(adopted 9/82; amended 7/88, 7/89, 9/89, 1/91)
Chapter 1: General Powers
1.01 Creation and purpose.—The Dog Island Conservation District was created by Special Act of the Legislature of the State of Florida in Chapter 75-374, laws of Florida, as amended. The express purpose of this legislation was to have the district guide and accomplish the coordinated, balanced, and harmonious development of Dog Island in Franklin County in accordance with existing and future needs, to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the area and its inhabitants, visitors, and property owners, to establish, maintain, and preserve aesthetic values and preserve and foster the development and display of attractiveness, and to prevent congestion and the destruction of natural beauty.
(amended 9/89)
1.02 District board. The governing body of the district shall be the Dog Island Conservation Board consisting of five directors. The directors shall serve terms of two years with no more than three terms ending in any one year. Each director shall be a citizen of the United States and the owner of fee simple title to real estate located in the district.
1.03 Authority of board. The Dog Island Conservation Board is authorized to exercise all powers granted to it by Chapter 75-374, Laws of Florida, as amended, in accordance with the general law of the state.
Chapter 2: Officers
2.01 Officers. The officers of the board shall be a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, and a Secretary-Treasurer. Each officer shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of one year and shall serve until the successor shall be elected and qualified, or until sooner removed by a two-thirds vote of the board at a duly held meeting.
(amended 9/89)
2.02 The Chairman. The chairman shall be the chief executive officer of the Dog Island Conservation District. The chairman shall preside at all meetings, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the district, shall make reports to the board and voters of the district, shall execute all instruments in the name of the board, and inscribe the seal where necessary or required, and shall perform all other duties as are incident to that office or properly required by the board.
(amended 9/89)
2.03 The Vice Chairman. The Vice Chairman shall exercise all of the functions of the Chairman at the written direction of the Chairman or where the Chairman is absent, disqualified, or disabled.
2.04 The Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall collect, have custody of, and disburse all funds of the district as authorized by board action. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements and shall have custody of all financial records. At the annual meeting of the board the Secretary-Treasurer shall submit a report covering the fiscal condition of the district during and at the end of the year and make recommendations as to fiscal policy for the ensuing year.
(amended 7/89)
2.05 Compensation of Officers. The officers and members of the board shall serve without compensation. By authorization of the board, however, they may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred while engaged in the performance of their duties. Travel expenses to regular and special meetings of the district shall not be reimbursed.
2.06 Records. The chairman shall ensure that proper records are kept of all board meetings and that minutes thereof are recorded and preserved. A tape recording of all regular meetings and of all special and emergency meetings when possible shall be made. The chairman shall provide for the care and custody of all district records, shall ensure that all records are kept in a safe place, and upon leaving office, shall turn over all records in his or her possession to the succeeding chairman.
(created 9/89)
Chapter 3 Meetings of the Board
3.01 Regular meetings. Four regular meetings of the board shall be held each year on the first Saturday in January, April, and July, and the Saturday preceding the Labor Day holiday, on Dog Island. All regular and special meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts’ Rules of Order (as revised). The Chairman may fix a different date and location for the January, April, or July meeting so long as 14 days notice is provided to board members and the public. If the Chairman and two additional board members determine that the January, April, or July meeting is unnecessary, the Chairman shall ensure that a statement of waiver is posted 14 days in advance in a public place on Dog Island and the remaining members of the board are promptly notified.
(amended 9/89)
3.02 Special meetings. Special meetings of the board may be called by the chairman, or by three or more members of the board, at any time and may be held at any place in the State of Florida. Notice to all board members and the public of any such special meeting shall be given at least 14 days in advance, unless a bona fide emergency situation exists, in which case a meeting to deal with the emergency may be held as necessary, with reasonable notice, so long as it is subsequently ratified by the board.
3.03 Quorum. A quorum at any meeting of the board shall consist of a majority of the board. A majority of such quorum present and voting shall decide any question that may come before the meeting.
3.04 Notice to property owners. The board shall attempt to give individual notice of regular meetings to Dog Island property owners by letter addressed to the last known address of the property owner. Such letter shall include a preliminary agenda reflecting the items anticipated to be addressed at such meeting.
3.05 Annual meeting. The Labor Day weekend meeting shall be deemed the annual meeting of the board. At such time officers for the ensuing year shall be elected.
