsel. Board Docket is not legal advice.

What does Open to Advance / Merge mean?

On the Queue list, Open to Advance / Merge opens that suggestion on Queue (not Docket). It does not Advance or Merge by itself. On the item you see the mail thread progression and attachments. Management can edit the title and description, Advance to Docket, Merge related suggestions into this item, Send to staff, or Set aside. Merge keeps each post’s original author, moves the documents, and withdraws the source suggestions. Merge is only while those items are still under consideration. This is not a vote. Confirm process with association counsel.

What does Advance mean on the Queue?

Advance on the Queue list moves that suggestion to the live Docket immediately. Every comment made on the Queue is then visible to every director who can open the item, and to management and the Board Administrator. There is still no Cc. On the Queue, before Advance, each director sees only their own comments and management’s replies. Other directors do not. Management and the Board Administrator see every director’s comments. Directors and the Board Administrator are notified. If fewer than a majority of directors have marked In favor, the click is the acknowledgment. In favor is a guide, not a vote. Advance does not Merge. On the open item the same step is Advance to Docket, and below majority you check Acknowledge Advance below majority first. Set aside ends consideration and needs a reason. Send to staff emails engaged management a transcript and (when size allows) a ZIP of related documents, then archives as management-only. If files exceed email limits, staff get the transcript by email and download each file in Board Docket. Use only for an off-platform handoff. Confirm process with association counsel.

What are Start Date and Last Update on Queue and Docket?

Queue and Docket rows show Start Date and Last Update between the item and the due date. Start Date is when the item was created. Last Update is the last time that item changed. Dates are month and day, the same style as Due. On a phone those two columns stay hidden so the title still fits. The public demo fills those dates with sample history for management, director, and member. This is not a vote.

How does a suggestion become a live Docket item?

A matter starts in Mail. Committee members forward to the committee lead; the lead or a seated director uses Suggest for consideration. Management may also Send to Queue one email or several related Mail threads as one Queue item. Send to Queue asks for a project name either way. The email subjects stay in the description. The threads leave Mail; their messages and attachments stay on the Queue item. Opening that item stays on Queue until Advance. On the Queue there is no Cc. Each director sees only their own comments and management’s replies, and may mark In favor. Other directors do not see those comments. Management and the Board Administrator see every director’s comments. On the Queue list, Open to Advance / Merge opens the suggestion. It does not Advance or Merge by itself. On that item, management may Advance to Docket, Merge related suggestions into this item (posts keep original authors; documents move; sources are withdrawn), Set aside with a reason (the item stays on the Docket), or Send to staff (emails engaged management a transcript and ZIP when size allows, otherwise transcript plus in-app download link; then archives as management-only). Advance on the Queue list moves that same item to the live Docket immediately. Every comment made on the Queue is then visible to every director who can open the item, and to management and the Board Administrator. There is still no Cc. If fewer than a majority have marked In favor, that click is the acknowledgment. In favor is a guide, not a vote. Advance does not Merge. A thread still in Mail can be Add to item on one Queue item under consideration or one open Docket item. On desktop, pick the title, then Add to item. On the phone, check one item, then Add. Titles do not have to match, and that thread then leaves Mail. On the Queue there is no Cc. Each director still sees only their own comments and management’s replies. On the Docket, every director who can open the item sees the thread, including every comment made on the Queue. New material sends directors who already finished reviewing back to open. If Ready no longer meets the threshold, the item leaves the consent agenda. This is not a vote. Silence is not Ready. Confirm process with association counsel.

How does an attorney review a records package before it is released?

On an open official-records request, engaged management or the Board Administrator chooses Request attorney review and enters the attorney’s email. The email does not include the member’s request, document names, or commentary. The attorney signs in, opens Records review, and may exclude a document or commentary with a basis and a reason. Confirm and release releases the package with those exclusions. Staff cannot mark it handed over while that review is open. The app does not decide privilege. This is not a vote. Confirm process with association counsel.

Role manuals and the counsel handout are on Manuals. Pricing is on Pricing.