(1) As used in this section, the term “limited agricultural association” or “association” means a limited agricultural association formed under ss. 604.09-604.14.
(2) A limited agricultural association may convert to a domestic corporation not for profit by filing the following documents with the department in accordance with s. 617.01201:
(a) A certificate of conversion, which must be executed by a person authorized in s. 617.01201(6) and such other persons that may be required in the association’s articles of association or bylaws.
(b) Articles of incorporation, which must comply with s. 617.0202 and be executed by a person authorized in s. 617.01201(6).
(3) The certificate of conversion must include:
(a) The date upon which the association was initially formed under ss. 604.09-604.14.
(b) The name of the association immediately before filing the certificate of conversion.
(c) The name of the domestic corporation as set forth in its articles of incorporation.
(d) The effective date of the conversion. If the conversion does not take effect upon filing the certificate of conversion and articles of incorporation, the delayed effective date for the conversion, subject to the limitation in s. 617.0123(2), must be a date certain and the same as the effective date of the articles of incorporation.
(4) When the certificate of conversion and articles of incorporation are filed with the department, or upon the delayed effective date, the association is converted to the domestic corporation, and the corporation becomes subject to this chapter. However, notwithstanding s. 617.0123, the existence of the corporation is deemed to have commenced when the association was initially formed under ss. 604.09-604.14.
(5) Conversion of a limited agricultural association to a domestic corporation does not affect any obligation or liability of the association that was incurred before the conversion.
(6) When a conversion takes effect under this section, all rights, privileges, and powers of the converting association, all property, real, personal, and mixed, and all debts due to the association, as well as all other assets and causes of action belonging to the association, are vested in the domestic corporation to which the association is converted and are the property of the corporation as they were of the association. The title to any real property that is vested by deed or otherwise in the converting association does not revert and is not impaired by the operation of this chapter, but all rights of creditors and all liens upon any property of the association are preserved unimpaired, and all debts, liabilities, and duties of the association attach to the domestic corporation and are enforceable against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities, and duties had been incurred or contracted by the corporation.
(7) The limited agricultural association is not required to wind up its affairs or pay its liabilities and distribute its assets. Conversion does not constitute a dissolution of the association but is a continuation of the association’s existence in the form of the domestic corporation.
(8) Before a limited agricultural association may file a certificate of conversion with the department, unless otherwise specified in the association’s articles of association or bylaws, the conversion must be approved by a majority vote of the association’s members, and the articles of incorporation must be approved by the same authorization required for approval of the conversion. As part of the approval, the converting association may provide a plan or other record of conversion which describes the manner and basis of converting the membership interests in the association into membership interests in the domestic corporation. The plan or other record may also contain other provisions relating to the conversion, including, but not limited to, the right of the converting association to abandon the proposed conversion or an effective date for the conversion that is consistent with paragraph (3)(d).
History.—s. 3, ch. 2012-71.
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.