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BYLAWS
OF
HERENCIA LATINA, INC.
A Florida Corporation Not For
Profit
Article 1
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1.1
General Powers. Except as provided in the articles of incorporation
and by Florida Law, including the Florida Not for Profit Corporation Act,
all corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and
the business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed under the
direction of, its board of directors.
1.2
Number, Terms, Classification, and Qualification. The board of
directors of the corporation shall consist of at least one person. The
number of directors may at any time, and from time to time, be increased or
decreased by action of the board of directors, but no decrease in the number
of directors shall have the effect of shortening the term of any incumbent
director. A director must be a natural person of at least 18 years of age,
but need not be a citizen of the United States of America, or a resident of
the state of Florida.
However, a
director must be a member in good standing of Herencia Latina, Inc. Each
director shall hold office until a successor has been elected and qualified
or until an earlier resignation, removal from office, or death.
1.3
Executive Board Members. The executive board members are the
officers of the corporation. The executive board is composed of the
following: a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer, and any
other officers and assistant officers as may be deemed necessary, and as
shall be approved, by the board of directors. Any two or more offices may be
held by the same person. The executive board members are a part of the board
of directors and each has one vote of the same value as any other board
member, except as provided in paragraph 1.4 and 1.5.
1.4
Regular Meetings. An annual regular meeting of the board of
directors shall be held at a designated place, after the annual dance in
December. The meeting shall be held no later than January 31th.
The purpose of the meeting shall be the election of directors and executive
board members and for the transaction of any other business that may come
before the meeting. The time and place of the meeting shall be designated by
the board of directors.
Other
meetings shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by the
board of directors. The board may, at any time and from time to time,
provide by resolution the time and place, either within the State of
Florida, for the holding of the annual regular meeting or additional regular
meeting of the board without other notice than the resolution.
1.5
Special Meetings. Special meetings of the board of directors may be
called by the president or secretary, or any three directors.
The person
or persons authorized to call special meetings of the board may designate
any place, either within the State of Florida, as the place for holding any
special meeting of the board called by them. If no designation is made, the
place of the meeting shall be the principal office of the corporation in
Florida.
Notice of
any special meeting of the board may be given by any reasonable means, oral
or written, and at any reasonable time before the meeting. The
reasonableness of notice given in connection with any special meeting of the
board shall be determined in light of all pertinent circumstances. It shall
be presumed that notice of any special meeting given at least two days
before the meeting either orally (by telephone or in person), or by written
notice delivered personally or mailed or emailed to each director at his or
her business or residence address, is reasonable. If mailed, the notice of
any special meeting shall be deemed to be delivered on the second day after
it is deposited in the United States mail, so addressed, with postage
prepaid. If notice is given by fax, it shall be deemed to be delivered when
the fax is sent. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose
or purposes of, any special meeting need be specified in the notice or in
any written waiver of notice of the meeting.
1.6
Waiver of Notice of Meeting. Notice of a meeting of the board of
directors need not be given to any director who signs a written waiver of
notice before, during, or after the meeting. Attendance of a director at a
meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of the meeting and a waiver of
any and all objections to the place of the meeting, the time of the meeting,
and the manner in which it has been called or convened, except when a
director states, at the beginning of the meeting or promptly on arrival at
the meeting, any objection to the transaction of business because the
meeting is not lawfully called or convened.
1.7
Meetings by Means of Conference Telephone Call or Similar Electronic
Equipment. Members of the board of directors may participate in a
meeting of the board by means of a conference telephone call or similar
communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can
hear each other at the same time. Participation by such means constitutes
presence in person at a meeting.
1.8
Quorum. A majority (51%) of the total number of directors constitute
a quorum for the transaction of business; also, whenever, for any reason, a
vacancy occurs in the board of directors, a quorum shall consist of a
majority (51%) of the remaining directors entitled to vote.
1.9
Manner of Action. The act of a majority of the directors present at
a meeting, at which a quorum is present, when the vote is taken shall be the
act of the board of directors.
