Archived Files

By Laws of Friends of the Carlton

ARTICLE I Name and Purpose of Organization 

By vote of the founding members, the name of this Organization shall be The Friends of the Carlton Reserve, FCR. (Established as a chapter of The Friends of Sarasota County Parks, an entirely nonprofit organization for the support of the Park and Natural lands owned or operated by Sarasota County.)

Vision Statement 

To support The T. Mabry Carlton Memorial Reserve and any additional Sarasota County parks or lands selected by this organization, under the direction of the appointed lands manager. This support shall be in the form of, but limited to, financial contributions, volunteer work, Grant writing, and public information.

ARTICLE II Statement of Goals *  

1. Establish and maintain strong political connections to defeat adverse legislation, and introduce and promote measures to benefit aquatic and terrestrial natural resources within Sarasota County. 

2. Raise funds to aid in the development of buildings and structures, such as pavilions classrooms and interpretive centers in the parks.

3. Provide volunteers to assist in the maintenance and operation of parks and their programs.

4. Support Environmental Education through the parks educational and outreach programs.

5. Provide for advertising and promotion of the parks and their programs.

6. Promote cooperative and collaborative support among other individuals, groups, and agencies whose goals are Environmental Education, Nature Based Recreation, and the preservation of the ecological integrity of the T. Mabry Memorial Reserve and other Sarasota County lands.

7. Instill an ecological ethic within our community that will heighten awareness and appreciation of natural resources, and promote lifestyles conducive to their conservation and preservation. 

*An annual strategic plan will be developed based on our goals. 

ARTICLE III Membership Qualifications 

Any individual, whether property owner, resident, part-time resident or a transient visitor, concerned for the natural attributes of this area and interested in the stated goals of this organization, shall be eligible for active membership in FCR. 

ARTICLE IV Dues 

Annual dues shall be required of members, payable in February of each year at or before the Annual Meeting, in one of the membership categories set up by the FCR. The Officers of the FCR shall set the amount of dues. Dues shall be used for all FCR corporate purposes including operating expenses. 

ARTICLE V Officers  

As governing body of FCR there will be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, with each person having one vote. The officers will be elected through vote of the general membership for a term of one year. The number of terms that an officer may serve is not limited provided that the officer is nominated by the Nominating Committee and re-elected by the general membership. 

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 ARTICLE VI Elections 

a) A Nominating Committee appointed by the President sufficiently far advance, will prepare a slate of nominees for all Officers for presentation to the general membership at the January meeting each year. Further nominations may be made, if desire, from the floor by members in attendance at that meeting. The nominations will be voted on by all members present on simple majority vote basis. The newly elected slate of Officers will assume their duties immediately following election. 

ARTICLE VII By-Laws 

a) The officers of the Friends of the Carlton Reserve shall make, alter, or rescind, any or all of the By-laws of FCR by a 3/4 vote of that body.

b) All members of the FCR, upon joining this Organization, shall be provided with an up-to date copy of the organizational By-laws. 

ARTICLE VIII Duties of Officers

a) The President shall preside at all meetings of the General Membership and shall automatically be an ex officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.

b) The President shall also be the official spokesperson for FCR.

c) The Vice President shall assume all duties of the President’s Office during the President's absence. In the absence of the Vice President, the Secretary, or in his/her absence, the Treasurer, shall preside and perform the President's duties. 

d) No meeting of LBC shall be held without the attendance of at least one of the Officers of the organization, except as specified in ARTICLE IX (d). 

e) The Secretary shall be custodian of all records of FCR; shall conduct any required correspondence for this organization; shall give such notice as may be required by the elected Officers to members of either regular or special meetings and shall maintain a membership list. 

f) The Treasurer shall be custodian financial records of the FCR; shall receive and account for all monies paid to the organization as dues, gifts, contributions or otherwise; shall pay bills authorized by the President or Vice-President; shall present the Treasurer's report at each monthly Meeting. A checking and/or savings account will be set up through the parent organization (The Friends of Sarasota County Parks) and all deposits and disbursements shall be made to and from such accounts over the signature of the Treasurer in such manner as may be directed by the Board of Directors of the Parent Organization. In the absence, refusal or inability of the Treasurer to act, such other Officer as may be designated by the FCR officers shall be entitled to obtain possession of all funds and financial records of FCR and act for the Treasurer. 

g) The act of voting by Officers shall not be transferable, nor shall absentee voting be permitted, nor shall any Officer surrender his or her vote to a proxy designation. 

ARTICLE IX Meetings 

a) Regular and special meetings of the general membership of FCR shall be held at such times and places as may be from time to time determined by the Officers of the FCR. 

b) The Annual Meeting shall be held in February of each year for the election of Officers and the rendering of annual reports at such time and place, as the Officers shall designate. 

c) Meetings of the Officers shall be held at the discretion of the President, whose responsibility it will be to see that the Secretary provides adequate notification of time and place of such meetings to all Officers. 

 d) If no officers are present at a regularly scheduled General meeting an appointee or volunteer may conduct the meeting for discussion and informational purposes but no official business may be conducted.

e) The rules contained in Roberts' Rules of Order, latest revision, shall govern the meetings in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the By-Laws of FCR. 

ARTICLE X Committees 

a) The President shall appoint all committees required to transact FCR business, see ARTICLE VIII (a). The President may ask any member in good standing to serve on a committee when the special knowledge or capability of such person would serve to advance the purpose of FCR. 

b) Ad Hoc Committee -Any two Officers during the absence of the President may declare an emergency that is such to require action before a regular quorum could be reasonably assembled. Such Officers and four other members shall constitute a quorum. The minutes of such a committee shall contain a notation of the declaration and the fact that it is called pursuant to this rule authorizing a special quorum. 

ARTICLE XI Membership Application 

Individuals wishing to join FCR, see ARTICLE Ill, may apply for membership in the most convenient manner to the President or Secretary of this Organization. Upon payment of dues, see ARTICLE IV, they will be presented with a copy of the organizational By-Laws and become, thereupon, an active member in good standing. Application for membership can be made at any time. 

ARTICLE XII Rights of Members

Membership in FCR gives the member the right to vote on any issue before the general membership, but voting privileges shall not be transferable, nor shall absentee voting be permitted. Members may also, at any general meeting, make proposals and motions for consideration by the Organization, and such motions or proposals shall be acted upon at once or referred to the Governing Officers for study and recommendation for or against implementation. 

ARTICLE XIII Quorum 

 At least one Officer, and a minimum of 5 members or 2/3 the membership, whichever is the least, must be present at all meetings in order to constitute a quorum for purposes of transacting FOC business. 

ARTICLE XIV Suspension 

a) Any Officer having two consecutive unexcused absences from duly scheduled meetings can be removed from Office by a majority vote at any scheduled meeting of the FCR.

b) Any Officer whose behavior is deemed by unanimous vote of the remaining Officers to be detrimental to the goals or precepts of FCR may be suspended from office until the next general meeting. At that time, it shall be put to a vote of the general membership whether or not there shall be a removal from office. In such case, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote shall be required for dismissal. If such dismissal occurs, a special election will be held immediately to fill that seat for the remainder of the term. 

ARTICLE XV By-Laws Amendments 

a) Any member in good standing may submit a proposal or motion to amend the By-laws of FOC. The Governing Officers shall take up the proposal in the next regular or special meeting of officers. If a Three fourths (3/4) vote of the Officers, for the proposed, cannot be reached the proposal will fail. The decision will be reported at the next general membership meeting. 

b) The President shall periodically appoint a committee to review, amend and update the By-laws to be approved by the governing Officers, and a revised copy sent to all members upon renewal of their membership.