# Pembroke Pines ESA Rules: Community Boards & Fees

> Pembroke Pines is 30.4% renters, many inside associations. How Fla. Stat. § 760.27 binds a board as well as a landlord, and where Broward tenants complain.

- Source: https://supportanimal.com/blog/florida-emotional-support-animal/pembroke-pines/
- Publisher: Support Animal (supportanimal.com)
- Updated: 2026-07-28
- License note: informational content; not legal or medical advice.

## Key facts

- Population: 179,326
- Households renting: 30.4%
- Typical pet deposit (as a pet): $0 for a documented ESA under § 760.27(2); ordinary pet deposits follow the § 83.49 return and claim-notice deadlines
- Typical pet rent (as a pet): $0 for a documented ESA; association animal assessments and landlord pet rent are equally barred for the animal
- Breed/weight limits common: yes
- Pet fees, deposits, and breed limits with a valid ESA letter: none (FHA reasonable accommodation)

## A Suburb Where Two Rulebooks Apply

Pembroke Pines counted roughly 179,326 residents in the 2024 Census Bureau
estimate. About 30.4% of its households rent — slightly under Florida's
32.4% statewide share — which works out to some 20,000 renter households.

A suburban rental in Broward County usually sits inside a community with
recorded governing documents, so the tenant deals with a lease on one side
and a set of community rules on the other. Animal restrictions typically
live in the second document, which is exactly why tenants assume there is
nothing to argue about.

There is. Florida's ESA statute is written around what an entity does rather
than what it is called: a housing provider under § 760.27(1)(b) is any
person or entity whose conduct is covered by the federal Fair Housing Act or
by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, with owners and lessors
named as examples. A board applying occupancy rules to residents is acting
in that capacity.

## Old Rules Still Bend

The most common objection is that the community's animal restriction is
older than the tenancy and binds everyone equally. Florida's Fair Housing
Act answers that in § 760.23(9)(b), which makes a refusal to make reasonable
accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services discriminatory
where the accommodation may be necessary to afford a person with a
disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

Uniform application is what a policy does; bending for a disability-related
need is what the statute requires. Nothing in the analysis turns on when the
document was recorded.

## Nobody Gets to Charge

Section 760.27(2) says the person allowed to keep the animal as a reasonable
accommodation may not be required to pay extra compensation for it. Because
the definition of provider covers both the landlord and the association, the
prohibition covers both invoices — an animal assessment from the community
is no more collectible than pet rent from the owner.

Damage is treated separately, and later. Under § 760.27(4) the tenant is
liable for damage the animal does to the premises or to another person on
the premises. For deposits generally, § 83.49 controls the calendar: money
back within 15 days of the rental agreement's termination absent a claim,
written notice within 30 days where there is one, and 15 days from receipt
for the tenant to object in writing.

## Submitting to Two Decision-Makers

In practice, a Pembroke Pines tenant is best served by sending the same
written request to the landlord and the association at once. Both may ask
the same limited set of questions, and neither can add to it.

Where the disability is not readily apparent, § 760.27(2)(b) allows a
request for reliable supporting information, and the same four categories
bind each of them. A government agency's determination of disability is one.
Disability benefits or services the tenant collects is another. Proof that a
disability opened the door to housing assistance is a third. The fourth is a
health care practitioner's information, telehealth included, where the
person supplying it knows the disability personally and is acting within the
scope of practice. Section 760.27(2)(e) allows a demand for proof that the
animal complies with state and local licensing and vaccination rules.

Two ceilings apply to both parties. A provider may not ask for the
diagnosis, the severity of the condition, or medical records, under
§ 760.27(3)(a). And under § 760.27(3)(b) it may not insist on a particular
form or a notarized statement, nor refuse the request merely because the
tenant did not use its preferred channel.

## Breed Rules and the One Lawful Refusal

Community documents in this part of Broward County often list restricted
breeds or set a weight ceiling. Those are policies of the kind § 760.23(9)(b)
addresses, and they do not survive contact with a valid accommodation
request on their own terms.