(amended 9/89)
3.06 Open Meetings. All regular and special meetings of the board shall be open to Dog Island property owners and members of the public.
Chapter 4: Funds
4.01 Fiscal year. The fiscal year of the board shall be the same as that of the County Commission of Franklin County, Florida.
4.02 Budget approval. The budget for the district shall be prepared, advertised, and approved in accordance with the requirements of state law.
(ammended 9/89)
4.03 Receipt and custody of funds. All funds of the board shall be received, held, and secured like other public funds. The funds of the district shall be maintained under a separate account.
4.04 Expenditure of funds. All funds disbursed shall be by requisition or check signed by the Chairman or Vice Chairman and countersigned by the Secretary-Treasurer. Such expenditures may be disbursed upon specific board authorization or upon receipt of an invoice for services provided to the district if such services and expense are authorized in the formally adopted annual budget.
(amended 7/88, 7/89)
4.05 External audit. The board shall annually secure the services of an independent certified public accountant who has no personal interest in its fiscal affairs, direct or indirect, to perform an external audit. A copy of this audit shall be filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Franklin County within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year.
Chapter 5: Election Procedures
5.01 Eligibility to vote. All freeholders of property or full-time residents shall be eligible to vote in district elections. A person holding an interest in title to real property located within the district pursuant to a recorded contract for deed which requires such person to pay the ad valorem taxes on the property shall be deemed to hold a fee simple interest for the purposes of voting; however, in no case shall there be more than two freeholders from a single lot or contiguous unit of property. In the event of ownership by tenants in common, time-sharing, or other arrangements with multiple ownership, the individuals of such groups may designate up to two persons to be voters in district elections. A corporation or other nonperson legal entity shall not be eligible to vote either in its own name or through an officer or agent. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary in this section, individuals eligible to vote as of the date of the adoption of this section shall remain eligible to vote in all district elections so long as they retain the freehold which established such eligibility
5.02 Board member candidates. Prior to the filling of a board seat, a nominating committee consisting of three property owners shall be established by the chairman for the purpose of nominating a qualified candidate for each seat on the board up for election. The nominating committee shall submit the list of nominees to the board by the April regular meeting. These nominees shall then be made known by mail to district property owners. Any property owner may submit another name into nomination by presenting a petition signed by ten or more property owners supporting such nomination to the board chairman by June 1 .
5.03 Election procedures. All elections shall be by mail ballot. The board, at its September regular meeting, shall appoint a person who is not a member of the board to serve as Election Supervisor for a 1-year term; the Election Supervisor may be reappointed to subsequent terms. The time and location of the counting of the ballots shall be made known to all voters and such counting shall be open to the public. Elections shall be by plurality of votes cast.
(amended 1/91)
5.04 Election timelines. The following timeline shall be used for the election of board members, although the board may set reasonable alternative days upon due notice to the public and for special elections:
- April 1 shall be the final date for determining voter eligibility.
- July 1 shall be the date on which election ballots are mailed to voters of the district.
- August 15 shall be the final date that return ballots shall be postmarked or stamped as received by hand delivery to be valid for the election.
- New board members shall be seated at the end of the old business portion of the annual meeting. (amended 9/89)
5.05 Board vacancy. In the event of the disqualification or resignation of a board member, a new member shall be promptly appointed upon a majority vote of the remaining board memsbers to serve the remainder of the term
(amended 9/89)
5.06 Millage referendum. Any referendum to modify the millage levied by the district shall be held in accordance with Chapter 75-374, Laws of Florida, as amended, at such a time as will conform to the requirements of state law relating to the setting of millage rates and adoption of budgets.
Chapter 6: Bylaws
6.01 Amendment of bylaws. The board may adopt, amend, or abolish these bylaws at a regular meeting consistent with the procedural requirements of its own bylaws and the laws of the State of Florida. All bylaws adopted must conform to the authority of the board as set forth in its enabling legislation. Action shall be by majority vote if the proposed amendment has been presented at a prior regular meeting or by a two-thirds majority if not so previously presented.
6.02 Availability of bylaws. Any property owner shall be provided a copy of these bylaws without charge upon request. The Chairman shall be responsible for ensuring that a copy of these bylaws is present at any regular or special meeting of the board.