1.10
Presumption of Assent. A director of the corporation who is present
at a meeting of the board of directors or a committee of the board when
corporate action is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action
taken, unless he or she objects at the beginning of the meeting, or promptly
on arrival, to holding the meeting or transacting specific business at the
meeting, or he or she votes against or abstains from the action taken.
1.11
Action Without a Meeting. Unless otherwise provided in the articles
of incorporation, action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of
the board of directors may be taken without a meeting, so long as the
following requirements are met:
1. The corporation gives
reasonable notice to all directors entitled to vote, and the notice includes
a description of the action(s) which will be discussed; and,
2. A majority (51%) of the total
number of directors, which constitutes a quorum for the transaction of
business, is sends in written consent to have the act pass or fail without a
meeting. The written consent may be personal or by proxy; and,
3. All written consents
describing the action taken must: (a) be dated and signed, by the approving
directors of the board or (b) must have the approving
Director’s email logo (Email is an approved method of notice), and
(c) must be delivered to the corporation at its principal office in Florida
or its principal place of business, or to the corporate secretary.
4. All consents to the action
must be received in the manner described above within 30 days of the notice
of the proposed action.
Any written
consent may be revoked before the date that the corporation receives the
required number of consents to authorize the proposed action. No revocation
is effective unless in writing and until received by the corporation at its
principal office or its principal place of business, or received by the
corporate secretary. Within 10 days after obtaining authorization by written
consent, notice must be given to those directors of the board who have
not consented in writing or who are not entitled to vote on the action.
The notice shall fairly summarize the material features of the authorized
action and, if the action is one for which dissenters' rights are provided
under the articles of incorporation or by law, the notice shall contain a
clear statement of the right of dissenting directors. A consent signed as
required by this section has the effect of a meeting vote and may be
described as such in any document. Whenever action is taken as provided
in this section, the written consent of the directors of the board
consenting shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the
directors.
1.12
Notice of Meeting. In accordance with Florida law, written or
printed notice stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and, in the
case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is
called, shall be delivered not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the
date of the meeting, either personally or by first-class mail, by, or at the
direction of, the president or the secretary, or the officer or other
persons calling the meeting, to each Director of record entitled to vote at
the meeting. If the notice is mailed at least 30 days before the date of the
meeting, it may be effected by a class of United States mail other than
first-class. If mailed, the notice shall be effective when mailed, if mailed
postage prepaid and correctly addressed to the shareholder's address shown
in the current record of directors of the corporation.
When a
meeting is adjourned to another time or place, it shall not be necessary to
give any notice of the adjourned meeting if the time and place to which the
meeting is adjourned are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment
is taken. At the adjourned meeting any business may be transacted that might
have been transacted on the original date of the meeting. If, however,
after the adjournment the Board of Directors fixes a new record date for the
adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as
provided in this section to each Director of record on the new record date
entitled to vote at such meeting.
1.13
EMAIL Communications. All email communication is valid. The above
described Notices may be delivered by Email.
1.14
Fixing of Record Date. In order that the corporation may
determine the Directors entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of
directors or any adjournment thereof, or to express consent to corporate
action in writing without a meeting, or to demand a special meeting, the
board of directors may fix, in advance, a record date, not more than 60 days
before the date of the meeting or any other action.
1.15
Voting Record. After fixing a record date for a meeting of
directors, the corporation shall prepare an alphabetical list of the names
of all its directors entitled to notice of the meeting. The voting
directors' list must be available for inspection by any director for a
period of 10 days before the meeting or such shorter time as exists between
the record date and the meeting and continuing through the meeting at the
corporation's principal office or at a place identified in the meeting
notice in the city where the meeting will be held. The corporation shall
make the directors' list available at the meeting of directors’, and any
director or director’s attorney is entitled to inspect the list at any time
during the meeting or any adjournment.
1.16
Proxies. Any director of the board of the corporation, other person
entitled to vote, or attorney-in-fact for such persons, may vote the
director's vote(s) in person or by proxy. Any director may appoint a proxy
to vote or otherwise act for him or her by signing an appointment form,
either personally or by an attorney-in-fact. An executed facsimile
transmission, email printout with the director’s logo, appearing to have
been transmitted by such person, or a photographic, photostatic, or
equivalent reproduction of an appointment form, shall be deemed a sufficient
appointment form.
An
appointment of a proxy is effective when received by the secretary of the
corporation or any member of the board of directors, including honorary
members, and shall be valid for up to 11 months, unless a longer period is
expressly provided in the appointment form. The death or incapacity of the
director appointing a proxy does not affect the right of the corporation to
accept the proxy's authority, unless after notice of the death is given to
any director of the board, including honorary members, the board votes to
terminate the proxy. The board may vote to accept the proxy’s authority to
until the expiration date of such proxy. An appointment of a proxy is
revocable by the director, unless the appointment form
conspicuously states that it is irrevocable and the appointment is
coupled with an interest.
1.17
Quorum. Each Director of the Board has one vote. Except as
otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or by law, a majority
(51% of total directors, including the executive board members) of the
directors entitled to vote on the matter, represented in person or by proxy,
shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the board of directors.
If less than a majority of outstanding directors entitled to vote is
represented at a meeting, then the meeting must be adjourned and the
issues may be postponed until the next meeting. After a quorum has been
established at any directors' meeting, the subsequent withdrawal of
directors, so as to reduce the number of directors entitled to vote at
the meeting below the number required for a quorum, shall not affect the
validity of any action taken at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. Once
a director is represented for any purpose at a meeting, it is deemed present
for quorum purposes for the remainder of the meeting and for any
adjournment of that meeting unless a new record date is or must be set for
that adjourned meeting.
1.18
Voting for Directors. Unless otherwise provided in the articles of
incorporation, directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes
cast by the directors entitled to vote in the election at a meeting at which
a quorum is present. A plurality is the excess of the votes cast for one
candidate over those cast for another. When there are two candidates for one
position, he or she who receives the most votes cast wins by a majority of
votes; however, when there are more than two candidates for one position
or the same office of the executive board, then the candidate that
receives the greatest number of votes cast by persons entitled to vote wins
by a plurality.
1.19
Resignation. Any director may resign at any time by giving written
notice to the secretary or president of the board of directors. The
resignation of any director shall take effect when the notice is delivered
unless the notice specifies a later effective date, in which event the board
may fill the pending vacancy before the effective date if it provides that
the successor does not take office until the effective date.
1.20
Removal. Any director may be removed at any time, with cause, by
action of the board of directors. The notice of the meeting at which a vote
is taken to remove a director must state that the purpose or one of the
purposes of the meeting is the removal of the director or directors.
1.21
Vacancies. Any vacancy in the board of directors, including any
vacancy created by an increase in the number of directors, may be filled by
the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors.
Article 2
EXECUTIVE BOARD
2.1
Officers. The officers of the corporation shall be the executive
board, which is composed: a president, vice president, secretary, and
treasurer, and any other officers and assistant officers as may be deemed
necessary, and as shall be approved, by the board of directors. Any two or
more offices may be held by the same person. The executive board members are
a part of the board of directors and each has one vote of the same value as
any other board member, except as provided in paragraph 1.1 and 1.3.
2.2
Appointment and Term of Office. The officers of the corporation
shall be appointed annually by the board of directors at the first meeting
of the board held after the December dance. If the appointment of officers
does not occur at this meeting, the appointment shall occur as soon
thereafter as practicable. Each officer shall hold office until a successor
has been duly appointed and qualified, or until an earlier resignation,
removal from office, or death.
2.3
Resignation. Any officer of the corporation may resign from his or
her respective office or position by delivering notice to the board. The
resignation is effective when delivered unless the notice specifies a later
effective date. If a resignation is made effective at a later date and the
corporation accepts the future effective date, the board of directors may
fill the pending vacancy before the effective date if the board provides
that the successor does not take office until the effective date.
