BYLAWS
Amended 9/17/2023.
FLORIDA AMATEUR WRESTLING ASSOCIATION, INC.
(A Not-For-Profit Florida Corporation Organized on a Non-Stock Basis)
Article I
Name:
Florida Amateur Wrestling Association, Inc. (aka: FAWA).
Article II
Annual Meeting:
The Annual Meeting shall be held in the month of September. The time, date and location of the annual meeting shall be announced by the State Chairman and approved by the Board of Directors.
Article III
Principal Office:
The principal office shall be located within the borders of the state of Florida. The location shall be voted upon and approved by the Board of Directors.
Article IV
The Purpose of the Organization:
Promote amateur wrestling in the state of Florida and the United States, serving as the official state affiliate of the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of wrestling, USA Wrestling, Inc.
Article V
Board of Directors:
The South Area representation shall consist of five (5) members - 1 Area Director, 3 Directors and 1 Alternate. All Other Areas shall consist of four (4) members - One (1) Area Director (also a member of the board of directors), two (2) members of the board of directors, and one (1) additional member of the board of directors designated as the alternate board of director member. The term of office for each representative shall be two (2) years.
Representatives from the South, Northwest, and Northeast areas shall be elected in odd numbered years and the Central, East, Southeast and Southwest areas shall be elected in even numbered years.
All Board members' terms begin upon their election and expire when they are either re-elected or a successor has been elected to their position. The alternate area representative is a member of the Board of Directors but shall not be allowed to vote unless and until one of the area representatives of their respective area is absent. Alternate area representatives are entitled to all rights and privileges of other representatives to the Board of Directors.
Board members are required to be current leader members of USAW no later than October 1.
Members who have not completed their membership renewal but have started the process by completing their Safe Sports requirement for the year will be counted toward a quorum and as voting members during the month of September.
Members who have not begun the renewal process by the date of the Annual meeting in September shall be considered “temporarily vacant” and may participate in the Annual meeting and Board meetings but may not vote or be counted toward a quorum.
As of October 1, any Board Member who has not completed his or her membership renewal shall be deleted from the Board and the seat will be considered vacant.
Article VI
Elections:
Area meetings shall be held from the conclusion of the Junior National Championship through and including August 31. The Board of Directors shall be elected from their area by a quorum of the area`s eligible voting members present at the Area Meeting held prior to the Annual Meeting. In the event that an area fails to achieve a quorum at their Area Meeting, the Board of Directors shall elect that Area`s Board Members at the Annual Meeting.
Article VII
Quorum:
A quorum shall be seven and one-half percent of each area`s eligible voting members. A quorum for the Board of Directors shall be a majority of the total board members; vacancies shall not be used calculate the quorum.
Article VIII
Executive Officers:
The Chairman, Vice Chairman, President, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Director, State Teams Director, Women’s Director and Officials’ Director shall comprise the Executive Committee of FAWA and shall be voting members of the Board of Directors.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be elected in September of each even numbered year by a majority vote of the Board of Directors in quorum at the Annual meeting.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors may be elected from either the Board of Directors or from nomination by a member of the Board of Directors a person of the general membership of FAWA.
If a nomination from the general membership is made, the qualifications of the nominee shall be that he or she was previously a member in good standing of the FAWA for the previous five membership years. If the Chairman of the Board of Directors is elected from the Board of Directors, then he or she, upon election, shall by operation of their election immediately vacate the position held on the Board of Directors.
Chairman is a full member of the Board and Executive Committee with a vote and counts toward a quorum.
In the event of a vacancy or resignation of the office of State Chairman, the Vice Chairman shall assume the office and an election be held by the FAWA, Inc., Board of Directors of a new Chairman. The election of a new Chairman shall be held within 15 business days.
Terms of office for all Executive Committee members or which may be added to the Board in the future are two years and shall begin following the Annual meeting at which they are elected to the Board. For the purposes of enacting this provision, the offices of Events Director and State Teams Director expire in 2024 and Women’s Director and Officials’ Director shall expire in 2025.
The terms of office for Vice Chairman, President, Secretary and Treasurer will be two-year terms with the President and Treasurer elected in the fall of the Odd numbered years, starting in 2023 and the Vice Chairman and Secretary elected in the Even Numbered years, starting in 2022.
Any Leader Member of FAWA and USAW may be elected to any Executive Director position.
No person will be allowed to hold more than one position on the Board of Directors. Should a Board member be elected to a second (or more) position on the Board, he/she must step down from all other positions which will subsequently be filled with the vacancy provision in the bylaws.
Vacant Board seats are not counted toward a quorum.
Article IX
Members:
FAWA membership shall consist of registered USA Wrestling Leaders, and Athletes and living within the borders of the state of Florida. To be eligible to vote, a FAWA member must be eighteen years of age.
Article X
Amendments:
Bylaws may be amended by approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the quorum of the Board of Directors or by approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the quorum of the eligible voting members at the Annual Meeting.
Article XI
Policies and Procedures:
The Board of Directors shall determine the policies and procedures for FAWA through approval by a majority of the board.