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The Unit
operates pursuant to the By-laws and Regulations of
the League and District 9.
OBJECTIVES OF THE UNIT
The objectives of the Unit are:
A. To preserve and promote the best interests of and to stimulate interest
in duplicate contract bridge.
B. To cooperate with and assist the League in the promotion and conduct of
duplicate bridge tournaments.
C. To encourage the highest standards of conduct and ethics by its members
and to enforce such standards.
D. To promote the development and organization of affiliated clubs within
the Unit.
E. To cooperate with the League's charity program and to sponsor and
conduct charity events with the object of realizing funds to be devoted to
worthy humanitarian causes.
F. To conduct such other activities as may be in keeping with its
principal objectives.
ARTICLE I - UNIT JURISDICTION
The jurisdiction of the Unit shall encompass the geographical area which
is presently or may in the future be assigned to it by the Board of
Directors and the League.
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
A. Any person of good character and residing within the geographical
boundaries of the Unit, subject to District 9 regulations, is eligible for
membership, and no person shall be denied membership because of race,
color, creed, religion, gender, age or national origin.
B. Such person shall become and remain a member of the Unit unless:
(1) He changes his residence to a place outside the jurisdiction of the
Unit.
(2) He has failed to pay his dues, or is exempt from payment of dues in
accordance with regulations of the American Contract Bridge League.
(3) He has been suspended or expelled from membership in accordance with
regulations established by the League and the Board of Directors of the
Unit; provided however, that such regulations shall conform to the rules
of due process applicable to membership corporations, and that such
regulations established by the Board of Directors of the Unit shall not be
in conflict with the regulations of the League.
C. Membership in this Unit carries with it membership in the ACBL.
ARTICLE III - DUES
A. Annual dues shall be in the amount fixed by the League; these dues are
payable in advance on or before January 1st of each year. If dues are not
paid by January 1st, or if the payment of dues is not excused by the
League, the membership becomes delinquent.
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
A. There shall be an annual meeting of the members.
B. The Unit Board of Directors shall fix the time and place of the annual
meeting and shall give appropriate notice by mail, or by timely
publication and/or timely notification.
C. Special meetings of the members may be called at any time to consider
specific subject matters by the Unit Board of Directors or by the
President, or by petition of 100 members. Notice of time and place of any
special meeting shall be given by mail or by timely publication and/or
timely notification at least 10 days before such meeting. The notice of
any special meeting shall contain an agenda of the matters to be taken up
at such meeting. No other business shall be acted upon at such special
meeting.
D. A quorum for the transaction of business at the annual meeting shall
consist of 50 members exclusive of the Board of Directors.
E. No proxies shall be permitted.
ARTICLE V - UNIT BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A. Numbers of Directors (ammended 02/05/2017)
The affairs of the Unit shall be managed and conducted by the Unit Board
of Directors which shall consist of nine (9) (ammended 2/2/20 to be
effective 1/1/2021) 11 active persons, all of whom must be
members of the Unit. (effective 01/01/2018)
B. Term of Office
An annual election will be held during the last quarter of the year and
the Directors elected will take office at the annual membership meeting.
Each Director elected will hold office for a period of three years.
(amended 02/27/2011)
C. Nomination and Election of Directors (amended 02/27/2011)
A Nominating Committee shall be formed by the Unit Board of
Directors. All Unit board members and anyone nominated must
currently be in good standing with the ACBL.
D. Vacancies
Any vacancy on the Unit Board of Directors shall be filled by the Board of
Directors from the list of alternates submitted by the Nominating
Committee for the most recent past election and the persons so appointed
shall hold office for the balance of the unexpired term.
E. Meetings
The Unit Board of Directors shall hold a minimum of one (1) (ammended
2/5/2023) 2 meetings a year, one
of which shall be designated the annual membership meeting, either
electronically or in person (ammended 2/5/2023), Subsequent
regular meetings thereafter shall be held pursuant to regulations
established by the Board of Directors, on appropriate notice.
