Here's a little snippet I gleaned from Fla Statute 720. I provided a link to the statute page on our Community Links if you want to know more. There's a wealth of information there for all of us.
If you read far enough down you'll see where 20% of the members would have to petition the board to enact reserve accounts. Otherwise, not. Interesting reading.
(6) BUDGETS.--
(a) The association shall prepare an annual budget that sets out the annual operating expenses. The budget must reflect the estimated revenues and expenses for that year and the estimated surplus or deficit as of the end of the current year. The budget must set out separately all fees or charges paid for by the association for recreational amenities, whether owned by the association, the developer, or another person. The association shall provide each member with a copy of the annual budget or a written notice that a copy of the budget is available upon request at no charge to the member. The copy must be provided to the member within the time limits set forth in subsection (5).
(b) In addition to annual operating expenses, the budget may include reserve accounts for capital expenditures and deferred maintenance for which the association is responsible to the extent that the governing documents do not limit increases in assessments, including reserves. If the budget of the association includes reserve accounts, such reserves shall be determined, maintained, and waived in the manner provided in this subsection. Once an association provides for reserve accounts in the budget, the association shall thereafter determine, maintain, and waive reserves in compliance with this subsection.
(c) If the budget of the association does not provide for reserve accounts governed by this subsection and the association is responsible for the repair and maintenance of capital improvements that may result in a special assessment if reserves are not provided, each financial report for the preceding fiscal year required by subsection (7) shall contain the following statement in conspicuous type: THE BUDGET OF THE ASSOCIATION DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR RESERVE ACCOUNTS FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURES AND DEFERRED MAINTENANCE THAT MAY RESULT IN SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS. OWNERS MAY ELECT TO PROVIDE FOR RESERVE ACCOUNTS PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 720.303(6), FLORIDA STATUTES, UPON THE APPROVAL OF NOT LESS THAN A MAJORITY OF THE TOTAL VOTING INTERESTS OF THE ASSOCIATION.
(d) An association shall be deemed to have provided for reserve accounts when reserve accounts have been initially established by the developer or when the membership of the association affirmatively elects to provide for reserves. If reserve accounts are not initially provided for by the developer, the membership of the association may elect to do so upon the affirmative approval of not less than a majority of the total voting interests of the association. Such approval may be attained by vote of the members at a duly called meeting of the membership or upon a written consent executed by not less than a majority of the total voting interests in the community. The approval action of the membership shall state that reserve accounts shall be provided for in the budget and designate the components for which the reserve accounts are to be established. Upon approval by the membership, the board of directors shall provide for the required reserve accounts for inclusion in the budget in the next fiscal year following the approval and in each year thereafter. Once established as provided in this subsection, the reserve accounts shall be funded or maintained or shall have their funding waived in the manner provided in paragraph (f).
(e) The amount to be reserved in any account established shall be computed by means of a formula that is based upon estimated remaining useful life and estimated replacement cost or deferred maintenance expense of each reserve item. The association may adjust replacement reserve assessments annually to take into account any changes in estimates of cost or useful life of a reserve item.
(f) Once a reserve account or reserve accounts are established, the membership of the association, upon a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present, may provide for no reserves or less reserves than required by this section. If a meeting of the unit owners has been called to determine whether to waive or reduce the funding of reserves and no such result is achieved or a quorum is not present, the reserves as included in the budget shall go into effect. After the turnover, the developer may vote its voting interest to waive or reduce the funding of reserves. Any vote taken pursuant to this subsection to waive or reduce reserves shall be applicable only to one budget year.
(g) Funding formulas for reserves authorized by this section shall be based on either a separate analysis of each of the required assets or a pooled analysis of two or more of the required assets.
1. If the association maintains separate reserve accounts for each of the required assets, the amount of the contribution to each reserve account shall be the sum of the following two calculations:
a. The total amount necessary, if any, to bring a negative component balance to zero.
b. The total estimated deferred maintenance expense or estimated replacement cost of the reserve component less the estimated balance of the reserve component as of the beginning of the period for which the budget will be in effect. The remainder, if greater than zero, shall be divided by the estimated remaining useful life of the component.
The formula may be adjusted each year for changes in estimates and deferred maintenance performed during the year and may include factors such as inflation and earnings on invested funds.
2. If the association maintains a pooled account of two or more of the required reserve assets, the amount of the contribution to the pooled reserve account as disclosed on the proposed budget shall not be less than that required to ensure that the balance on hand at the beginning of the period for which the budget will go into effect plus the projected annual cash inflows over the remaining estimated useful life of all of the assets that make up the reserve pool are equal to or greater than the projected annual cash outflows over the remaining estimated useful lives of all of the assets that make up the reserve pool, based on the current reserve analysis. The projected annual cash inflows may include estimated earnings from investment of principal. The reserve funding formula shall not include any type of balloon payments.
(h) Reserve funds and any interest accruing thereon shall remain in the reserve account or accounts and shall be used only for authorized reserve expenditures unless their use for other purposes is approved in advance by a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Prior to turnover of control of an association by a developer to parcel owners, the developer-controlled association shall not vote to use reserves for purposes other than those for which they were intended without the approval of a majority of all nondeveloper voting interests voting in person or by limited proxy at a duly called meeting of the association.
