The name of the corporation shall be
the FLORIDA SPORTING CLAYS ASSOCIATION, INC. (hereinafter referred
to as FSCA) and is incorporated pursuant to the provisions of the
Florida Nonprofit Corporation Code.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of the FSCA shall be as
follows:
(a) The promotion and encouragement of
organized sporting clay shooting among residents of the state of
Florida; and to encourage residents of other states to shoot
Sporting Clays at Florida ranges/clubs.
(b) To increase among FSCA members the
knowledge of the safe handling and proper care of firearms, as well
as improved shotgun marksmanship.
(c) To forward the development of those
characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self-discipline, team
play, and self-reliance which are the essentials of good
sportsmanship and the foundation of true patriotism
(d) To assist Florida Sporting Clays
ranges in remaining financially healthy.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
The elected officers of the FSCA shall
be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICES
The principal office of the FSCA
shall be located at the office of the Secretary. Other offices
for the transaction of business shall be located at such places
as the Board of Directors designates.
ARTICLE V
DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS
President
The President shall preside at all
Board of Directors' meetings of the FSCA, and is empowered to
execute all contracts and legal instruments, and have general charge
and supervision of all the affairs of the FSCA and shall be a member
of all committees. If the President is unable to preside, the Vice
President shall preside in his/her place, and if both are unable to
preside, the Secretary shall preside over any said function. The
president shall publish at least four (4) newsletters a year. This
newsletter may be published electronically on the FSCA web site.
Vice President
The Vice President shall have the
responsibility for the general promotion of clay shooting. He/she
shall aid any new group in the organization of any clay-shooting
club under the auspices of the FSCA.
Secretary
The Secretary shall keep all minutes of
the FSCA meetings. He/she shall issue all notices, and shall perform
such other duties as the President or Board of Directors may
require.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be the custodian of
all monies, trophies, securities and vouchers of the FSCA and shall
preserve the receipts of all monies paid out. The Treasurer is
authorized to receive all funds due the FSCA and to place such funds
in any bank as authorized by the officer on the current Bank Deposit
Resolution form. Said bank must be convenient to the Treasurer's
place of business or residence. The Treasurer shall present a
detailed report of all monies received and distributed by the
Treasurer at the Annual General Membership Meeting (Article VII). A
summary report shall be made at any other meetings of the Board of
Directors The Treasurer shall furnish bond in the amount of $2,OOO,
at the discretion of the Board of Directors, the expense of which
shall be paid by the FSCA.
ARTICLE VI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors shall consist of
the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, three (3) range
owner/club representatives, three (3) at-large shooter
representatives, and one (1) Florida NSCA National Delegate. The
immediate past president shall also serve on the board as a
non-voting advisory member, and may be called upon to cast a
tiebreaker vote in a Board Meeting. In no case shall any person be
permitted to occupy more than a singe position on the Board of
Directors
The members of the Board of Directors
shall be determined in the following manner:
Officers - Elected by the general
membership at the annual January General Membership Meeting in even
numbered years. The terms of office of the Officers shall be two
years, and shall commence immediately following election.
The terms of all members of the FSCA
Board of Directors (except the officers) shall be two years
commencing at the Annual FSCA State Championship Meeting on even
numbered years.
Each range/club in good standing shall
appoint one (1) representative who will vote to elect three (3)
ranges or clubs to the FSCA Board. The Range or Club itself shall be
on the Board, and may at any time select the person who shall
represent the club. The representative need not be affiliated with
the club, but must be duly designated as representative in writing
by the club/range owner or manager or sporting clays director. Any
designated representative of a range or club must be a NSCA member,
and must have registered a minimum of 500 targets in the preceding
NSCA shoot year. The three (3) board members shall be determined by
majority vote of the ranges/clubs.
Membership At Large Directors: All
individual FSCA members in good standing will vote for three
representatives from the general membership of the FSCA to represent
the membership on the FSCA Board of Directors. Nominations may be
made in writing or electronically at any time up until the meeting,
and will be taken from the floor at the meeting. Nominees must
accept nomination, and indicate their willingness to participate in
the affairs of the FSCA Board. No Membership At Large director may
be affiliated as Owner, Manager, or full time employee of any range
or club, or with any industry that places him/her in a position of
dealing substantially with only one particular range or club. Any
person seeking a position on the Board of Directors as a Membership
at Large Director shall have registered a minimum of 1000 targets in
the preceding NSCA shoot year. The three nominees receiving the most
ballots shall be elected to the board.
