President’s Message

Over the years, since the inception of the Republican Club of Solivita, aka RCS, in 2004, the club has continued to grow.  In fact, the Republican Club of Solivita is the largest Republican Club in the State of Florida. That is an honor in which each and every member of our Club should be extremely proud. 

An election was held in January, 2021.  The current RCS board of officers and directors is as follows:

Pat Schmid – President

Bill Diercksen – Vice-President

Carol Rimdzius – Treasurer

John Townsend – Secretary

Glenn Larson – Webmaster Secretary

Jim Guth – Director (1 Year)

Michelle Weisinger – Director (1 Year)

George Tabak – Director (1 Year)

Bill Land – Director (2 Years)

Bill Murphy – Director (2 Years)

Chuck McGuirk – Director (2 Years)

With so many benefits associated with joining the Republican Club of Solivita, members take great pride in working with our Club, as well as on the election of Republican Candidates.  All this, while enjoying the benefits of meeting and associating with other Republicans who also have like interests and concerns, for our Solivita community, as well as our country.

I am asking you to become an active member, and to volunteer on the local level, as well as volunteering on County, State & National levels in the future.  As quickly as the year is passing, the year 2022 will be upon us.

Please encourage your friends to join the Republican Club of Solivita for only $15.00 per person annually.  An additional advantage to joining RCS is the cost savings for dinners.  Non-members pay $5.00 more per dinner event, thus making it a savings of at least $25.00 per year (based on 5 dinner meetings per year).

Should you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns, please call me at 407-255-3300.  I will enjoy speaking with you!

Pat Schmid

President

A new draft constitution and bylaws will be voted on at the May 19th Dinner Meeting. They are included below for review.

Proposed Constitution:

REPUBLICAN CLUB OF SOLIVITA
CLUB CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE 1 – NAME

The name of the club shall be the Republican Club of Solivita, hereinafter referred to as the Club.

ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Club shall be:

• To attract members into, and involve them in, the Republican Party and subsequently provide them with a practical means of Republican Party participation, leadership training and political involvement at all levels of government.
• To support the principles, objectives and platform of the Republican Party and to help secure the election of all duly nominated Republican candidates in the general election and registered Republicans in non-partisan elections.

ARTICLE III – MEMBERS

Section 1. Membership

The Club shall recognize the following two classes of membership.

• Active – Any registered Republican voter who resides within the boundaries of Solivita (Precincts 411 and 420).
• Associate – Any non-Republican resident of Solivita within the boundaries of Precincts 411 or 420 or invited registered Republican from another precinct or county.

Section 2. Dues

The annual dues shall be set by the Executive Board and dues notices shall be sent to the members in November each year.  At the Board’s discretion, dues may be reduced by half for new members joining after June 30. Dues paid in November or December will be applied to the following year.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS

Section 1. Qualifications

The officers of the Club shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Communication Manager, and Treasurer.  Officers must be members of Active membership classification in good standing with the club with at least two years of membership in good standing. The Club will hold annual elections in the month of January. Officers will be elected to a two-year term with the offices of President and Vice-President will be elected in odd numbered years. Offices of Secretary, Treasurer, and Communication Manager will be elected in even numbered years.

Assistants to the Secretary, Communication Manager and Treasurer may be appointed by the President, to serve terms concurrent with these offices, provided the persons appointed are members in the Active membership classification and in good standing with the club.

Section 2.  Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of the officers shall be:

• The President shall preside over all meetings of the Club and its Executive Board and exercise general supervision over all activities of the Club. The President shall have the power to appoint all committee chairpersons. The President will appoint an Assistant Treasurer. The president may appoint an Assistant Secretary and a Webmaster.
• The Vice President shall assist the President in supervising the activities of the Club and preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.
• The Secretary shall be the recording officer of the Club, including meetings of the Club and Executive Board, and shall keep a record of the minutes of such meetings, making those minutes available to the general membership.
• The Communication Manager shall maintain the club presence on the internet, engage on social media, and send email blasts to members as directed by the President.
• The Treasurer shall collect all funds paid to the Club or any of its committees, receipt thereof and deposit same in accounts designated by the club. The Treasurer shall be responsible for making all expenditures authorized by the Club. The Treasurer shall give a report at each Executive Board meeting of the Club’s financial status and a report to the general membership at the January annual meeting. The Assistant Treasurer will assist with the collection of all funds paid to the Club at meetings and give financial reports when the treasurer is not available.
• Expenditures greater than $300 shall be approved in advance by a majority of the Executive Board.
• Two signatures will be required on each check.
• Annual aggregate expenditure limits for candidates and other political activity are set by Florida Statue, IRS rules, FEC regulations. The club will not violate these limits.

