Minutes of the Board of Managers Meeting
Florida State Beekeepers Association
February 25, 2009
Telephone Conference Call: 218-339-4600, Access Code 939168
Meeting called to order by President Plenge at 8:04 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Present: President Reno Plenge, Vice President Roger Twitchell and Executive Secretary, Dr. Malcolm Sanford.
Board of Managers Representatives Present:
Tupelo: Bert Gwaltney
Orange Blossom: David Webb
Palm Beach: Brendhan Horne
Apalachee: Ellyn Hutson
Tampa Bay Beekeepers: Gary Ranker
Suncoast Beekeepers: Gary Ranker
Others present: Bob Livingston, Tony Hogg, Elmore Herman
Quorum Declared based on Article IV Section 6 of the bylaws: For any Board meeting, the President, Vice-President, Executive Secretary and three other members constitutes a quorum.
Discussion of the annual meeting. Motion that it be held November 5,6,7, 2009in Tallahassee by Roger Twitchell; Seconded by David Webb; passed. Apalachee Beekeepers Association to host. Elmore Herman and Ellyn Hutson to establish a steering committee to nail down location (local golf course?). The steering committee will request input from other associations on program and potential speakers. Elmore said there are generally two featured speakers at previous conventions. Advertising to be put in ABJ and Bee Culture. Program expected to be a full day Friday and Day in the Bee Yard on Saturday. Discussion of will there be a University of Florida program as part of this; Malcolm Sanford to inquire. Need to have pesticide license training with
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) so bee inspectors can attend day before – Jerry Hayes to be contacted for details as this is something done every year.
Discussion of mid year meeting. Elmore Herman reported he was in discussion with the Tampa Association about this, and will soon propose a time and venue, probably some time in June.
Discussion of association structure. Brendhan Horne stated Palm Beach Beekeepers were in the process of becoming a 501 (C) 3 Apalachee Beekeepers doing the same according to Tony Hogg. Roger Twitchell said the designation was needed in order to apply for grants and solicit money from foundations and individuals (tax deductible). The Association is listed as a Corporation with the Florida Department of State at http://sunbiz.org. According to Brendhan this a good first step.
Motion by Roger Twitchell that the FSBA pursue application for 501 (C) 3 status. Seconded by Ellyn Hutson, passed unanimously. President Plenge appointed the following committee, Roger Twitchell (Chair), Tony Hogg, and Brendhan Horne. They will approach treasurer Bert Kelley who was not on the conference call, but should be involved, given the financial reporting requirements. In order to facilitate this, it is recommended that a registered agent be retained. The Committee is due to report at the mid year meeting.
Discussion of organic honey. The standards are variable. Names like “chemical free” and “sustainable” are sometimes used. The Palm Beach Beekeepers hosted an organic conference; the first in the S.E. which was extremely successful. Brendhan Horne to send a report to Secretary Sanford on this conference for the newsletter. Further discussion tabled until another meeting.
Discussion of structure of the organization. Periodically associations go through a reassessment of their mission and structure as found on the home page at http://floridabeekeepers.org/ with reference to the process the Eastern Apicultural Association (EAS) recently completed. Roger Twitchell suggested the Association should look at its bylaws and constitution to see if they need changing.
Motion by Ellyn Hutson that a committee be formed to study the current bylaws and constitution and make recommendations on changes if needed at the mid year meeting. Seconded by Brendhan Horne. Passed unanimously. Committee appointed by President Plenge includes David Webb, Tony Hogg and Brendhan Horne. The Committee is due to report at the mid year meeting.
The FSBA formed a committee to research the bottling issue at last summer's mid-year meeting. The FSBA-appointed committee was prepared to present its findings to the membership at the annual meeting in Gainesville. The delivery of the report was declined because of the pending honey standard. Ellyn Hutson moved to have the FSBA recognize the committee's work (allow them to deliver their report) and to have the FSBA endorse the report and its recommendations. Gary Ranker seconded. Passed unanimously.
Malcolm Sanford was directed to ship the resolution and report it is based on to all board of manager representatives asking for an endorsement (voting yea, nay or more discussion wanted) so the Association could act quickly if a yes vote was achieved. The reason for this is that the Florida legislature has a deficit and it is thought this might be something it would act on, but this needs to reach the legislature by the beginning of the session in early March:
APALACHEE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION
RESOLUTION
SUBMITTED TO: FLORIDA STATE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION BOARD OF
MANAGERS
SUBJECT: TO SUPPORT CHANGES IN FOOD REGULATIONS FOR PART TIME
HONEY PRODUCERS
WHEREAS, We acknowledge the importance of food safety; and
WHEREAS, We recognize the responsibility of the state to protect consumers; and
WHEREAS, We affirm the need for a standard for honey purity; and
WHEREAS, There is significant growth in the number of registered part time beekeepers
within the state of Florida; and
WHEREAS, We desire to support this growth and promote beekeeping; and
WHEREAS, We believe part time beekeepers are producing an artisan product; and
WHEREAS, We are alarmed by the prohibitive cost for part-time beekeepers to comply
with current food processing regulations; and
WHEREAS, We believe the part time beekeeper will place as much emphasis in processing
their honey as in their honey production; and
WHEREAS, We believe a change in regulations to allow a part time beekeeper to
economically process and sell honey in limited quantities will not negatively
impact the safety of the honey they produce; and
WHEREAS, We believe a change in regulations to allow a part time beekeeper to
economically process and sell honey in limited quantities will not negatively
impact full time beekeepers: now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That appropriate legislation should be enacted to exempt registered
beekeepers producing less than 1000 gallons of honey annually from
permitting and inspection; and
RESOLVED, That we petition the Florida State Beekeepers Association to support this
effort; and
RESOLVED, That we petition all registered beekeepers within the state to support this
effort
Approved by unanimous consent of members present and constituting a quorum of
Apalachee Beekeepers Association on June 10, 2008
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Hogg
Secretary
Apalachee Beekeepers Association
Roger Twitchell reported that he will be attending a meeting scheduled for March 18 , 2009 to discuss Apiary issues associated with Emergency Operations (Mosquito Control) concerning application of Pesticides as well as other Honey Bee associated issues. The venue will be the Alachua Regional Service Center, AES BCM, 14101 NW Hwy 441, Suite 200, in Alachua, Florida.
Brendhan Horne reported that the Palm Beach Beekeepers were actively pursuing an ordinance for legally keeping bees with the Lake Worth City Council. This is an outgrowth of the recent situation concerning the Palm Bay affair: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090122/BREAKINGNEWS/90122060/1006/NEWS01
Roger Twitchell reported the he contacted the \ Governor’s office and soon should be receiving a resolution from them declaring Florida Pollinator Week, June22-28 for inclusion on the web site http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2008.htm
Meeting adjourned 9:57 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Malcolm T. Sanford
Executive Secretary