NSCA Delegate: One of the NSCA
delegates elected by the general membership during the NSCA Delegate
Election. The delegate to serve on the FSCA Board of Directors shall
be selected by vote of the delegates.
The names of the members of the Board
of Directors, along with addresses and telephone numbers, will be
provided to the General Membership within thirty (30) days of
election either through direct mail or publication in any FSCA
newsletter, or the FSCA Internet Web Site for the purpose of making
all FSCA directors accessible to the membership body.
Each member of the Board of Directors
shall be entitled to one vote at all meetings of the FSCA Board of
Directors or any regularly scheduled or special meeting.
The Board of Directors shall have the
responsibility to receive written complaints or protests against the
conduct of any shooter or club which has openly violated the
guidelines outlined in the Constitution and By-laws of the FSCA,
included but not limited to un-sportsman like conduct or prejudicial
acts that are detrimental to the best interests of the FSCA. Upon
consideration of all facts, the FSCA Board may take action against
said shooter or club/range. The FSCA Board of Directors shall be
authorized to adopt sanctions or penalties on a case by case basis,
including but not limited to revocation of FSCA Membership,
cancellation of shoot dates, fines, and notification to the NSCA of
acts or actions and non-compliance with rules and regulations of the
FSCA or NSCA.
The following committees of the Board
of Directors shall serve under the Board of Directors for the
purpose of conducting specific business for the Board and the
membership:
Election Committee - consisting of
three (3) directors, appointed by the Board of Directors who will
have responsibility to manage the election process of the officers
and the selection of the member, club, and delegate directors.
Special Committee any other committee
deemed necessary by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors shall have full
charge of all matters covered in the Constitution and By-laws,
including special meetings, and any and all other business that is
reasonably presumed to be within the powers or duties of the Board.
A vacancy Occurring on the Board of
Directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
Board of Directors even if there is less than a quorum of the Board
of Directors. The Board of Directors so chosen shall hold office
until the next regularly scheduled election of the Board of
Directors by the membership-at-large.
ARTICLE VII
ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETINGS
There shall a minimum of three
regularly scheduled meetings during the course of each calendar
year:
(I) Annual General Membership Meeting
to be held in January of each year for the conduct of general
membership business. On even numbered years, nominations and
election of officers shall be a mandatory order of business.
(2) Annual State Championship Meeting -
to be held for the benefit of the general membership at the location
and on the date of the FSCA State Championship. The award of the
following year state shoot will take place at this annual meeting.
(3) Annual Date Selection Meeting
includes the specific purpose of the setting of next years shoot
dates, to be held in October of each year at a location to be
determined by the Board of Directors. The President shall notify all
clubs/ranges of the date of the meeting not less than 60 days prior
to the meeting.
The President may call a special
meeting of the FSCA at any time. Any member of the FSCA upon written
request, may, petition the Board of Directors to have specific
business conducted for the good of the organization. Upon the
consensus of one-third of the Board of Directors, a special meeting
of the Board may be called to conduct said business, if it supports
the intent and context of the By-laws and the Constitution.
The President shall be empowered to
conduct special single purpose meetings on any subject at any time
by mail or electronically via e-mail or telephone. The special
procedure shall be for the President to notify all of the directors
of the specific purpose of the meeting, present any discussion that
he/she deems applicable, and forward all information or discussion
received to all of the directors. Any vote necessary shall then be
called for, and the result forwarded to all of the directors. A lack
of response or no vote within ten (10) days by any director shall be
considered as if the director was not present. A copy of the
discussion and results shall be forwarded to the Secretary for
inclusion in the minutes. A simple majority of the Board of
Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all
business at any meeting.
The order of business at all meeting
shall be as follows:
(1) Roll call and seating of Board
members.
