(1) The frequency of all meetings of members, the time and manner of notice of such meetings, the conduct and adjournment of such meetings, the determination of members entitled to notice or to vote at such meetings, and the number or voting power of members necessary to constitute a quorum, shall be determined by or in accordance with the articles of incorporation or the bylaws. The place and time of all meetings may be determined by the board of directors.
(2) Failure to hold an annual meeting does not cause a forfeiture or give cause for dissolution of the corporation, nor does such failure affect otherwise valid corporate acts, except as provided in s. 617.1430 in the case of a deadlock among the directors or the members.
(3) Except as provided in the articles of incorporation or bylaws, special meetings of the members may be called by:
(a) The president;
(b) The chair of the board of directors;
(c) The board of directors;
(d) Other officers or persons as are provided for in the articles of incorporation or the bylaws;
(e) The holders of at least 5 percent of the voting power of a corporation when one or more written demands for the meeting, which describe the purpose for which the meeting is to be held, are signed, dated, and delivered to a corporate officer; or
(f) A person who signs a demand for a special meeting pursuant to paragraph (e) if notice for a special meeting is not given within 30 days after receipt of the demand. The person signing the demand may set the time and place of the meeting and give notice under this subsection.
(4) Unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, action required or permitted by this chapter to be taken at an annual or special meeting of members may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice, and without a vote if the action is taken by the members entitled to vote on such action and having not less than the minimum number of votes necessary to authorize such action at a meeting at which all members entitled to vote on such action were present and voted.
(a) To be effective, the action must be evidenced by one or more written consents describing the action taken, dated and signed by approving members having the requisite number of votes and entitled to vote on such action, and delivered to the corporation to its principal office in this state, its principal place of business, the corporate secretary, or another officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of members are recorded. Written consent to take the corporate action referred to in the consent is not effective unless the consent is signed by members having the requisite number of votes necessary to authorize the action within 90 days after the date of the earliest dated consent and is delivered in the manner required by this section.
(b) Any written consent may be revoked prior to the date that the corporation receives the required number of consents to authorize the proposed action. A revocation is not effective unless in writing and until received by the corporation at its principal office in this state or its principal place of business, or received by the corporate secretary or other officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of members are recorded.
(c) Within 30 days after obtaining authorization by written consent, notice must be given to those members who are entitled to vote on the action but who have not consented in writing. The notice must fairly summarize the material features of the authorized action.
(d) A consent signed under this section has the effect of a meeting vote and may be described as such in any document.
(e) If the action to which the members consent is such as would have required the filing of articles or a certificate under any other section of this chapter if such action had been voted on by members at a meeting, the articles or certificate filed under such other section must state that written consent has been given in accordance with this section.
(f) Whenever action is taken pursuant to this section, the written consent of the members consenting to such action or the written reports of inspectors appointed to tabulate such consents must be filed with the minutes of member proceedings.
(5)(a) Notice of a meeting of members need not be given to any member who signs a waiver of notice, in person or by proxy, either before or after the meeting. Unless required by the bylaws, neither the affairs transacted nor the purpose of the meeting need be specified in the waiver.
(b) Attendance of a member at a meeting, either in person or by proxy, constitutes waiver of notice and waiver of any and all objections to the place of the meeting, the time of the meeting, or the manner in which it has been called or convened, unless the member attends a meeting solely for the purpose of stating, at the beginning of the meeting, any such objection or objections to the transaction of affairs.
(6) Subsections (1) and (3) do not apply to any corporation that is an association as defined in s. 720.301; a corporation regulated by chapter 718, chapter 719, chapter 720, chapter 721, or chapter 723; or a corporation where membership in such corporation is required pursuant to a document recorded in the county property records.
History.—s. 35, ch. 90-179; s. 49, ch. 95-274; s. 81, ch. 97-102; s. 53, ch. 2000-258; s. 21, ch. 2009-205.
Structure Florida Statutes
Title XXXVI - Business Organizations
Chapter 617 - Corporations Not for Profit
617.0102 - Reservation of Power to Amend or Repeal.
617.01201 - Filing Requirements.
617.0122 - Fees for Filing Documents and Issuing Certificates.
617.0123 - Effective Date of Document.
617.0124 - Correcting Filed Document.
617.0125 - Filing Duties of Department of State.
617.0126 - Appeal From Department of State’s Refusal to File Document.
617.0127 - Evidentiary Effect of Copy of Filed Document.
617.0128 - Certificate of Status.
617.01301 - Powers of Department of State.
617.0202 - Articles of Incorporation; Content.
617.0204 - Liability for Preincorporation Transactions.
617.0205 - Organizational Meeting of Directors.
617.0301 - Purposes and Application.
617.0403 - Registered Name; Application; Renewal; Revocation.
617.0501 - Registered Office and Registered Agent.
617.0502 - Change of Registered Office or Registered Agent; Resignation of Registered Agent.
617.0503 - Registered Agent; Duties; Confidentiality of Investigation Records.
617.0504 - Service of Process, Notice, or Demand on a Corporation.
617.0505 - Distributions; Exceptions.
617.0601 - Members, Generally.
617.0604 - Liability of Members.
617.0605 - Transfer of Membership Interests.
617.0606 - Resignation of Members.