Section 3. Vacancies

All vacancies of offices shall be filled by majority vote at the next regular meeting of the Club. Notice of the vacancy and intent to have an election shall be sent to the membership within five (5) days of the vacancy becoming known. In the event the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President shall temporarily assume the office of President until a new President is elected at the next regular meeting.

Section 4. Digital Rights/Access

All digital rights are retained by the Club.  No single individual will have sole access to any digital account in the Club’s name. These include, but are not limited to:

• Financial accounts
• Mass email accounts
• Club web page(s)

• Domain registration
• WordPress Account
• Web page dashboard
  • All social media accounts.

The Communication Manager or other person assigned by the President will maintain a current list of all account sign-ins, passwords, PINs, verification questions and answers, etc. for all accounts.  Persons making any changes to these shall notify the Secretary and the President of these changes within 24 hours.

ARTICLE V –MEETINGS

Section 1.  Regular Meetings

The regular meetings of the Club shall be held at the date, time and location specified as determined by a majority vote of the Executive Board. The Club shall hold a minimum of six regular meetings each year unless this requirement is waived by the Board.

Section 2.  Annual Meeting

The regular meeting held during the month of January shall be known as the Annual Meeting of the Club and shall be for, but not limited to, the election of officers and the Executive Board, terms of which will be specified in the By-Laws.

Section 3.  Special Meeting

Special meetings may be called by the President or by the Executive Board, or by written request of ten members of the Club. At least ten days’ notice must be given, and the purpose of the special meeting must be stated in the notice.

Section 4.  Voting

Only members of Active classification shall be allowed to vote in meetings of the club. Pursuant to the Republican Party of Florida Rules of Procedure, proxy voting shall not be allowed in any meeting of the club.

Section 5.  Quorum

Twenty percent (20%) of the Club’s current membership classified as Active shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VI – EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1.  Composition

The club-elected officers of the Club and six club-elected board members shall constitute the voting members of the Executive Board.  All members of the Executive Board shall be Active members with a minimum of two years as club members.  The quorum for Executive Board meetings is 40%. The immediate past President shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Board.  The past President is not part of the Executive Board quorum.

Appointees of the President which may include the Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer, Webmaster, Chairs of standing committees, sub-committees and ad-hoc committees are members of Executive Board.  They shall have voice, but no vote in the proceedings. The President may, at his/her sole discretion, adjourn any meeting of the RCS Executive Board into executive session limited only to voting members, in accordance with practices and procedures of the Republican Party of Florida State Executive Committee.

Section 2.  Responsibilities

The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Club between regular meetings of the Club and fix the time and place for meetings of the Board. The Board shall be subject to the by-laws and orders of the Club, and none of its acts shall conflict with action taken by the club.

ARTICLE VII – STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1.  Finance Committee

A Finance Committee composed of the Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer (if appointed) and one other member shall be appointed by the President promptly after each annual meeting. It shall be the duty of this committee to prepare a budget for the club.

Section 2.  Programs and Projects Committee

A Program and Projects Committee of members shall be appointed by the President promptly after the annual meeting, whose duty it shall be to plan the programs and any special projects of the club.

Section 3.  Auditing Committee

An Auditing Committee of three members shall be appointed by the President at the annual meeting whose duty it shall be to audit the Treasurer’s account at the close of the fiscal year and to report at the next regular meeting following the annual meeting.

Section 4.  Scholarship Committee

A scholarship committee of at least three members shall be appointed by the President.  The committee is responsible for establishing selection criteria and adjudicating applicants for a scholarship to be awarded annually. Scholarship funding is to be tracked by the Treasurer by ledger entry method or by separate account.

