Overview and Benefits

Mission Statement – The Florida Apartment Association is a federation of associations representing and advocating the interests of the multifamily rental housing industry in Florida.

Since 1970, the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) has worked to ensure high property management standards and resident satisfaction and safety in Florida. Volunteer leaders from throughout the state meet quarterly to discuss issues and challenges facing the multifamily housing sector. The association at both the state and local level also provides important social and career benefits for industry personnel.

FAA represents a diverse array of apartment property types: new and old, urban and rural, luxury and Section 8, privately developed and state tax-assisted, large management companies and small individual owners, assisted living facilities for seniors and corporate housing for busy businesspeople. For the public, it is important to note, however, that FAA does NOT represent condominiums, hotels, motels, and other transient housing, In addition, it is purely a voluntary organization: not all apartment owners, particularly small individual owners and geographical areas remote from the main city centers, belong to FAA. The association represents the majority of apartment units in Florida—more than 352,000 units.

Organizational Structure

FAA is a federation; that is, it serves as an umbrella organization linking 11 independent local associations. The state organization provides independent functions and enjoys close relationships with the locals, but locals have their own independent Boards of Directors and activities. State and local organizations operate according to their own bylaws, but the local bylaws must comply with FAA’s. Both FAA and each local association also belong to, and pay a portion of member dues to, the National Apartment Association (NAA) www.naahq.org, which provides a wealth of information and services.

Each local association provides a set number of delegates to the FAA Board of Directors based on the size of the association. These delegates attend each board meeting and serve as an information conduit to and from their locals. In addition, FAA sends a set number of delegates to the NAA Assembly of Delegates based on the size of the state association (Florida is currently the third largest association in the United States, behind only Texas and California).

Benefits & Services

For most members, most of their activities and education are derived at the local level. There, they attend monthly meetings with industry speakers, take educational courses in property management, leasing, and maintenance, and network with apartment personnel in their area. Other than seminars at FAA’s Annual Education Conference, all professional education is provided by local associations, using materials created by NAA.

Membership in the local association also connects members to NAA, which provides its own legislative, educational, and informational services. The NAA Education Institute (NAAEI) provides all certification programs for the apartment industry through the local chapters. Many FAA leaders and staff take part in the NAA’s quarterly meetings and the annual Conference, taking part in numerous committees that ensure excellent communication and coordination between the state and national level, and making sure that the members’ voice is heard.

NAA partners with the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC) www.nmhc.org to provide a wealth of industry data and joint legislative representation.

However, the state association also provides many of its own activities and services, detailed below.

Florida State Lease

To simplify and standardize the apartment lease in Florida, FAA and NAA have developed a standard lease for Florida apartment owners and managers to use. Only member communities may purchase the software. This software is now available in 37 states! The lease language varies from state to state depending on state landlord tenant law.

The software for the lease is distributed by Austin, Texas-based Blue Moon Software. It is designed to let you fill out all the necessary forms by computer and print out the completed forms on your computer using blank paper. The software has been designed to save time and money by speeding up the preparation and printing of lease packages. The software has also been designed to improve accuracy and reduce errors by providing built-in math calculations, default settings for recurring items and charges, automatic data transfers from the main lease form to other forms making up the lease package, built-in error check, and lease expiration reports. The software is compatible with other property management systems such as Rent Roll and AMSI, and can be utilized in multi-property environments.

To view a copy of the Florida lease, visit the Blue Moon Software Web Site. Blue Moon Software offers stand-alone Windows-based and “access-anywhere” Web-based versions of the Lease Forms software. For more information about these products and others, including pricing and availability, visit the Blue Moon Web site. Be sure to check out the new Click ‘n Lease package, priced for owners of 25 units or less – a tremendous savings for the small owner.

Education/Information

Each year, FAA holds its Education Conference and Trade Show. It has become one of the premier meetings for the apartment industry in the United States, drawing a host of prominent national speakers as well as experts from our state. The educational program typically features a Legislative Roundtable and other sessions suitable for owners and top executives, leasing and marketing sessions, industry overview and trends, Fair Housing, motivation, and maintenance and vendor education. Attendees receive NAAEI certification program credits for each seminar they attend.

FAA also produces a quarterly magazine, Multifamily Florida, which includes in-depth articles on management, leasing, and finance, legislative activity, and updates on property sales and transactions. It is written and edited in-house using contributions from members.

Legislative Activity

FAA has been deeply involved in the Florida legislature for many years now, employing the services of one of Tallahassee’s foremost lobbying firms, Ronald A. Book, P.A. In addition to the lobbying team, FAA is fortunate to have a Government Affairs Director who works closely with the members at the state and local levels. FAA’s Executive Committee and Legislative Committee meet regularly via conference call and in person to discuss and decide upon legislative priorities, mobilize members for action when necessary, evaluate the broader impact of local regulatory and legislative issues, and other tasks.

The association hosts an annual Legislative Day during the regular session of the Florida Legislature, bringing industry leaders together with key legislators interested in multifamily housing issues. FAA leaders also participate in NAA’s annual Legislative Day in Washington, DC.

FAA holds periodic Leadership Summits on topical issues. This brings together top executives from major management companies and apartment owners and, in some cases, representatives of allied organizations, to debate and determine the legislative goals of the apartment industry as a whole. An example is the summit in Fall 2006 to discuss the state’s property insurance crisis, part of a statewide effort that brought together the Governor’s office with several real estate and insurance organizations to establish a new system for providing catastrophe insurance to Florida’s citizen’s.

Finally, FAA has established the Apartment Political Action Committee (APAC) to help fund its activities, including providing information to members and the public, and making contributions to political candidates. APAC engages in a number of creative fundraising endeavors that provide the financial wherewithal for achieving the members’ legislative goals.

Product/Service Council

Allied vendors who service the apartment industry play an enormously important role in the association, not only providing critical financial support via trade shows, advertising, and sponsorships but serving on state and local boards and running FAA’s Product/Service Council. Chaired by the Associates’ Representative to the FAA Board of Directors. The Product/Service Council helps plan the annual Conference programs and trade show activities, manage fund-raising activities and prize giveaways, and other functions. Many vendors are active at a local level only, but Product/Service Council membership to FAA entitles them to many member benefits.


341 N. Maitland Ave. \| Suite 130 \| Maitland, FL 32751 \| (407) 647-8839 \| Fax: (407) 629-2502