ARTICLE I. The organization shall be known as the Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida or as FSRA. It shall hold periodic luncheon and dinner meetings for members and guests to enhance the camaraderie and friendship of shared experience and engage in activities which enhance the Foreign Service and increase knowledge of the Foreign Service. It may arrange other activities suggested by the Chair and the Board of Directors and support programs of other organizations with comparable interests. FSRA shall be a non-profit organization.
ARTICLE II. Membership shall be open to residents of the State of Florida who are retired from the Foreign Service of the United States Government or who have served abroad as representatives of a United States Government Agency, persons living outside of Florida who wish to remain in touch with their colleagues, spouses and former or surviving spouses of the above persons, active-duty Foreign Service personnel who intend to retire to Florida, and those designated by the Chair as honorary members. The membership year shall be from January 1 through December 31, and dues, in the amounts determined by the Board of Directors, shall be payable by January 31 of the new membership year.
ARTICLE III. The officers of FSRA shall consist of the following: Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
- The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Association and the Board of Directors, appoint all committee chairs, and be an Ex-Officio member of committees except the Nominating Committee. Committee Chairs shall select members of their Committees. In the event of a vacancy among the officers, the Chair shall assume those responsibilities pending the Chair's appointment of a replacement, which shall be ratified at the next meeting of the Board of Directors.
- The Vice Chair shall have primary responsibility for programs and shall perform the duties of the Chair in the latter's absence.
- The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings of the Board of Directors and the annual meeting, and handle all correspondence as required by the Chair, including appropriate sympathy or condolence letters to members.
- The Treasurer shall keep a record of all monies received and disbursed. make periodic and annual reports to the Board of Directors, maintain a list of members, and delegate responsibility for preparation of the membership directory, which shall be published annually no later than January 31. The Chair and Vice Chair shall submit an annual financial statement to the Treasurer for activities, program receipts and expenditures no later than October 31 each year.
- The Board of Advisors shall consist of ten elected members. Past Chairs of the Association shall serve as ex-officio members of the Board of Advisors without the right to vote. Together, the officers of FSRA and the Board of Advisors shall constitute the Board of Directors of the Association. All terms of office shall be for two years and shall be renewable.
- The Board of Directors shall convene at the request of the Chair or by petition signed by a majority of the Board of Directors, have the power to establish policy and to take other actions within the framework of the Constitution, have authority to audit financial records of the Association, and submit such recommendations to the membership as it deems appropriate for approval at the annual meeting.
- The Nominating Committee shall consist of a Chair appointed by the Chair of the Association and up to four additional members selected by the Committee Chair. The Nominating Committee shall submit a report to the Board of Directors no less than thirty days prior to the date of the annual meeting. The report shall propose a slate of officers, as well as members for election, to the Board of Advisors. Additional nominations may be made from the floor during the annual meeting. All nominees must have given prior approval for the submission of their candidacies.
ARTICLE IV- Annual Meeting and Amendments. One meeting each year shall be designated by the Chair as the Annual Meeting. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present at this annual Meeting. The Board of Advisors will select the officers from the Board Membership.
ARTICLE V - Parliamentary rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern this Association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution.
ARTICLE VI - In the event of the dissolution of the FSRA, all funds held at that time shall be given to: first, The Senior Living Foundation of the American Foreign Service, or second, the American Foreign Service Association.
as amended and approved January 15, 2021