The refusal that does hold up appears in § 760.27(2)(a). It requires a
direct threat coming from the animal — to the health or safety of others, or
of physical damage to property belonging to others — and it requires that no
other reasonable accommodation be capable of reducing or eliminating that
threat. Two elements have to be met
— a threat traceable to the individual animal, and the absence of a lesser
step that would fix it.

## Pools, Clubhouses, and Where the Right Stops

Approval covers the dwelling. It does not convert an emotional support
animal into a service animal for the community's shared spaces or anywhere
else. Section 413.08 reserves the service-animal label for dogs and for
miniature horses, and only where the animal is trained to do work or perform
tasks; emotional support is excluded as a qualifying function. Section
760.27(5) states the ESA statute does not apply to a service animal defined
by that section.

Access to a clubhouse or pool deck with an animal is therefore governed by
the community's ordinary rules rather than by § 760.27, unless a separate
accommodation is requested and granted for that purpose.

## Documentation Worth Submitting

Section 760.27(2)(b)4. is the provision that decides many suburban requests.
Information from a practitioner licensed outside Florida counts only where
that practitioner has provided in-person care or services to the tenant on
at least one occasion. Households that moved from another state and kept
their previous clinician should check that history before relying on it.

Telehealth as a modality is expressly accepted. What fails is the
combination of an out-of-state license and a relationship conducted entirely
at a distance.

Anything marketed as certification is beside the point: § 760.27(3)(c)
provides that an ESA registration of any kind — identification card, patch,
certificate, or similar registration obtained from the Internet — is not by
itself sufficient to establish either a disability or a disability-related
need. Section 817.265 attaches a criminal penalty to the fraudulent version:
knowingly supplying false ESA documentation is a second-degree misdemeanor,
and a conviction adds 30 hours of community service within six months.

## When the Request Covers Two Animals

Where a household needs two emotional support animals, § 760.27(2)(d) gives
the provider a defined tool: it may request information about the specific
need for each animal rather than treating the pair as a single request.

Each animal then stands or falls on its own supporting information and its
own conduct. A community rule capping animals per household is, again, a
policy of the kind that has to bend where an accommodation may be necessary,
and the direct-threat test remains the only route to a lawful refusal for
either animal.

## Complaints in Broward County

Two venues are open. Broward County runs a Human Rights Section handling
discrimination matters within the county, which keeps the process local. The
state venue is the Florida Commission on Human Relations, and under § 760.34
a complaint there has to be filed within one year of the alleged
discriminatory housing practice.

Legal Aid Service of Broward County provides free civil legal help to
residents who qualify, and Disability Rights Florida is the statewide
advocacy organization for people with disabilities. Either can help a tenant
judge whether a refusal is worth pursuing.

Where two providers are involved, keep the record for each separate — what
was asked, by whom, and when each said no. A board that defers a decision
indefinitely is producing a record too. Our guide to [what a landlord can and cannot do](/blog/articles/can-landlord-deny-emotional-support-animal/) explains
how denials get judged, and the [Florida ESA law overview](/blog/florida-emotional-support-animal/) covers the
statewide rules.

## What Pembroke Pines landlords can and cannot do

**Cannot:**
- Cannot require extra compensation for an emotional support animal, which takes pet rent, pet deposits, and pet fees off the table under § 760.27(2)
- Cannot request information that discloses the diagnosis or the severity of the tenant's disability, or any medical records
- Cannot require a specific form or a notarized statement, or deny a request solely because the tenant did not use the provider's routine method
- Cannot refuse the request merely because the property advertises a no-pets policy, since the request is judged under the reasonable-accommodation standard in § 760.23(9)(b)

**Can:**
- May request reliable information supporting the disability when the disability is not readily apparent, including a government disability determination, proof of disability benefits, or information from a licensed practitioner
- May treat an out-of-state practitioner's information as unreliable unless that practitioner has provided in-person care or services to the tenant on at least one occasion
- May ask for information about the specific need for each animal when a tenant requests more than one emotional support animal
- May require proof of compliance with state and local licensing and vaccination requirements for the animal
- May deny the accommodation on a direct-threat finding — the animal endangering the health or safety of other people, or threatening physical damage to what belongs to them — where no other accommodation can reduce or eliminate the threat
- May hold the tenant liable for damage the animal does to the premises or to another person on the premises

## How to get an ESA letter in Pembroke Pines

1. **Check that you qualify** — Answer a short screening about how your condition affects daily life in Pembroke Pines. No diagnosis paperwork needed up front. (About 5 minutes — free)
2. **Connect with a licensed professional** — You are matched with a provider licensed for Florida clients who reviews your situation in a telehealth evaluation. (Telehealth evaluation)
3. **Complete your evaluation** — The professional evaluates whether an emotional support animal alleviates symptoms of a condition recognized in the DSM-5. Honest evaluations — not everyone qualifies. (95% of applicants qualify)
4. **Receive your signed letter** — Your letter arrives on the professional's letterhead with their license number — the documentation Florida landlords may lawfully request. (Typically within days of approval)
5. **Send it to your landlord** — Submit the letter with a short reasonable-accommodation request. Pet fees, pet deposits, and breed limits no longer apply to your animal in Pembroke Pines. (Protection under FHA + state law)

## Conditions that can qualify for an ESA

No fixed government list exists. A licensed professional evaluates whether an animal alleviates symptoms of a DSM-5-recognized condition, commonly:

- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Major depressive disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Panic disorder
- Social anxiety disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Phobias with housing impact
- Chronic stress affecting daily function

## Housing help in Pembroke Pines

- [Legal Aid Service of Broward County](https://browardlegalaid.org/) (legal aid)
- [Broward County Human Rights Section](https://www.broward.org/HumanRights/Pages/Default.aspx) (government)
- [Florida Commission on Human Relations — housing complaints](https://fchr.myflorida.com/housing-complaint) (government)
- [Disability Rights Florida](https://disabilityrightsflorida.org/) (advocacy)

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a Pembroke Pines HOA charge for my emotional support animal?

No. Section 760.27(2) bars requiring extra compensation for the animal from a person allowed to keep it as a reasonable accommodation, and the definition of housing provider in § 760.27(1)(b) is broad enough to include an association acting in that role. Damage the animal causes remains the tenant's responsibility under § 760.27(4).

### Do I need approval from both my landlord and the community?

In practice a tenant often submits the request to both, and both are bound by the same rules. Each may ask for reliable supporting information under § 760.27(2)(b) where the disability is not readily apparent, and neither may require a specific form or notarized statement under § 760.27(3)(b) or ask for a diagnosis under § 760.27(3)(a).

### How long does a Broward County renter have to complain?

Section 760.34 gives one year from the alleged discriminatory housing practice for a complaint to the Florida Commission on Human Relations. Broward County also operates a Human Rights Section that handles discrimination matters within the county, which gives Pembroke Pines tenants a local venue alongside the state one.

### Can a community limit which breeds are allowed for an ESA?

A breed restriction is a policy, and under § 760.23(9)(b) leaving a rule, policy, practice, or service unadjusted is a discriminatory housing practice wherever the adjustment may be necessary for equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. The only refusal ground is the direct-threat standard in § 760.27(2)(a), which turns on the individual animal.

### What documentation should I have ready before applying?

Information from a practitioner with personal knowledge of the disability who is acting within the scope of practice is the usual route under § 760.27(2)(b). If the practitioner is licensed in another state, § 760.27(2)(b)4. requires that they have provided in-person care or services at least once. Licensing and vaccination records are separately requestable under § 760.27(2)(e).

### Can my landlord ask how severe my condition is?

No. Section 760.27(3)(a) forbids requesting information that discloses the diagnosis or the severity of a disability, or any medical records relating to it. The permitted inquiry is about the existence of a disability and the disability-related need for the animal, not about the underlying condition's details.

### Is an ESA allowed at the community pool or clubhouse?

The accommodation covers the dwelling. Section 413.08 reserves the service-animal label for dogs and miniature horses with training to do work or perform tasks, and emotional support is excluded as a qualifying function; § 760.27(5) states the ESA statute does not apply to service animals. Shared-amenity access is governed by the community's own rules rather than by § 760.27.

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Get evaluated by a licensed provider: https://my.supportanimal.com/qualify?sa_source=blog&sa_medium=referral&sa_campaign=esa-guides&sa_content=markdown&ref=blog&sa_term=florida-emotional-support-animal%2Fpembroke-pines