(2) Reading of Minutes (at the Annual
General Membership Meeting the minutes of the previous Annual
General Membership Meeting shall be read)
(3) Reports of Officers
(4) Reports of Committees
(5) Amendments to the Constitution and
By-laws (Annual State Tournament Meeting only)
(6) Unfinished Business
(7) New business
(8) Awarding of next Annual State
Tournament (Annual State Tournament meeting only)
(9) Election of Officers (Annual
General Membership meeting only)
(10) Adjournment
ARTICLE VIII
CLUB MEMBERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Membership
Any gun club or commercial shooting
facility in the State of Florida, having at least one sporting clays
course or an arrangement with a shooting ground to host NSCA
Registered sporting clays events, shall be eligible for membership
in the FSCA. All FSCA member clubs must also be members of the
National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA).
Upon Application, payment of the
prescribed dues, and subsequent vote by the Board of Directors, any
club within the State of Florida may become a member and shall enjoy
all the privileges of the FSCA.
Responsibilities
It shall be the host club's
responsibility to forward all shoot fees and shoot reports due the
FSCA to the Treasurer within fifteen days following completion of
the shoot.
It shall be the responsibility of all
FSCA clubs to assure that all shooters and spectators in the
vicinity of shooting in progress during an NSCA registered
tournament adhere to NSCA shoot rules for both shooting and safety.
ARTICLE IX
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
Any resident of the State of Florida
who is a member of the NSCA is automatically a member of the FSCA,
provided said resident is not restricted from owning or operating a
firearm under any state or federal laws. Anyone not wanting to be a
member of the FSCA must withdraw membership in writing. Withdrawal
of membership from the FSCA does not exempt a NSCA member from
paying FSCA shoot fees at any NSCA registered shoot.
Any member in good standing shall have
the privilege of discussion or speaking on any subject at any annual
or special meeting of the FSCA and is entitled to one vote at any
meeting where the general membership is eligible to vote. All
members are welcome to any meeting of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X
ANNUAL DUES and FEES
Club Affiliation Dues
An initiation fee in an amount
determined by the board of directors shall be due upon acceptance of
membership. A club affiliation fee in an amount determined by the
Board of Directors may be assessed on a one time or regular basis,
not to exceed one billing per year. Only those Clubs which have paid
their dues by the prescribed due date shall be considered in good
standing and shall enjoy the privileges of membership.
Individual Membership Dues
In accordance with current NSCA
policy, FSCA members shall not be charged an annual membership fee.
Each registered shooter shall be
charged a state registration fee of one cent (.01) per registered
target. The target registration fee is subject to change by the
Board of Directors.
ARTICLE XI
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULING
Any member range/club desiring to
register a tournament with the NSCA shall make application through
the President of the FSCA in order that the date of said tournament
may be recorded by the Secretary and the records for the FSCA be
kept up to date.
The FSCA Board of Directors shall
designate one contact person who shall be identified to the NSCA as
the only person authorized to represent the FSCA. The designated
contact shall inform the NSCA of the FSCA shoot schedule, and shall
obtain NSCA shoot numbers for all shoots, and inform the NSCA of any
schedule changes. The designated contact shall obtain approval from
the board of directors for any schedule changes before submitting
them.
At the Annual Date Scheduling Meeting,
any club may request any date to host a shoot. For the benefit of
both shooters and clubs, it shall be the responsibility of the Board
of Directors to coordinate and approve the assignment of shoot dates
to maximize the number of shoots available for shooters to attend,
and to maximize the number of shooters available to attend any
shoot. To this end, the board shall, to the greatest extent
possible, discourage:
-
Conflicting shoot dates for any clubs
within 150 miles of each other
-
Weekend overlaps (i.e., Sat/Sun back
to back shoots) for clubs in close proximity
-
Any conflict with certain FSCA
traditional shoot dates deemed to be major events
-
Conflict with the Florida State
Championship (no conflict will be permitted)
-
Conflict with the Zone 4 Championship
shoot
-
Conflict with certain major national
events
-
Conflict with certain major skeet or
trap events
-
Conflict with certain major family
holidays
The board may, in the boards
discretion, employ a process for interested clubs to bid upon
tournament dates deemed to be highly desirable. The board may
solicit proposals for shoots on such dates using a process similar
to the process employed to determine the host of the annual Florida
State Championship. The FSCA board will review the proposals and
award the date based on the content of the proposals. Upon the award
of the desirable date it may be treated as an exclusive Protected
Traditional shoot date for that range with no conflicts allowed. In
the event that no proposals are received or none warrant protection
from conflicting shoots the date will be treated as a normal
tournament weekend and the FSCA will only enforce the 150 mile
radius for protection from conflicts.
The procedure for registration of a
shoot date shall be as follows.
Any range or club in good standing
desiring to sanction a shoot date with the FSCA shall make an
application to the President of the FSCA no later than 30 days prior
to the Annual Date Selection Meeting. The application may include
the desired dates as 3rd Saturday in May, for example, rather than
a specified date if the club desires to host a shoot on the same
weekend every year.
First priority in assigning shoot dates
shall be to FSCA clubs with traditional shoot dates. A traditional
shoot date is defined as a date selected by a member range/club on
which they host a shooting event each year. The Board of Directors
reserves the right to limit the number of traditional shoot dates
a club may have.
Second priority shall be in order of
receipt of requested shoot dates
Third priority in assigning shoot dates
shall be determined by the number of requested shoots (i.e., a club
with many requested shoot date requests may be requested to defer a
date to a club with a lesser number of requested shoots).
The President shall attempt to resolve
any conflicts in scheduling dates prior to the Annual Date
Scheduling Meeting. Any unresolved conflicts shall be decided by
majority vote of the Board of Directors, in the best interest of
both the shooters and the clubs. The annual shoot schedule shall be
announced at the conclusion of the Date Scheduling Meeting.
Following announcement of the schedule, no club/range may schedule a
shoot date where another club/range has a date without written
consent of the latter club and the approval of the Board of
Directors.
Shoot Cancellations: If a club/range
chooses a date, and then cancels that shoot, notification of the
FSCA is required. It is the sole responsibility of the club/range to
notify shooters of the cancellation. Any club that cancels a shoot
for other than provident cause shall lose any claim to that date in
future years. The Board of Directors shall resolve any issue
pertaining to provident cause.
If any club/range ceases operations or
cancels any shoot, the President shall notify all of the other
clubs/ranges. The date for the current year only may be reassigned
to any club within the conflict criteria above on a first
application basis.
ARTICLE XII
ANNUAL FSCA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
The FSCA Board of Directors shall
serve as a committee for organizing the Florida State Championship
tournament. The board may solicit additional members to serve on
the committee as desired.
At least fifteen (15) months prior to
the date of the tournament, the committee shall prepare and present
a Request for Proposal to all FSCA clubs/ranges. The request shall
include information regarding minimum standards for the shoot and
shall require that any club bidding for the shoot provide specific
information in a requested format in order that that the committee
be able to fairly evaluate all bids. The request shall also clearly
specify any aid that FSCA will provide to the club. Such aid may
include, but shall not be limited to, providing trophies for
selected shoot participants, and/or providing a banquet and any
other support as deemed proper by the Board of Directors. Any
club/range in good standing shall be eligible to host the
tournament.
Any club desiring to bid for the shoot
shall submit the proposal not less than thirty (30) days prior to
the current years championship shoot.
The shoot committee shall designate a
subcommittee to visit or contact the bidding clubs to assure that
the club has the facilities and capabilities to host a satisfactory
tournament based upon criteria set forth by the Board of Directors.
Following a report of this sub-committee, the Board of Directors
shall select, by majority vote, a site for the tournament. The site
will be announced at the current years tournament. Immediately
thereafter the winning club shall enter into a contract with the
FSCA, based on the bid proposal. Said contract shall contain
language requiring the host club to work closely with the FSCA
during the year prior to assure the success of the tournament.
ARTICLE XIII
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
The Constitution and By-laws may be
amended as follows:
Any FSCA member in good standing may
propose an amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws. The proposed
amendment shall be submitted to the Secretary of the FSCA at least
30 days prior to the Annual State Championship Meeting, or a Special
Meeting called specifically for the purpose of amending the
Constitution and Bylaws. In the event that a special meeting is
called, it shall be mandatory that the entire FSCA membership be
informed by mail of the date and time a minimum of 30 days before
the meeting date. The board of Directors shall consider the proposed
amendment(s), If the proposed amendment(s) is adopted by a majority
of the Board of Directors, it will be published in a newsletter or
posted on the FSCA at least fifteen (15) days State Championship
meeting or special called meeting.
The amendment proposals shall be
presented to the general membership for vote at the Annual State
Championship meeting, or at a special meeting called for that
purpose, and a simple majority vote of the members present shall
pass or defeat the proposed amendments.
