VP candidate violations

Angel,
I am not a lawyer and you should never take Legal advice from a free site.

I will state that if I were you I would Tell the Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth. You also can only talk about things that were discussed in Open Meetings or seen in plain site. Permits are Public documents so that should be an easy one. Who would want a Board member that lives out of the country?

Over 10 years ago I went after the Board President of my old Ca. Board. He was breaking many of his Fiduciary Duties and I caught him on several occasions selling things to the HOA not needed because no one else was watching. He claimed to replace old cameras when in fact he was moving the bad camera around saying another one just went out. He was caught Red Handed.

I sent letters to every homeowner and detailed every issue that I had proof of and dared him to challenge me. He knew he was guilty and tried to survive the evidence but was not reelected in 2 of the next 3 elections. He disappeared and the HOA survived.

I think some members might be more inclined to vote for this VP candidate because they hate city permitting requirements. They hope that, if he wins a seat on the board, he will look the other way at any misbehaving they themselves do? Barring more details, I do not think this one is worth publicizing to the membership.

His living outside of the country speaks for itself. Then again, if apathy is a problem where you are, lots of members may be happy they do not have to serve on the board.

How does anyone's failure to obtain city permits affect the HOA? I suppose it could, depending on the governing documents, but the thing to do is to report the permit violations to the city, making the complaint as a private citizen. How do you know what they did was illegal? Were they charged and convicted by a court of law?

There are no residency requirements in Florida and an HOA cannot impose their own. A member who lives in Antarctica is within his rights to run for and serve on the Board of Directors.

I also don't understand how he can be running "for the VP position". Directors are usually elected at-large and it's up to the board itself to then elect the Officers from their own numbers.

I was elected on a regular election by owners. I am on a unique situation in which we have a hotel/condo deal.
Well, the former VP is a real state agent and allowed this potential VP to violate many bylaws items such;
Any given owner can only purchase or owned a maximum of 4 units. The VP allowed him8 units. All 8 units remodeling or reconstruction went down without the association authorization. He should have pay a fee to the association and also the city for the permit. If something happened after the remodeling then a big mess will take place, like plumbing or any electrical work that could go wrong and affect other units.
Between both of them were renting units without filing paperwork to anyone bypassing taxes and hotel fees. Total corruption.
Do you have the picture now?

I would be very careful about discussing this person's allegedly illegal activities unless you have solid proof and are prepared for possible blow back. You would be publicly accusing him, and the burden would be on you to prove your accusations if he were to hire a lawyer and sue you. You may be successful, but do you want to be sidetracked by this at this time?

On the other hand, living outside the community is not a crime but it is a legitimate reason that members may choose not to vote for him. Residents are much more aware of what's going on, and you could make a good argument that they have a greater stake in things being done properly since it affects their daily lives. And double check your governing docs, as George suggests, to make sure of any qualifications such as residency that are required to serve on the board. If your governing docs can defeat the guy before he starts, all the better.