A board member uses the association's debit card to fill up a gas tank on the way to a vendor meeting. Another board member receives a monthly stipend for "administrative duties." Both situations happen more often than they should. Florida law treats the first one as theft and the second as a statutory violation.
The compensation ban: F.S. 720.303(12)
An officer, director, or member of a committee of an association may not receive any salary or compensation from the association for the performance of his or her duties as an officer, director, or committee member.
That is a flat prohibition. No salary, no stipend, no honorarium, no gift card. The statute does allow narrow exceptions: directors may be reimbursed for actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the association, and compensation may be authorized if explicitly permitted by the governing documents or approved by a vote of the membership. But the default is zero.
The debit card prohibition: F.S. 720.303(13)
An officer, director, employee, or agent of the association may not use a debit card issued in the name of the association. The use of a debit card issued in the name of the association for any expense not authorized by the board is considered theft.
This provision is absolute. It does not say "unauthorized use is discouraged." It says unauthorized use is theft. The statute does not distinguish between a $12 lunch and a $1,200 purchase. If the association's name is on the card, no individual may use it for expenses the board has not specifically authorized.
What this means in practice
The compensation ban exists because board service in a homeowner association is a volunteer role. The legislature drew a clear line: you serve for the benefit of the community, not for personal income. When a board tries to compensate its members without governing document authority or a membership vote, the payments are improper regardless of how the board characterizes them.
The debit card prohibition is the legislature's response to a real pattern of abuse. Association bank accounts with active debit cards create an open channel for unauthorized spending. The statute closes that channel entirely. Associations that need to make purchases should use checks with dual-signature requirements, corporate credit cards with board-approved spending policies, or direct vendor payments from the operating account.
The word "theft" in the statute is not rhetorical. It aligns the conduct with the criminal code. A board member who uses the association debit card for personal expenses, or even for association expenses that the board never approved, is exposed to both civil liability and criminal prosecution.
Common failure modes
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"We voted to pay our treasurer." A board vote is not enough. Unless the governing documents authorize compensation or the membership votes to approve it, the payment violates the statute. Board self-authorization does not satisfy 720.303(12).
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"It was for association business." The debit card prohibition applies even if the expense was legitimate. The issue is the payment method. A director who buys supplies for the clubhouse with the association debit card has used a prohibited instrument, regardless of the purpose. The correct process is reimbursement from the operating account after board approval.
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"We didn't know we had a debit card." Banks sometimes issue debit cards automatically with new business checking accounts. The board should confirm with its financial institution that no debit card has been issued, or if one exists, that it has been deactivated and destroyed.
Bottom line
Serve without pay unless your documents say otherwise. Never issue or use a debit card in the association's name. These are two of the cleanest lines in Chapter 720, and crossing either one creates personal liability for the board member involved.