Article 1: Organization and Purpose
Section 1: Name
The name of this organization shall be The Libertarian Party of St. Johns County, Florida, hereinafter referred to as the Affiliate.
Section 2: Objects and Purpose
The object and purpose of the Affiliate is to engage in political action to advance the cause of individual liberty and minimum government in St. Johns County, Florida, and to serve as the affiliate organization to the Libertarian Party of Florida in St. Johns County, to assist and support political efforts from the Libertarian Party of Florida, hereinafter referred to as the LPF.
Section 3: Statement of Principles
The Affiliate adopts the Libertarian Party Statement of Principles as approved in 1974 as the philosophy upon which the Libertarian Party is founded, by which it shall be sustained, and through which liberty shall prevail.
Section 4: Adoption of LPF Governance
The Affiliate adopts the constitution and bylaws of the Libertarian Party of Florida (LPF). All provisions within this Constitution and its subordinate documents that conflict with the LPF Constitution and Bylaws shall be severed and deemed unenforceable to the minimum extent needed to eliminate the conflict.
Section 5: Adoption of Robert’s Rules
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RONR) 12th Edition shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by this Constitution or Affiliate Bylaws.
Section 6: Transparency of Governing Documents
The currently adopted Affiliate Constitution, Bylaws, and any other subordinate governing documents such as Standing Rules shall be publicly available at all times, including but not limited to being posted on the Affiliate’s public and functioning website.
Article 2: Membership
Section 1: Membership Requirements
Membership shall be open to any individual that resides in St. Johns County, signs the pledge: “I certify that I oppose the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals” and who is not a member or registered voter of any other political party. Any member of the LPF residing in St. Johns County shall meet this requirement. Any change in status that renders a member ineligible under this section shall immediately terminate membership. Re-affirmation of this pledge and request for membership shall be required to reinstate a terminated membership.
Section 2: Prohibition on Membership Dues
Members of the Affiliate shall have the right to fully and meaningfully participate in Affiliate business without any monetary encumbrance such as membership dues.
Section 3: Resignation of Membership
Any member may voluntarily choose to resign membership in the Affiliate with a signed written statement delivered to the Affiliate Secretary or presented at an Affiliate business meeting. No member may be expelled or otherwise have membership terminated except as prescribed in this constitution.
Section 4: Member Rights
Members shall have the right to attend the Annual Business Meeting, to attend all business meetings not otherwise in executive session, to vote on all at-large elected positions and all elected positions in whose district or precinct they reside, and to vote on amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws. Additional member rights may be prescribed in the Bylaws.
Article 3: Officers and Executive Committee
Section 1: Officers
The officers shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. Only Secretary and Treasurer positions may be combined and all seats must be filled. Officers shall be elected at-large.
Section 2: Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers, one (1) elected Director At-Large, and current members of the Florida Legislature who are residents of the county and members of the LPF. In addition to duties prescribed in this Constitution, additional duties for Executive Committee members may be prescribed in the Bylaws or subordinate governing documents such as Standing Rules.
Section 3: Elections
Executive Committee members shall be elected for a term of one (1) year by a majority of votes cast by members present at the Annual Business meeting in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Affiliate Bylaws. Members shall always have the right to vote for “None of the Above” in any election. If “None of the Above” receives a majority of votes cast, no individual nominated for that election shall be eligible to serve in the position for the remainder of its term.
Section 4: Term Duration
Members elected to a position that is or becomes vacant shall be seated immediately. Otherwise, elected members shall be seated at the adjournment of the meeting in which they are elected. Elected members shall serve until the final adjournment of the next Annual Business Meeting after they are seated.
[Note: affiliates have the choice of adopting this language as suggested, or alternative language to have members seated immediately upon election. Both are valid in terms of law and Robet’s, but we believe our suggestion is better continuity of the meeting conducting the election. If the affiliate defines multi-year or staggered terms this language will need to be adjusted to accommodate that.]
Section 5: Executive Committee Requirements
All members of the Executive Committee must maintain Affiliate membership and additionally must be LPF members and registered LPF voters to hold office. Any change in status that makes a current Executive Committee member ineligible to hold office shall result in that member’s office being vacated.
Section 6: Duties of Executive Committee Members
Subsection A: Chair
The Chair shall preside over business meetings and serve as a public spokesperson for the Affiliate.
Subsection B: Vice-Chair
The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in conjunction with, or in the absence of, the Chair and serve as the presiding officer in the absence of the Chair.
Subsection C: Secretary
The Secretary shall keep records including, but not limited to: minutes of meetings, records of membership, and official party correspondence. The Secretary shall work to ensure members are informed of meetings and events. The Secretary shall be responsible for updating the publicly available governing documents no later than 30 days after any amendment and shall notify the LPF Secretary of any amendments to the Affiliate governing documents. The Secretary may serve as the presiding officer in the absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair.
