Since 1903, there have been vast changes to Florida's Ad Valorem assessment process, and the duties and responsibilities of property appraisers, the original purpose and intent for which the PAAF was organized - uniform, equitable and accurate assessments throughout the state - has remained unchanged.

Compiled from a History of the Property Appraisers' Association of Florida

BY-LAWS of the PROPERTY APPRAISERS' ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA, INC.

ARTICLE I
PURPOSE AND INTENT

These By-Laws shall be construed in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation (hereinafter referred to as the "Articles") of the Property Appraisers' Association of Florida, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Association"), adopted by the property appraisers of Florida and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Florida on the second day of March 1976.

The Association hereby adopts, confirms, and incorporates herein the Code of Ethics of the International Association of Assessing Officers.

ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

SECTION 1. Regular Membership. Regular membership shall be open to any duly elected or appointed county property appraiser of the State of Florida whose office is in good standing.

SECTION 2. Associate Membership. Associate membership shall be open to employees of eligible property appraisers or persons contracted for employment by the property appraiser.

SECTION 3. Honorary Membership. Honorary membership may be extended to persons selected by a majority of the regular membership at the annual meeting, provided that such persons are first recommended by the Board of Directors. Regular members of this Association shall automatically become honorary members upon retirement from office.

SECTION 4. Affiliated Membership. Affiliated membership is open for persons, businesses, corporations, and other entities who are neither Regular members as defined in Section 1 or Associate members as defined in Section 2. 

SECTION 5. Voting Rights. The right to hold office and vote in Association matters is reserved exclusively to regular members with all dues paid. A majority of the membership present must approve, by secret ballot, to adopt or renew or elect or hire:

1. Officers 
2. Employees 
3. By-Laws 
4. Budget of Association

SECTION 6. Transfer of Membership. A regular or associate membership for which dues have been paid may be transferred to another individual upon receipt of a written request directed to the secretary from the duly elected or appointed county property appraiser.

SECTION 7. Dues. Retired property appraisers shall not be assessed any dues. Annual dues shall be set in each budget presented to and adopted by the regular members. Such dues shall be assessed against regular, associate and other honorary members of the Association and are due and payable within ninety (90) days following October first. Dues for all regular members shall be assessed in an equal dollar amount.
Dues for Affiliated members shall be in an amount as recommended by the Board of Directors and approved by the membership at a duly noticed meeting of the general membership.

ARTICLE III
OFFICERS

SECTION 1. Officers. There shall be a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, secretary, and treasurer elected for a term of one year at the annual conference meeting each year.

SECTION 2. President. The president shall have exclusive supervision over all activities of the Association. The president shall preside at all general meetings and at all the meetings of the board of directors. The president shall appoint all committees consistent with the provision of these By-laws. The president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

SECTION 3. First Vice-President. The first vice-president shall assume the duties of the president in the event of the president's absence, incapacity or resignation, and shall have such duties as the board of directors prescribes.

SECTION 4. Second Vice-President. The second vice-president shall assume the duties of the first vice-president in the event of the first vice-president's absence, incapacity, or resignation, and shall have such duties as the board of directors prescribes.

SECTION 5. Secretary. The secretary shall take and preserve complete minutes of the meetings of the general membership and the board of directors, provide notice of each meeting to all members, the board of directors, and the standing committees, and prepare correspondence as required by the President, general membership, or the board of directors.

SECTION 6. Treasurer. The treasurer is the custodian of all funds. The treasurer shall keep accurate records and accounts of all monies received and sent. The treasurer shall maintain a current record of finances and give a full financial report at the Association meetings.

SECTION 7. Assumption of Duties. Officers shall assume the duties of their respective offices upon their installation at the annual conference meeting.

SECTION 8. Vacancies. Vacancies in the office of the first vice-president and second vice-president, secretary, or treasurer shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a majority vote of the regular members of the Association at the first meeting following the occurrence of such vacancy.

SECTION 9. Only regular members who have been a regular member of the Association for the two immediately preceding years and who have timely paid dues within 90 days of October 1st shall be permitted to serve as officers of the Association.

ARTICLE IV
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SECTION 1. Board of Directors. There shall be a board of directors comprised of eleven (11) members, five (5) of whom shall be the officers, five (5) of whom shall be non-officers elected from their districts and the immediate past president.

SECTION 2. Geographic Non-Officer Directors. Upon the occurrence of a vacancy, each non-officer director shall be elected from and by the five geographical districts listed herein.

 

SECTION 3. Term of Office. At the first annual conference meeting following adoption of these By-Laws, non-officer members of the board of directors shall be elected as follows: two members to be elected for one-year terms and three members to be elected for two year terms. In all subsequent years, directors shall serve two year terms, thus creating staggered terms for the members of the board. Directors shall take office upon their installation at the annual conference meeting.

SECTION 4. Duties. The board of directors shall implement the policies of the Association consistent with the objectives and purposes as determined by the By-Laws and the membership. During the first session of the annual conference meeting, the board shall recommend to the regular membership policies and goals. During the second session of the annual conference meeting, the board shall present a budget for the ensuring year sufficient to meet the goals of the Association. The board shall take appropriate actions to implement the policies, objectives, and purposes of the Association consistent with the budget as adopted by the regular membership. However, the day-to-day authority to supervise said actions is the responsibility of the President.

ARTICLE V
EMPLOYEES

SECTION 1. Compensation and Selection. The annual budget shall provide, with specificity, the employees that shall be or may be hired and their compensation or range of compensation. The membership in its adoption of the budget shall name the employees that they have selected.

SECTION 2. Duties. The duties of the employees shall be provided by their contract or as defined by the board of directors.

ARTICLE VI
ELECTIONS

SECTION 1. Nominating Committee. There shall be a nominating committee comprised of the five most recent past presidents who are regular members of this Association. The chairperson shall be the immediate past president.

SECTION 2. Duties. The nominating committee shall select nominees for officers for the following year. The nominating committee shall meet no later than thirty (30) days prior to the annual conference meeting and shall report its nominations to the secretary no later than fourteen (14) days before the annual conference meeting. The secretary shall provide the list of nominees to the regular membership no later than ten (10) days prior to the annual conference meeting.

SECTION 3. Eligibility. No one shall be nominated unless he or she is a regular member of the Association and has stated his or her ability and willingness to serve if elected.

SECTION 4. Additional Nomination. At any election additional nominations may be made from the floor. Voting shall be by secret ballot and by individual office commencing with the office of the president.

SECTION 5. Tellers. Three tellers shall be appointed by the president to count votes cast for officers. The tellers shall be regular members who have not been nominated for office. If a teller is nominated from the floor, the president shall immediately appoint another regular member to act as teller for that particular vote.

ARTICLE VII
COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. Standing Committees. During or before the first Association meeting after his or her installation, the president shall announce the name of the chair of each of the three standing committees. Upon a vacancy in the chair of any standing committee, the president shall appoint a successor. All appointments of chairpersons of the standing committees shall have the prior approval of the board of directors or, if the president and the board of directors are unable to agree, the membership. The members of the board of directors shall be ex-officio members of each standing committee but shall have no vote in any matter before the committee. The standing committees shall be:

(a) Legislative Committee. Legislative Committee shall review and prepare legislation relating to the ad valorem process. The Legislative Committee shall prepare and recommend to the board of directors a legislative package no later than December first (1) of each year. The Legislative Committee shall prepare and submit to the board, in writing, a position on each such bill that affects the ad valorem process, the duties and benefits of the county property appraiser, and such other areas as provided by the membership. This committee shall represent the Association before the Legislature, its committees and staff. The Legislative Committee shall have a chairperson and as many additional members as the president shall appoint.

(b) Administrative Procedures Committee. Administrative Procedures Committee shall review and prepare materials relative to the rules and regulations of the Department of Revenue relating to the ad valorem process. This committee shall represent the Association before any administrative agencies or offices of the State and shall provide a continuing study of assessment practices and procedures for the purposes of providing members with new methods and techniques to improve the ad valorem process. The Administrative Procedures Committee shall have a chairperson and as many additional members as the president shall appoint.

(c) Audit Committee. The Audit Committee shall have a chairperson and four (4) additional members.  Upon a majority vote of either the board of directors or the regular membership authorizing an outside independent audit of the Association's books, the Audit Committeee shall  retain the services of a qualified auditor to prepare the audit.  The audit findings shall be submitted at the next board of directors’ meeting and copies of the audit shall be made available to each regular member within thirty (30) days following completion of the audit. 

SECTION 2. Special and Ad Hoc Committees. The president may appoint ad hoc committees at any time without approval of the board of directors; however, special committees are subject to approval of the board of directors.

SECTION 3. Committee Reports. All standing committees may submit written reports containing specific recommendations to the regular members. Special committees shall make a written report as provided by the board of directors.

ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS

SECTION 1. Association Meetings. Meetings of the Association shall be held no less frequently than semi-annually. One meeting shall be designated the annual conference meeting, and one the mid-winter conference meeting.

SECTION 2. Notice of Meetings. Notice in writing of the annual conference, mid-winter conference, and any other Association meeting shall be given by the secretary thirty (30) days prior to such meeting. Notice in writing of all Board of Directors’ meetings shall be given no less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting. Notice in writing of the meeting of the Nominating Committee shall be given no less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting.

SECTION 3. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Association may be called by the president or any six (6) members of the board of directors.

SECTION 4. Board of Directors Meetings. Meetings of the board of directors shall be held at least quarterly at a time and place determined by the president. Special meetings of the board may be called by six (6) members of the board or by the president.

SECTION 5. Minutes of the Meetings. Copies of the minutes of the meetings of the Association and of the board of directors shall be made available to each regular member within twenty (20) days following the meeting.

SECTION 6.  The board of directors or any committee may participate in a meeting of such board or committee by means of telephone conference or similar electronic means that allows all persons participating in the meeting to communicate with each other.  Participation in a meeting pursuant to this section shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

SECTION 7. Quorum. A minimum of fifty percent (50%) of the regular members shall constitute a quorum for transaction of any and all business at any regular, special, or any other meeting of the Association. A minimum of six (6) members of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the board of directors.

SECTION 8. Parliamentary Procedure. Robert’s Rules of Order most current edition shall govern all parliamentary proceedings in all meetings of the Association, its committees, or board of directors.

ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1. These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the regular membership at the annual conference meeting or at any special meeting called for such purpose. