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Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida 

Constitution

February 7, 2008

 

Article 1 

This Association shall be known as the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida and shall include, but not be limited to, the following counties: Glades, Hendry, Charlotte, Lee and Collier.

 

Article 2 

The purpose and functions of this association shall be:

 

            A.   The promotion and furtherance of modern and up-to-date beekeeping.

 

            B.   To act in the interests of beekeepers in protecting and conducting beekeeping affairs.

 

C.      To act as an instrument for, and an aid in cooperative and mutual beekeeping

       methods.

 

D.   To act as a representative of the Southwest Florida Beekeepers in both State and

                   National beekeeping and legislative matters.

 

Article 3

 

Section 1.         There shall be four classes of membership in the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida: Active, Associate, Honorary, and Life.

 

            Associate Membership:

 

Associate members may be individual or family, who have an interest in beekeeping, but have no hives or do not participate in beekeeping activities, but who pay dues to the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida for a one-year term.  Associate membership shall entitle the member(s) to regular announcements, newsletters, and all other activities sponsored by the organization, although Associate members shall have no voting privileges.

 

            Active Membership:

 

Active membership in the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida shall include beekeepers who keep bees as a hobby or as a commercial enterprise, pollinators, and suppliers of bees and beekeeping equipment. Active members may be individual or family owning one or more hives, paying annual dues to the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida as well as dues to the Florida State Beekeepers Association. Active membership shall entitle the member(s) to regular announcements, newsletters, and all other activities sponsored by the organization.  Active members shall have all voting privileges.

 

            Honorary Membership:

 

Honorary member nominees shall be presented along with their qualifications for consideration to the organization at any regular business meeting, and then voted on by the membership present at the following business meeting.  Election shall require a favorable vote by seventy-five percent (75%) of the active members present.

 

            Life Membership:

 

A.        Any active member or anyone eligible for active membership may become a life member of the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida by donating one 10-frame colony of bees to the association’s apiary, subject to inspection and acceptance by the Apiary Committee, containing the following:

 

                                    • One (1) bottom board or equivalent

                                    • One (1) cover

                                    • One (1) queen excluder

• Three (3) deep hive bodies, or one (1) deep hive body and three (3)

   6 5/8" modified supers

                                    • Ten (10) good frames and combs for each super above

 

B.         In lieu of the above items, life membership may be obtained by donating beekeeping equipment or supplies or cash of equal current market value with the approval of the Apiary Committee.

 

C.        Life membership is individual.  A single life membership does not cover husband and wife.

 

Section 2.         Membership year shall be from January 1 to December 31 each year.

 

 

Section 3.         By vote of seventy-five percent (75%) of the active membership present an individual’s membership may be revoked for cause, provided he/she shall be heard and allowed the opportunity to correct the cause.

 

Section 4.         A member whose membership has been revoked may apply for new membership after sixty days.

 

Article 4

 

Section 1.         The officers of this organization shall be active members in good standing, and shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

 

Section 2.         The Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida shall elect officers for their organization, as well as their representatives to the Board of Managers of the Florida State Beekeepers Association at the September meeting.  Newly elected officers will begin their duties October 1.

 

Section 3.         Officers shall be elected each year to serve for one (1) year, or until relieved.  Elections shall be separate for each office and shall be by secret ballot.

 

Section 4.         A President shall not be elected to more than two (2) successive terms of office. The maximum term shall be a total of two (2) years.

 

Section 5.         Any vacancy of an office shall be filled by election, with such election to take place at the first regular monthly meeting following such vacancy.

 

Section 6.         The officers of this organization and the representative to the Board of Managers of the Florida State Beekeepers Association shall constitute an Executive Committee.

 

Section 7.         The duties of the President shall be to conduct meetings, direct business of the organization, and call special meetings when necessary.

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Section 8.         The Vice President shall assume duties of the President in his/her absence and serve at his/her pleasure.  The Vice President shall also serve as chairperson of the Apiary Committee and assume duties of the Treasurer when needed.

 

Section 9.         The Secretary shall keep a record of the meetings, send notices of meetings, keep a record of all membership, collect dues, and furnish the President a roll of members in good standing.

 

Section 10.       The Treasurer shall be the keeper of the funds and records pertaining thereto and see that old records are properly stored with the Librarian.  If deemed advisable by the association, the Treasurer may be required to give Bond in such amount as the officers deem proper.  The organization will stand the expense.

 

Article 5

 

The Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida shall meet monthly on a fixed day of a fixed week.

 

Article 6

 

This association shall operate one or more apiaries under the control of the appointed Apiary Committee.  The net earnings of said apiary or apiaries shall go to the association treasury.

 

Article 7

 

A.        A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present shall be required to add to or remove from this Constitution.

2. Any proposed changes to this Constitution must be presented at a meeting and voted on at a subsequent meeting.

 

C.  The Secretary must notify the membership of any proposed changes to this Constitution, as well as the time and place such changes will be voted upon.

 

Article 8

 

Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the authority on questions of parliamentary procedure.

 

Article 9

 

Section 1.         The President shall present a budget to the membership at the January regular meeting for approval by two-thirds (2/3) of the members present.  The budget shall be in effect for the calendar year.

 

Section 2.         The President shall appoint a budget committee with himself/herself as chair to prepare the budget.  Each committee chairperson shall present budget requirements to the Budget Committee by the December meeting.

 

Section 3.         Any financial expenditure in excess of $500.00, not expressed in the budget, must be proposed at a meeting and voted on at a subsequent meeting.  The Secretary must notify the membership in the monthly newsletter of the proposed expenditure.  The only exception to this requirement is a situation that does not permit a month’s wait, and may be bypassed with approval of two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present.

 

Section 4.         With the approval of the officers, the President may authorize an expenditure of finances that is not in the budget if and only if he/she judges that extraordinary circumstances dictate an inability to wait for the membership meeting.

 

Article 10

 

This writing of the Constitution of the Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida shall supercede and replace all other past and undated Constitutions and Bylaws.