Master Association vs. Condo Association Fees in Miami Branded Residences

In a Miami branded residence, the condominium assessment governed by Florida Statutes Chapter 718 may be only one of the charges an owner pays. Some projects add a master association, a club or shared facilities. Whether a master association falls under Chapter 718 or Chapter 720 depends on who its members are.

This guide explains that structure from the statute text, read on the Florida Legislature's site on October 23, 2026, and from the official association and developer pages cited with this post. It does not publish fee amounts. Miami Condo HQ has no live Miami MLS feed and does not quote Miami dues or prices; the branded towers we track are grouped at /branded-residences.

Two chapters, two kinds of association

Section 718.103(3) defines a condominium association broadly. It is the entity that operates the common elements, and also any entity that operates or maintains other real property in which unit owners have use rights, where membership is composed exclusively of unit owners or their elected or appointed representatives and is a required condition of unit ownership.

Chapter 720 covers homeowners' associations. Section 720.301(9) defines one as a Florida corporation operating a community, in which membership is a mandatory condition of parcel ownership and which can impose assessments that may become a lien. The same section counts a unit among the things that can be a parcel, and says a member may include an association representing parcel owners. Section 720.302(4) then says Chapter 720 does not apply to any association subject to regulation under Chapter 718.

Read together, the definitions give a working test rather than a verdict. A master association whose members are exclusively condominium unit owners, or their representatives, fits Chapter 718's wider definition. One whose membership reaches beyond unit owners may instead be a Chapter 720 homeowners' association. The answer decides which budget, records and disclosure rules apply, so take it from the recorded documents and a Florida attorney, not from a brochure.

Where branded projects add charges beyond the condominium

A branded tower can share its site with property that is not part of the condominium. Section 718.103(26) calls a condominium containing both commercial and residential units a mixed-use condominium, and section 720.302(3)(b) says Chapter 720 does not apply to the commercial or industrial parcels in a community that mixes them with residential parcels.

Two official legal pages show what this looks like. The Aston Martin Residences legal page says the condominium, while primarily residential, contains limited commercial units, and that the adjacent marina is not part of the condominium: a private party is intended to own or operate it, and any use rights are at that party's sole discretion. The Cipriani Residences Miami legal page says restaurants and other businesses are expected to operate from commercial components offered for sale to third parties, and that access may be restricted or may require access fees or club fees.

Neither page is a fee schedule, and neither says the project has a master association. They show that the residential assessment may not cover everything an owner uses next door. The profiles are at /buildings/aston-martin-residences and /buildings/cipriani-residences-miami.

What master associations look like in Miami

The clearest local examples are not branded. The Brickell Key Master Association's website describes the island as a mixed-use community with 11 condominium buildings and nearly 3,000 condominium units, alongside the Courvoisier Centre offices, shops, a marketplace and the Mandarin Oriental hotel, and says each condominium has its own private amenities. Buildings it lists include Carbonell, at /buildings/carbonell-condominium, and Brickell Key Two, at /buildings/brickell-key-ii.

On the bay side of South Beach, the Mirador Master Association says it is made up of one representative from each sub-association and is not involved in running the individual associations. It owns the gym at 1000 West Avenue, which a private entity operates, and the parking facility at 1125 West Avenue, which it operates itself. An owner at /buildings/mirador-1125 therefore deals with a tower budget and a separate body that owns the garage at the same address. Our guide at /blog/portofino-tower-miami-beach-condo-association-guide covers a third example, the Portofino South Pointe Master Association.

Where each layer appears in a developer's offering

For new construction, section 718.504 sets what the prospectus must say. Its Frequently Asked Questions and Answers page must state whether owners or the association must pay rent or land use fees for recreational or other commonly used facilities, whether the condominium is created within a portion of a building or a multiple parcel building, and whether membership in a recreational facilities association is mandatory, with the fees charged per unit type.

Section 718.504(7) requires a description of facilities shared with other condominiums, community associations or planned developments whose costs owners pay directly or indirectly, including who will own each one. Section 718.504(8) requires conspicuous statements when there is a recreation lease or club membership, and when anyone other than the association holds a lien right for those payments. Section 718.504(21) requires the estimated budget to show what the association collects and, separately, what each owner pays to persons or entities other than the association.

Then read section 718.503(1)(c) closely. Changes in the budgets of any master association, recreation association or club are not considered amendments that modify the offering, so the figure for those entities is an estimate, not a commitment.

If the master body is a Chapter 720 association, section 720.303(6)(a) requires its budget to set out separately all fees it pays for recreational amenities, whoever owns them, and section 720.308(1) requires the governing documents of a community created after October 1, 1995 to specify each member's proportional share of expenses. Chapter 720's disclosure summary in section 720.401 does not apply when disclosure is made under Chapter 718, so expect that information in the Chapter 718 disclosures instead.

The estoppel certificate names every association

At resale, the most reliable list is the estoppel certificate. Section 718.116(8) requires a condominium association to issue one within 10 business days of a written or electronic request from the owner, a mortgagee or their designee, and the statutory form asks for a list of, and contact information for, all other associations of which the unit is a member. Section 720.30851 sets the same deadline and asks the same question of a homeowners' association. Request a certificate from each association listed, and ask whether its charges are billed through the condominium or separately.

Questions buyers ask about master association fees in Miami branded residences

Checking a specific building

Start with the legal names: /condo-associations lets you look up Miami-Dade condominium associations, and /blog/reading-a-miami-condo-budget-where-dues-go walks through one association's budget. If a shared facility needs major work, /blog/florida-condo-special-assessments-miami covers how assessments are approved, and /blog/branded-residence-vs-hotel-condo-miami explains how branded ownership differs from a hotel-condo.

Miami Condo HQ is published by Eltherion, LLC, a research publisher, not a brokerage. Have a Florida real estate attorney review the declaration, any master or shared-facilities documents and the estoppel certificates before relying on a monthly figure.