F. Quorum
A quorum of the Board of Directors for the transaction of business shall
consist of not less than a majority of the Board.
G. Powers and Duties
In addition to the powers herein granted by other provisions hereof, and
by the laws of the State of Florida, the Unit Board of Directors shall
have powers and duties including but not limited to:
(1) The conduct, management, supervision and control of the business of
the Unit.
(2) Conduct of Unit tournaments.
(3) The employment and discharging of employees, and the supervision of
their conduct and fixing of their compensation.
(4) Contracts of employment of no more than one year.
H. Board Membership
The Unit Board of Directors shall be the sole judge of its members.
ARTICLE VI - UNIT OFFICERS
A. Number
The officers of the Unit shall consist of a President, a Vice President,
and a Secretary/Treasurer.
B. Election of Unit Officers (amended 12/23/07)
The Unit Board of Directors shall elect all officers at its first meeting
of the new term. The President and officers may serve one (1) year
consecutive terms if re-elected by 2/3 vote of new board each year.
Elections may be held electronically (ammended
02/05/2023)
C. Vacancies
Vacancies due to death, resignation or other cause shall be filled by the
Unit Board of Directors.
D. Duties
The duties of the officers shall be those outlined in the Unit by-laws and
Regulations, and such others as may be assigned by the Unit Board of
Directors.
Duties of Officers
(1) The President shall preside at all meetings of the Unit Board of
Directors and at all general meetings of the Unit membership and shall
appoint all committees except where the By-laws specify otherwise. The
President shall exercise general supervision over the activities of the
Unit and perform such other duties as are incidental to his office, or
which may be conferred on him by the Unit Board. The President is a member
ex officio of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
(2) The Vice President shall in the absence or incapacity of the President
assume his duties. He shall perform such other duties as the President or
the Unit Board may prescribe.
(3) The Secretary shall maintain a roster of Unit members, send
notification of meetings to members and Directors; keep records of all
tournaments and other activities of the Unit; complete and file all Unit
reports required by the League; receive and file the reports of all
officers and committees; maintain membership records and collect annual
dues; and shall perform all duties as may be incidental to the office. The
Board may delegate any of the Secretary's duties to other employees or
appointees.
(4) The Treasurer shall have custody of and shall be responsible for all
funds, securities and property of the Unit and shall deposit such funds in
the bank or banks as the Unit Board designates; make payment of Unit
obligations as directed by the Board; keep accurate records and make
financial reports as directed by the Board. The Treasurer shall be bonded
at Unit expense, conditioned upon the faithful performance of his duties,
and for the return to the Unit, in the event of his death, resignation,
retirement or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money
and all other property in his possession or under his control. Only one
(1) signature on bank checks is required. (amended
2/13/2022) All checks
of the Unit shall be signed by the Treasurer and shall be co-signed by
another officer as designated by the Board of Directors. All expenditures
in excess of Five Hundred ($500.00) Dollars shall be approved by the
Board.
(5) Electronic voting is approved. (added 2/13/2022)
ARTICLE VII - REMOVAL OF OFFICER OR DIRECTOR
Any officer or director may be removed for cause by a vote of two-thirds
(2/3) of the Directors attending any meeting of the UNIT Board of
Directors. Any officer or director against whom removal is sought shall be
notified in writing, by certified mail, of the charges against him, at
least ten (10) days prior to the meeting and shall be given an opportunity
to be heard before the Unit Board of Directors and to be represented by
counsel of his own choosing. Absence from three consecutive meetings or
from more than one-half of all scheduled meetings may be cause for removal
of a Director.
ARTICLE VIII - COMMITTEES
The President shall appoint such committees as may be necessary to perform
the functions of the organization. The following standing committees shall
be filled by the President with the assistance and approval of the Unit
Board of Directors.