Section 5.  Other Committees

Such other committees, standing or special, shall be appointed by the President as deemed necessary to carry on the functions of the Club. The committee chairpersons of all standing committees shall be appointed from among the members of the Executive Board. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Section 6.  Committee Chairmanship

All committees shall be chaired by a member of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII – ENDORSEMENTS & INTRA-PARTY DIFFERENCES

Pursuant to the Republican Party of Florida Rules of Procedure, no chartered club or organization using the name Republican shall participate in intra-party differences. Nor shall it, as an organization, seek to influence the nomination or election of any Republican over another Republican unless the County Executive Committee has endorsed one Republican over another. Then the Club may seek to influence the election of the candidate endorsed by the County Executive Committee. Chartered clubs shall not entertain motions to adopt platform positions on issues or endorse candidates except that they may entertain such motions to take the same position or endorse the same candidate as the County Executive Committee has taken. Under no circumstances shall a chartered club invite a non-Republican to be a guest speaker at a club meeting or function without prior approval of the County Republican Executive Board. The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida shall be the authority with respect to internal disputes referred to by any Club or member of a Club chartered under this rule.

ARTICLE IX – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in “Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised” shall govern the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-laws, the Republican Party of Florida Constitution, the Republican Party of Florida Rule Procedure, and any special rules of order the club may adopt.

ARTICLE X – CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

The Club may approve By-Laws as appropriate for the local conditions.

The Constitution and By-Laws will be submitted to the Club membership for approval at the Annual Meeting in odd numbered years.

The Constitution and By-Laws of the Club may be amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a two-thirds vote, provided that the proposed amendment, approved by the executive board, has been submitted in writing at the previous meeting, distributed by email to the general membership, and/or is made available for viewing by the membership on the Republican Club of Solivita website.

Proposed By-Laws: 

REPUBLICAN CLUB OF SOLIVITA

BY-LAWS

As Adopted by the Republican Club of Solivita on _______, 2021

1. The Republican Club of Solivita (RCS), shall meet six (6) times annually. Every effort will be made to have at least one meeting scheduled in each quarter.

2. All officers are elected to two-year terms, staggered to enhance continuity and experience. President and Vice President are elected in January of odd numbered years. Secretary, Communication Manager, and Treasurer are elected in January of even numbered years.

3. The Executive Board will include six Board Members. Board Members will be elected to two-year terms at the Annual meeting.  Terms will be staggered, similar to Officers. Seats 1, 3, and 5 will be elected in odd numbered years, Seats 2, 4, and 6 will be elected in even numbered years.

4. Chairs of standing committees, sub-committees and ad-hoc committees are members of Executive Board. They shall have voice, but no vote in the proceedings. The President may, at his/her sole discretion, adjourn any meeting of the RCS Executive Board into executive session limited only to voting members, in accordance with practices and procedures of the Republican Party of Florida State Executive Committee.

5. All Notices may be delivered via e-mail to an address provided by each member.

6. Meeting of the RCS Executive Board may be held in any manner to allow participation by all members, including, but not limited to, conference calls and web meetings. The President may poll members of the RCS Executive Board via email or phone, provided reasonable time is equally given to each voting member to respond.

7. Annual elections may be held by mail, if, in the judgement of the Executive Board, the Club size is incompatible with voting in person. Should this be done, a method should be implemented to ensure that membership of the voter is current for the voting year.

8. Dues of the Club, if any, are set by the Executive Board in November of the preceding year and noticed to the membership by December 1 of the preceding year.

9. The Communication Manager or other person assigned by the President will maintain a current list of all account sign-ins, passwords, PINs, verification questions and answers, etc. for all accounts. Persons making any changes to these shall notify the Secretary and the President of these changes within 24 hours.

10. The Club shall make no endorsement, in action or appearance, in any political race, partisan or non-partisan, where more than one Republican is entered. The Club may forward, with an appropriate disclaimer, any political advertisement or notice requested by a candidate or campaign, subject to approval of the President.