Senate Bill 822: Proposed Certification Requirements for Community Association Managers

Senate Bill 822: Proposed Certification Requirements for Community Association Managers

What Was Proposed

Senate Bill 822 would have established mandatory certification and licensing requirements for community association managers serving Florida associations that met specified criteria. The bill targeted both individual managers and management firms, creating a tiered credentialing framework based on three nationally recognized certifications.

Certification Standards Under the Proposal

Had the bill become law, community associations meeting its threshold requirements would have been required to contract with either a management firm or an individual manager holding at least one of three professional credentials:

• Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), issued by the Community Association Managers International Certification Board
• Association Management Specialist (AMS), issued by the Community Associations Institute
• Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM), issued by the Community Associations Institute

The bill also would have mandated that the contracted manager or firm possess all applicable licenses required by Florida law. This dual requirement—national certification plus state licensure—would have created a baseline competency standard for associations falling within the bill's scope.

Legislative Outcome

Senate Bill 822 did not advance to enactment. The bill died in the Judiciary Committee on March 13, 2026, and therefore did not become law. No statutory changes to chapters 718 or 720 resulted from this proposal.

Implications for Current Practice

Because the bill did not pass, no new mandatory certification requirements are in effect. Community associations remain subject to existing statutory requirements governing manager qualifications and licensing under Florida law. Boards and CAMs should continue to rely on current regulatory guidance rather than the standards proposed in S0822.

Bottom Line

Senate Bill 822 represented a legislative effort to raise professional standards for community association management through mandatory national certification, but the proposal did not survive the 2026 legislative session. Associations and managers should monitor future legislative activity in this area, as certification and credentialing requirements may be revisited in subsequent sessions. For now, compliance obligations remain unchanged under existing Florida statutes governing community association management.