Chapter Ten - County Fair Charter
CORPORATE CHARTER
OF
SEBRING FIREMEN’S COUNTY FAIR
ASS’N, INC.
Sebring, Highlands County, Florida, a corporation not for profit.
IN THE NAME AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE JUDGE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE TENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA, IN AND FOR HIGHLANDS COUNTY:
TO ALL WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, GREETING:
This is to certify that the undersigned subscribers do hereby associate themselves together in a corporation not for profit under and by virtue of the provisions of Section 6495 et seq. of the Compiled General Laws of Florida of 1927, and the several supplements and acts amandatory thereof.
ARTICLE I.
----NAME----
The name of this corporation shall be Sebring Firemen’s County Fair Association, Inc. and the place where it is to be located shall be in the City of Sebring, Highlands County, Florida.
ARTICLE II.
----OBJECT----
The general nature of the object of this corporation shall be: to hold and give fairs and places for the display of’ stock, goods, wares, merchandise, fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy products, manufactured goods, of any and all kinds and to afford opportunity for the owners of any and all live stock, grain, vegetables, and products of every kind, and manufactured articles and machinery of all sorts, kinds and classes manufactured for any and all purposes whatsoever; and to give premiums in any sums and amounts desirable and justifiable for speed, quality, workmanship, beauty and utility of any and all above mentioned articles; and to own and hold sufficient and suitable real estate, buildings and structures, tracks and all appurtenances and necessary places for the sufficient and proper exhibit from time to time as may be justified, required and supported by the people and public generally; own and operate amusement organizations, lunch stands, concessions, riding devices and other forms of amusement, or to hire the same on a percentage basis; solely for the benefit of said Association.
ARTICLE III.
----MEMBERS----
Any reputable citizen of Highlands County, Florida, shall be eligible for membership in said Association, upon payment of registration fee to be fixed by the By-laws of said Association, and when the Secretary of the Association shall have reported to the Board of Directors that the proposed member has so complied with said By-laws.
Any member of said Association may be expelled therefrom by a Committee elected from among the members of the Board of Directors upon evidence of the disloyalty of said member to the said Association, but said member shall have the right to appeal from the decision of said Committee to the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV.
----DURATION----
The term for which this Association shall exist shall be the period of ninety-nine years.
ARTICLE V.
----OFFICERS AND MANAGEMENT----
The affairs of this Association are to be managed by the following officers: a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Manager and Treasurer. The said officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors from the membership of said Board at its annual meeting to be held on the first Tuesday in December of each year; and the Board of Directors shall consist of not less than five (5) members nor more than twenty (20) members, as may be prescribed from time to time by the By-laws of said Association, which said Board of Directors shall perform such duties as may from time to time be prescribed by said By-laws. Said Board of Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the members of said corporation to be held on the first Tuesday of December of each and every year and said Board of Directors shall be elected for a period of one (1) year.
ARTICLE VI.
----NAMES OF OFFICERS----
The names of the officers who are to manage all the affairs of this corporation until the first election under this Charter are as follows:
President - A. C. Altvater
Vice-President - Ray Morgan
Secretary - W. M. Williams
Treasurer - J. J. Lighthiser
Manager - W. M. Williams
and a Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VII.
----BY-LAWS----
The By-laws of this Association are to be made, altered or rescinded by a majority vote of the membership.
ARTICLE VIII.
----INDEBTEDNESS----
The highest amount of indebtedness or liability to which the corporation may, at any time, subject itself, shall never be greater than the sum of One Hundred Thousand ($100,000.00) Dollars, provided, the said corporation may subject itself to bonded or mortgage indebtedness in addition to the general indebtedness herein set forth in the sum of Twenty-Five Thousand ($25,000.00) Dollars for the purpose of erecting buildings and purchasing equipment to be used in connection with and for the purposes of this Association.
ARTICLE IX.
----VALUE OF REAL ESTATE----
The amount in value of the real estate which this corporation may hold, subject always to the approval of the Circuit Court, shall be Twenty Five Thousand ($25,000.00) Dollars which may be sold or conveyed to further the objects of the Association.
ARTICLE X.
----QUORUM----
A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum of said Board for the transaction of business of said Board and twelve (12) members shall constitute a quorum of the membership of said Association for the transaction of business at any annual meeting or special meeting of the membership of said corporation, or any adjourned meeting thereof, provided that notice of said meeting shall have been given by publication thereof, two times, in a newspaper published in Highlands County, Florida.
ARTICLE XI.
----NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF SUBSCRIBERS----
The names and places of residence of the subscribers to this corporation are as follows:
NAMES RESIDENCES
A. C. Altvater Sebring, Fla. Bob Butts Sebring, Fla.
W. M. Williams " W. H. Button "
R. N. Durrance " C. B. Jones "
J. P. Lighthiser " A. W. Estes "
Ray Morgan " C. F. Saunders "
E. L. Greene " Thos. Whitehouse "
H. S. Jones " Joe M. Stiles "
Joe Long " Ray Paschall "
P. S. Wyandt " C. S. Martin "
J. J. Lighthiser "
Fred P. Wheeler "
O. W. Chapman "
Ray T. Graddy "
Geo. H. Shurtliff "
Hayden Williams "
H. W. Long "
IN TESTIMONY of the intents of good faith to carry out the purposes and obligations set forth, we have here unto set our hands and seals this 2 day of February, A.D. 1937.
STATE OF FLORIDA
COUNTY OF HIGHLANDS
Before me, the undersigned authority, personally appeared, A. C. Altvater, Ray Morgan, and W. M. Williams, each a man of good character and reputation, who acknowledged, each for himself, that he executed the foregoing proposed charter freely and voluntarily for the uses and purposes therein mentioned.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and official seal at Sebring, Highlands County, Florida this the 2 day of February, A.D. 1937.
Playford A. Naylor (seal)
Notary Public
AFFIDAVIT.
STATE OF FLORIDA
COUNTY OF HIGHLANDS
Before me, the undersigned authority, personally appeared A. C. Altvater, Ray Morgan, and W. M. Williams, who after being duly sworn says that the sole object of this Association is for public service and that there has been provided for the purposes of the Association property, money, and other valuable assets in value exceeding $5,000.00 and that it is intended in good faith to carry out the purposes and objects therein set forth.
A. C. Altvater (s)
Ray Morgan (s)
W. M. Williams (s)
Sworn to and subscribed before me this the 2nd day of February, 1937 at Sebring, Highlands County, Florida.
Playford A. Naylor
Notary Public.
The foregoing charter is approved this 8th day of February, 1937, at Sebring, Florida.
W. J. Barker, (signed)
Circuit Judge