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Sierra Club Florida
The SC Florida Executive Committee - 2013 There is a new Executive Committee (ExCom) of 7 members to handle the month to month work of the Chapter. The election was held at the Fall meeting of Group Chairs in St. Petersburg. Deborah Longman-Marien (Turtle Coast), Marti Daltry (Calusa), Tom Larson (Northeast) and Rudy Scheffer (Suncoast) will join current members Debbie Matthews, Stephen Mahoney and Bev Griffiths. Debbie Matthews is now the Chapter Chair. For more information on the structure of the Chapter, see the bylaws below.Volunteers WantedThe Chapter has a lot of work to do and needs your help. We need new members for the Political Committee, new local contacts for the lobbying committee, volunteers to help with conservation issues, and volunteers for the chapter nominating committee to find candidates to run in the fall election. To find out more, email Debbie.Matthews@florida.sierraclub.org. Be sure to tell her you want to work for the chapter and what skills you have to offer.New Florida Chapter Bylaws.The Sierra Club Board of Directors has agreed to a new set of bylaws for the Florida Chapter. The structure of the Chapter has changed and is now more like the Sierra Club Council of Club Leaders (CCL). There will be a small executive committee elected by a Council of Group Chairs, and a greater role for Group Chairs in the management of the Chapter. You can read the new bylaws here.Elections for the new ExComThe bylaws call for elections to be held in the fall of each year. Group Chairs (or Vice-Chairs) of record as of July 1 are eligible to vote, along with sitting members of the excom. Voting will take place in person at the fall meeting and results announced at the meeting. Members are encouraged to review the nominees when announced and to discuss the elections with their Group ExCom. If you want to be on the next nominating committee for chapter excom, please email John.Swingle@florida.sierraclub.org or let Debbie Matthews know you are interested. Nominating committee members are picked half by Group Chairs and half by the current excom.Who should run for the next chapter executive committee?The seven member excom has a conference call every month, and four face-to-face meetings a year. They work a lot over email, including reviewing proposals and then email voting. To be on excom, you should have a good grasp of the processes of the Sierra Club and time each month to work on club activities. Good candidates are group leaders who have been Group Chair or on a Group Excom, and who have good skills in working on a team.2013 CommitteesA list of committees and members can be found at 2013 SC Florida CommitteesSierra Club Florida MeetingsGroup Chairs, Vice-Chairs and Group Leaders are invited to attend the face-to-face meetings of the Chapter ExCom and take part in the discussions. Each of these meetings has a specific agenda and goals pertaining to the work of the club at the time. First meeting, Spring, is for leadership training and conservation work planning for the year. The early summer meeting is for committee training and campaign planning. The fall meeting is elections, lobbying planning and organizational planning. The winter meeting's goal is optionally set by the Group Chairs and the ExCom. See the calendar page for dates.Sierra Club Florida Conservation Priorities:Sierra Club Florida has changed how we set our conservation priorities. This was announced at the October 1 meeting of group chairs in St. Petersburg.The new model separates annual planning into three categories: organizational, legislative and conservation. Organizational goals are reviewed with the Group Chairs at the Fall meeting and announced in January. Legislative lobbying priorities are reviewed and suggestions made at the Fall meeting. The lobbying team will publish those priorities after their planning session. The Conservation Priorities will be set by our leaders and activists themselves. It is up to you. If you have an issue of statewide importance and can organize people, set a goal, and work to achieve it, the executive committee wants to help. They have created an outline or form to get you started, and have leaders ready to talk you through the process. For 2012, Florida Waste Minimization, and Florida Nutrient Standards (aka Red Tide or Clean Water), will carry over as priority campaigns, as will the work of the Phosphate Committee. The Waste Minimization team engages state and local waste regulators and organizes events to achieve a goal of 75 per cent recycling and elimination of plastic bags. The Sierra Club Florida Phosphate Mining Issue Coordinating Committee is made up of representatives from four groups. It investigates phosphate mining impacts, participates in the processes regarding permitting and regulatory issues for mining, educates the public regarding phosphate impact issues and coordinates with other environmental organizations regarding phosphate matters. The Florida Nutrient Standards Campaign work is found on the Clean Water for Florida page. And yes, Sierra Club Floridq continue to try and focus efforts to save and restore the Everglades, and protect panther habitat. We are currently working on a new strategy, the new Greater Everglades Campaign team, which will have a new set of goals, and bring together our Everglades work, including our successful Red Tide/Nutrient Standards work, under a national Sierra Club campaign. For details, see Greater Everglades Resilient Habitats Announcement. The next step is up to the members and leaders of Sierra Club in Florida. If you think there should be a team working on an issue of statewide importance, the Sierra Florida Executive Committee wants to help you get it approved and successfully working. The point is to set a team up for success on a Chapter Conservation Campaign. By answering the questions in the outline, a team will have the information needed to develop a clear charge and strategy for accomplishing its goals. The Executive Committee will help the teams with training, identifying resources and advertising for volunteers. You can access the form here Set a Chapter Conservation Priority. Group Advisory CouncilThe bylaws call for a Group Advisory Council to be formed to assist Groups in staying healthy and active and to advise the ExCom on Group matters. This council is looking for more members from across the state. More info on this new committee and its work can be found on their webpage. Standing Committees and ProceduresThe Executive Committee has prepared the following information on the standing committees and in Florida:
In addition, information on the following volunteer committees activities can be found on their web pages:
2013 Executive Committee Members
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