617.0607 - Termination, Expulsion, and Suspension.
617.0608 - Purchase of Memberships.
617.07401 - Members’ Derivative Actions.
617.0801 - Duties of Board of Directors.
617.0802 - Qualifications of Directors.
617.0803 - Number of Directors.
617.0806 - Staggered Terms for Directors.
617.0807 - Resignation of Directors.
617.0808 - Removal of Directors.
617.08101 - Compensation of Directors.
617.0821 - Action by Directors Without a Meeting.
617.0822 - Notice of Meetings.
617.0825 - Board Committees and Advisory Committees.
617.0830 - General Standards for Directors.
617.0831 - Indemnification and Liability of Officers, Directors, Employees, and Agents.
617.0832 - Director Conflicts of Interest.
617.0833 - Loans to Directors or Officers.
617.0835 - Prohibited Activities by Private Foundations.
617.0841 - Duties of Officers.
617.0842 - Resignation and Removal of Officers.
617.0843 - Contract Rights of Officers.
617.1001 - Authority to Amend the Articles of Incorporation.
617.1002 - Procedure for Amending Articles of Incorporation.
617.1006 - Contents of Articles of Amendment.
617.1007 - Restated Articles of Incorporation.
617.1008 - Amendment Pursuant to Reorganization.
617.1009 - Effect of Amendment.
617.1102 - Limitation on Merger.
617.1103 - Approval of Plan of Merger; Abandonment of Plan Thereafter.
617.1105 - Articles of Merger.
617.1107 - Merger of Domestic and Foreign Corporations.
617.1108 - Merger of Domestic Corporation and Other Eligible Entities.
617.1301 - Prohibited Distributions.
617.1302 - Authorized Distributions.
617.1401 - Voluntary Dissolution of Corporation Prior to Conducting Its Affairs.
617.1402 - Dissolution of Corporation.
617.1403 - Articles of Dissolution.
617.1404 - Revocation of Dissolution.
617.1405 - Effect of Dissolution.
617.1406 - Plan of Distribution of Assets.
617.1407 - Unknown Claims Against Dissolved Corporation.
617.1408 - Known Claims Against Dissolved Corporation.
617.1420 - Grounds for Administrative Dissolution.
617.1421 - Procedure for and Effect of Administrative Dissolution.
617.1422 - Reinstatement Following Administrative Dissolution.
617.1423 - Appeal From Denial of Reinstatement.
617.1430 - Grounds for Judicial Dissolution.
617.1431 - Procedure for Judicial Dissolution.
617.1432 - Receivership or Custodianship.
617.1433 - Judgment of Dissolution.
617.1440 - Deposit With Department of Financial Services.
617.1501 - Authority of Foreign Corporation to Conduct Affairs Required.
617.1502 - Consequences of Conducting Affairs Without Authority.
617.1503 - Application for Certificate of Authority.
617.1504 - Amended Certificate of Authority.
617.1505 - Effect of Certificate of Authority.
617.1506 - Corporate Name of Foreign Corporation.
617.1507 - Registered Office and Registered Agent of Foreign Corporation.
617.1508 - Change of Registered Office and Registered Agent of Foreign Corporation.
617.1509 - Resignation of Registered Agent of Foreign Corporation.
617.1510 - Service of Process, Notice, or Demand on a Foreign Corporation.
617.1520 - Withdrawal of Foreign Corporation.
617.1530 - Grounds for Revocation of Authority to Conduct Affairs.
617.1531 - Procedure for and Effect of Revocation.
617.1532 - Appeal From Revocation.
617.1533 - Reinstatement Following Revocation.
617.1602 - Inspection of Records by Members.
617.1603 - Scope of Inspection Right.
617.1604 - Court-Ordered Inspection.
617.1605 - Financial Reports for Members.
617.1622 - Annual Report for Department of State.
617.1701 - Application to Existing Domestic Corporation.
617.1702 - Application to Qualified Foreign Corporations.
617.1703 - Application of Chapter.
617.1711 - Application to Foreign and Interstate Commerce.
617.1803 - Domestication of Foreign Not-for-Profit Corporations.
617.1805 - Corporations for Profit; When May Become Corporations Not for Profit.
617.1806 - Conversion to Corporation Not for Profit; Petition and Contents.
617.1807 - Conversion to Corporation Not for Profit; Authority of Circuit Judge.
617.1808 - Application of Act to Corporation Converted to Corporation Not for Profit.
617.1809 - Limited Agricultural Association; Conversion to a Domestic Corporation Not for Profit.
617.1907 - Effect of Repeal or Amendment of Prior Acts.
617.1908 - Applicability of Florida Business Corporation Act.
617.2002 - Corporation Not for Profit Organized Pursuant to S. 2, Ch. 87-296; Requirements.
617.2003 - Proceedings to Revoke Articles of Incorporation or Charter or Prevent Its Use.
617.2004 - Extinct Churches and Religious Societies; Property.
617.2005 - Extinct Churches and Religious Societies; Dissolution.
617.2006 - Incorporation of Labor Unions or Bodies.
617.2007 - Sponge Packing and Marketing Corporations.
617.2101 - Corporation Authorized to Act as Trustee.
617.2102 - Fines and Penalties Against Members.
617.2104 - Florida Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act.