Florida Condo Boards Approving EV Chargers Need Contracts That Define Who Owns and Repairs Them

Key Largo, FL, Oct. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fourteen percent of EV owners reported visiting a public charger in the first half of 2025 without successfully charging, and 60% of those failed visits traced to a charger that was out of service or not working properly, according to J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study.¹ Wallace Energy, an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) provider licensed in more than 40 states and a turnkey developer of commercial EV charging in Florida, has answered the questions condominium and homeowners association (HOA) boards ask before approving EV chargers: who owns the equipment, who bills residents, who maintains it, and what the board is voting on. 

“I recently visited an HOA that doesn’t own its chargers. The contract locks them in, and the chargers don’t work. If you own the equipment, you get to decide who fixes it,” said Bobby Wallace, Chief Executive Officer of Wallace Energy.

Question: Should a Miami condo association own its EV chargers or host chargers owned by a charging company?

Answer: It depends on how much control the board wants over revenue and repairs. When the association owns the chargers, it holds the equipment, sets the rates residents and guests pay, and keeps the session revenue. It also carries maintenance and payment processing costs. Under a host agreement, a charging company, known in the industry as a charge point operator, owns and maintains the chargers. The agreement sets pricing, the association’s share of revenue, repair response, and the length of the term. Neither model removes the need for an operator. Wallace Energy builds chargers the association owns and then runs them under a managed operations agreement, so the board keeps ownership, pricing, and revenue while billing and monitoring sit with Wallace Energy. Under either model, the clause that matters most is who is obligated to restore a charger that stops working and what happens at the end of the term.

Question: Does our condo association have to bill residents and process payments itself?

Answer: Not if an operator runs the chargers. Wallace Energy handles the project from site evaluation through long-term operations, so the association signs one contract rather than coordinating an electrician, a hardware vendor, a payment platform, and a maintenance contractor. Horizon, Wallace Energy's charger management platform, manages rate setting, payments, resident accounts, and guest access. Residents pay by tap-to-pay or through the app, so the board sets the rate without processing payments itself.

Question: Can a Miami condo association switch EV charging companies for the chargers it already has?

Answer: Yes, within the terms of its current agreement. The term and exit provisions set what the board can change and when, so association counsel reviews the agreement before any proposal is priced. Chargers the association owns can often move to a new platform. Horizon is hardware-agnostic and works with chargers that support the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), so a compatible charger already in the garage can be migrated in about 30 minutes with no new hardware. A site evaluation confirms whether each unit qualifies. If the units qualify, the board approves rates and an operations agreement. If they do not, the evaluation prices new hardware before the vote.

Question: Who repairs a broken EV charger in a Miami condo garage?

Answer: Florida’s Condominium Act makes the association responsible for maintaining the common elements,² so the contract should state who repairs any charger installed there. The hardware warranty covers parts only. Under a host agreement, the charging company repairs the charger on the response terms the agreement sets. Under a managed operations agreement, Wallace Energy monitors charger status, runs remote diagnostics, dispatches field service, and operates a toll-free support line for drivers and site hosts. AI self-repair resolves up to 70% of faults without a field visit,³ which shortens the time a charger sits out of service. Under a hardware-only purchase, the association handles fault response and driver support itself. Property managers should confirm who residents contact when a charger fails on a weekend evening.

"Owning the chargers or hosting someone else's can both work. What I'd want any board to know before they vote is who's on the hook to get a dead charger working again, and how fast. Get that in writing," Wallace said. 

Question: Will our condo garage’s electrical service support EV chargers?

Answer: Often, yes, depending on how the available power is shared. Horizon distributes that power across the EV charging ports and adjusts charging schedules, which can let resident vehicles that arrive in the same evening window finish charging without a service upgrade. The site evaluation answers it for a specific garage: existing service capacity, panel location, conduit routing, and the make-ready scope, meaning the wiring and panel work that prepares spaces for future chargers. A board can also build the make-ready scope for future expansion while installing only the ports current demand supports.

Question: How should a condo board set the resident EV charging rate?

Answer: Start with what the rate has to cover. Priced at cost, chargers are a resident amenity. Priced above cost, they can cover broader operating expenses or become a revenue line for the association. Either way, the rate calculation should include software and maintenance. Once rates are live, Horizon's dashboards show revenue, energy consumption, utilization, and charger status in real time, so the board can see what the decision produced and change the rate later. Residents should see the rate before construction starts.

Question: What should a Florida condo board's EV charging proposal cover before the vote?

Answer: The proposal should identify charger placement, resident and guest rates, maintenance responsibilities, and the ownership and funding path. Funding can come from reserves or a utility program. The association can also host equipment a charging company owns under a revenue-share or lease arrangement that requires no capital from the association. Association counsel should confirm the applicable approval and funding requirements, which differ between condominium associations and HOAs. Florida's condominium statute separately addresses owner-funded charger installations within a unit owner's limited common element or exclusively designated parking area. 

As of October 2026, Florida ranks third in the country for public charging ports.⁴ In Miami, residents park overnight in condominium garages, which makes those garages a practical place to charge. Whether the chargers stay in service depends on the contract the board approves before installation begins. Boards evaluating new chargers, or billing on chargers they already have, can request a site evaluation from Wallace Energy.

Sources:
¹J.D. Power, 2025 U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study, August 2025.
²Florida Statutes § 718.113(1) (2025), The Florida Senate.
³Wallace Energy platform operating data, 2026.
⁴U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, Alternative Fueling Station Counts by State, October 2026.

About Wallace Energy

Wallace Energy is a turnkey commercial solar and EV charging developer founded in 2020. We manage site evaluation, engineering, permitting, utility coordination, construction, software, and long-term operations under one roof, giving property owners a single accountable partner for energy infrastructure projects. Our leadership team has collectively delivered more than 8,000 solar projects nationwide, and our in-house EV charging software provides transparent access to charger performance, driver data, revenue, and site operations. Wallace Energy makes energy infrastructure simple, competitive, and built for long-term value.

Ujala Qazi
Zen Media
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