If you own a unit in a Florida condominium, you have a statutory right to see how your association is run and where the money goes. It is one of the most useful tools an owner has, and one that associations sometimes hope you will not use.
What you can access
Florida Statutes §718.111(12) defines the association's "official records" and your right to inspect them. That generally includes the budget and financial reports, the declaration and bylaws, insurance policies, contracts, and meeting minutes. A limited set of items, such as certain personnel records and attorney-client-privileged material, is excepted.
How to make a request
Put it in writing. The association must make the records available for inspection (and copying) within a set number of working days of receiving the request, reported as 10, at a reasonable time and place. You can ask by category ("any and all budgets and reserve studies for the last three years"), which puts the burden of completeness on them.
If they refuse or stall
Failure to provide access carries penalties. Reported figures are roughly $50 per day for up to 10 days, plus recovery of attorney's fees, and willful destruction of records can be a criminal matter. Confirm the current figures, but the law is on the owner's side here.
Practical advice: request in writing and keep a copy, be specific, and if you are ignored, escalate to the Division of Condominiums or an attorney. A records request that goes unanswered is itself evidence of a problem.