2.4
Removal. Any officer of the corporation may be removed from his or
her respective office or position at any time, with or without cause, by the
vote of the board of directors.
2.5
President. The president shall be the chief executive officer of the
corporation and shall, subject to the control of the board of directors,
generally supervise and control all of the business and affairs of the
corporation, and preside at all meetings of the board of directors, and all
committees of Herencia Latina, Inc. on which he or she may serve. In
addition, the president shall possess, and may exercise, such power and
authority, and shall perform such duties, as may from time to time be
assigned to him or her by the board of directors, and as are incident to the
offices of president and chief executive officer.
2.6
Secretary. The secretary shall keep the minutes of the proceedings
of the board of directors in one or more books provided for that purpose;
see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of
these bylaws or as required by law; be custodian of the corporate records
and the seal of the corporation; and keep a register of the post office
address of each director of the board and each member of Herencia Latina,
Inc. In addition, the secretary shall possess, and may exercise, such power
and authority, and shall perform such duties, as may from time to time be
assigned to him or her by the board of directors and as are incident to the
office of secretary.
2.7
Treasurer. The treasurer shall have charge and custody of, and be
responsible for, all funds and securities of the corporation; receive and
give receipts for money due and payable to the corporation from any source
whatsoever; and deposit all such money in the name of the corporation in
such banks, trust companies, or other depositaries as shall be used by the
corporation. In addition, the treasurer shall possess, and may exercise such
power and authority, and shall perform such duties, as may from time to time
be assigned to him or her by the board of directors and as are incident to
the office of treasurer.
2.8
Legal Counsel of Herencia Latina, Inc. The lawyer for the
corporation shall be available for the corporation’s legal representation
and shall make each member of the corporation aware that the services
provided are for the benefit of the corporation. In addition, the lawyer
shall possess, and may exercise, such power and authority, and shall perform
such duties, as may from time to time be assigned to him or her by the board
of directors, the officer appointing him or her, and such officer or
officers who may from time to time be designated by the board to exercise
supervisory authority.
2.9
Other Officers, Employees, and Agents. Each and every other officer,
employee, and agent of the corporation shall possess, and may exercise, such
power and authority, and shall perform such duties, as may from time to time
be assigned to him or her by the board of directors, the officer appointing
him or her, and such officer or officers who may from time to time be
designated by the board to exercise supervisory authority.
3.0
Compensation. If any compensation shall be paid to any officer, then
the compensation of the officer(s) of the corporation shall be fixed from
time to time by the board of directors.
Article 3
Committees of Herencia Latina,
Inc.
The board
of directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the full board, may
designate from among the general members of Herencia Latina, Inc. one or
more committees, each of which, to the extent provided in the resolution,
shall have and may exercise all the authority of the board of directors,
except as prohibited by law or by the resolution. At least one board of
director, including any honorary board member, must be a member of a
committee. ( A group of members in a committee must also include a board of
director). Said director must report to the board the committee’s progress
and will be in charge of petitioning the board on behalf of the committee.
Article 4
Amendments
The board
of directors of the corporation may alter, amend, or repeal these bylaws,
and new bylaws may be adopted, by action of the board of directors as
allowed by Florida law.
Article 5
Corporate Seal
The board
of directors shall provide for a corporate seal which shall be circular and
shall have the name of the corporation, the year of its incorporation, and
the state of incorporation inscribed on it.
Article 6
Indemnification
The
corporation shall indemnify any officer or director, or any former officer
or director, or any member of the corporation acting on behalf of the
corporation, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Article 7
Membership Recruitment, Proposal
& Approval
New members
shall be approved by the Board within 20 days of being proposed be at least
two unrelated members in good standing. The Board will not consider a
proposal for new membership unless three unrelated members propose the
prospective member. The three members must not be related to each other in
kind.
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