STANDING COMMITTEES
(1) Tournament Committee
The tournament Committee shall be comprised of three (3) members of the
Board and shall plan, arrange and exercise general supervision over
tournaments conducted or sponsored by the Unit in all areas where
responsibility is not retained by the League or District 9. The sites of
tournaments and contracts and expenditures of more than Five Hundred
($500.00) Dollars must be approved by the Board, and all contracts must be
signed in behalf of the Unit by all members of the Committee.
(2) Conduct and Ethics Committee
To receive and investigate any complaint or charge against any member
involving conduct or ethics at any tournament, and to report its findings
and recommendations to the Board for action.
(3) Membership Committee
To stimulate interest in activities among new members, to encourage
membership renewals and strive to increase membership.
(4) Publicity Committee
To publicize Unit tournament activities and to increase public awareness
of the League and its social contributions.
(5) Editorial Committee
To publish and distribute the official publication of the Unit presently
known as "the Gold Coast Topics".
(6) Auditing and Finance Committee
To monitor the receipts and disbursements of the Unit. It is empowered to
demand and receive detailed records of all sources of income and of all
disbursements. It shall cause the annual review of the financial books and
records of the Unit by a certified public accountant.
(7) Nominating Committee (amended 04/30/2017)
(a) On or before September 1st of every third year, beginning
with the year 2017, the President shall appoint seven (7)
persons (three Board members and four non-board members) who are
in good standing with the ACBL. This Committee will be charged
with nominating at least eleven (11) and not exceeding sixteen (16) candidates for
the eleven (11) vacancies on the Board. The Committee shall
present a written report of the nominations to the
President on or before September 15. After the voting
has taken place, the ballots will be counted by November
30 with the current president present at the time of
count. Anyone whose name appears on the ballot cannot be
involved in the counting.
(b) Additional nominations may be made by petition signed by 50 members in
good standing, together with the ACBL player number and the address of
each person signing the petition. Such petitions must be delivered to the
Nominating Committee prior to August 15th so the nominees may be included
on the ballot.
(c) Contested Election Procedure
1) The election of Directors shall be conducted by written ballot. The
ballot form shall be included in the Sunshine Bridge News which shall be
mailed to all Unit members in good standing. Ballot forms shall be
available at all affiliated clubs within the Unit.
2) The election will be held during the last quarter of every third year.
(ammended 02/27/2011)
Absentee ballots shall be returned in a double envelope; the member
casting the vote shall sign the outer envelope and shall set forth his
ACBL player number and residence address under his signature. The inner
envelope shall have no identifying mark as to who cast the vote.
3) A member who states that he has received no ballot, or that it has been
lost, misplaced or destroyed shall be given another ballot.
4) All ballots must be received at least one (1) week prior to the annual
membership meeting or by such other date as shall be set by the Board and
published in the Sunshine Bridge News.
5) Any ballot with a selection of more than eleven (11)
and fewer than four (4) will be null and void. (ammended
04/30/2017)
6) All ballots shall be held for 30 days in case a recount is required.
ARTICLE IX - AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS
Amendments to the By-laws may be proposed by:
A. the members of the Unit by petition signed by at least 200 members and
received by the Secretary of the Unit at least 30 days prior to the annual
meeting or any special meeting called for that purpose; or
B. by at least 6 members of the Unit Board of Directors.
The Secretary shall incorporate a description of the proposed amendment in
the notice of the meeting and the full text of all amendments shall be
made available to all members. The affirmative vote of two-thirds of all
members present at the meeting and voting shall be required to pass any
amendment.
ARTICLE X - PROCEDURE
A. Order of Business
The order of business at all meetings of the Unit shall be as follows:
1) Reading of the minutes
2) Communications and Correspondence
3) Reports of Officers
4) Reports of Committees
5) Unfinished Business
6) New Business
Any question as to the order of business shall be decided by the President
without debate. The order of business may be altered or suspended at any
meeting by a majority vote of the members present.
B. Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall be accepted as the governing
authority for this Unit in all matters not specifically covered by the
by-laws and the League's Handbook of Rules and Regulations.
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