Subsection D: Deputy Secretary
A Deputy Secretary may be elected with the same requirements and procedure as the Secretary. The Deputy Secretary shall assist the Secretary and shall perform the duties of the Secretary in the Secretary’s absence. If the Secretary position is vacant for any reason, the Deputy Secretary shall become the Secretary, vacating the Deputy Secretary position.
Subsection E: Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be the chief financial officer and shall receive, hold, disburse, and account for all funds under the direction of the Executive Committee as prescribed in the Affiliate Bylaws. The Treasurer shall file all required accounting reports on time as required by state law. The Treasurer may serve as the presiding officer in the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the Secretary.
Subsection F: Deputy Treasurer
A Deputy Treasurer may be elected with the same requirements and procedure as the Treasurer. The Deputy Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer and shall perform the duties of the
Treasurer in the Treasurer’s absence. If the Treasurer position is vacant for any reason, the Deputy Treasurer shall become the Treasurer, vacating the Deputy Treasurer position.
Section 7: Resignation of Executive Committee Members
Any Executive Committee member may resign their position with a signed
written statement delivered to the Affiliate Secretary or presented at an Affiliate business meeting. Executive Committee members shall also be considered to have resigned in the event of death or of three consecutive unexcused absences from Executive Committee meetings.
Section 8: Recall of Executive Committee Members
Members of the Affiliate may recall any Executive Committee member at an Affiliate business meeting with a two-thirds majority vote of all members present if and only if the intent and cause for recall is provided with advance public notice as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 9: Filling Executive Committee Vacancies
Vacant Executive Committee positions shall be filled by election at the next Affiliate business meeting using the same process and requirements as the regular election for the position. If no presiding officer is present, the members shall elect a chair pro-tempore to preside over the elections. Executive Committee members elected to fill a vacancy shall take office immediately upon election and serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
Article 4: Committees
Section 1: Standing Committees
Permanent standing committees may be defined in the Bylaws or in any subordinate governing documents such as Standing Rules, to include the committee’s name, membership composition and qualifications, term of service, duties, powers, and any other policies and procedures prescribing the actions of the committee.
Section 2: Special Committees
The Executive Committee may create special committees in accordance with the
adopted parliamentary authority. Any such special committees shall operate for the
duration specified by the Executive Committee or until the final adjournment of the next regular Annual Business Meeting, whichever is sooner. Special committees shall dissolve upon presenting their final report to the Executive Committee.
Section 3: Committee Membership
Unless the committee membership is otherwise prescribed in the governing document defining the standing committee or the motion establishing the special committee, each committee shall consist of a committee chair nominated by the Affiliate Chair and confirmed by majority vote of the Executive Committee and any other members approved by majority vote of the Executive Committee. The committee chair and all committee members must be Affiliate members to be eligible to serve.
Section 4: Other Committee Positions
Unless otherwise prescribed, committees may also elect a vice-chair and/or secretary for the committee from among their members. Committees may recruit non-voting volunteers to assist with committee operations provided that the volunteers are not registered voters or members of another political party and do not have decision-making authority in the committee.
Section 5: Committee Term Duration
Committee members shall serve until they resign, they are no longer eligible to serve on the committee, they are either removed or replaced by a majority vote of the Executive Committee, or the committee itself is dissolved.
Article 5: Meetings and Procedures
Section 1: Annual Business Meeting
The Affiliate shall hold an Annual Business Meeting with substantial advance public notice as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 2: Regular Business Meetings
The Executive Committee shall call regular business meetings at least quarterly with advance public notice as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 3: Special Business Meetings
The Executive Committee may call special business meetings for a specific stated purpose with public notice as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 4: Candidate Support
The Executive Committee shall make party nominations when required by law and conduct campaigns for party nominees as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Article 6: Adoption and Amendments
Section 1: Adoption
This Constitution and associated Bylaws shall be originally adopted by a three-fourths vote of LPF members present at the organizational meeting.
Section 2: Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be adopted by a three-fourths vote of the all Affiliate members present at the Annual Business meeting with substantial advance public notice as prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 3: Subordination
This Constitution is subordinate to applicable state law, county ordinance, and the Constitution and Bylaws of the Libertarian Party of Florida. The Affiliate Bylaws shall be subordinate to this
Constitution. Any other Affiliate governing documents shall be subordinate to the affiliate Bylaws and the adopted parliamentary authority.
Section 4: Standing Rules
The Executive Committee may create additional standing rules or other written governing documents that are wholly subordinate to and may not conflict with this Constitution, the Affiliate Bylaws, or the adopted parliamentary authority.
Petition to Affiliate with the Libertarian Party of Florida for County Affiliates
In accordance with Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution and Article III of the Standing Rules of the Libertarian Party of Florida, the undersigned County Executive Committee Members do petition for affiliation of our county’s Libertarian Party with the Libertarian Party of Florida.
All officer positions need to be filled. Secretary and Treasurer may be combined, but not other positions. All officers shall be LPF Members and LPF registered voters.
Chair:
Name: David Salisbury
Vice Chair:
Name: Claudia Cerulli
Secretary:
Name: Wendy Hamlin
Treasurer:
Name: Wendy Hamlin