Standard democratic principles should be conducted at all Board of Directors Meetings.

With every Board meeting, parliamentary procedures shall be practice by all members. Without them, two things would most likely happen. The Board will make up and manipulate procedures as they go, which would cause confusion and lost of members. Or, the board doesn’t know or use parliamentary procedures at all. Without written procedures, the Board could lose members’ rights altogether.

This is why most community documents include Parliamentary Rules. See example condominium bylaws:

Robert’s Rules Of Order (latest edition) shall govern the conduct of the Association’s meetings when not in conflict with the Act, the Declaration, the Articles, or these Bylaws.

And see example homeowner bylaws:

The then latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of meetings of all Members of the Association and the Board; provided, however, if such rules of order are in conflict with any of the Documents, Robert’s Rules of Order shall yield to the provision of the documents.

Decisions to be made shall be conducted in an orderly manner. Therefore, parliamentary procedures must govern the conduct and practices of association meetings. This will ensure that all interested individual members are allowed to participate and be heard. If the procedures conducted properly, the result would be a fair and balanced meeting. The rights of members would be protected and everyone would have the right to present, speak to and vote on agenda items.

Every association should have the latest addition of Roberts Rule of Order. All Board members should read the book and understand procedures. The Roberts Rule of Order should only be use as a guide and not as a final decision. Furthermore, only rules, which do not conflict with the bylaws, shall be used. The bylaws will take precedence over Roberts Rule of Order. Since there are no parliamentary procedures written in the Florida Statute, the association’s documents will take priority. Always check applicable documents for reference to the Roberts Rule of Order and the latest addition.

If not stated in the governing documents, adoption of the latest addition of the Roberts Rule of Order are highly recommended. Establishing parliamentary procedures can ensure peace and harmony within the community.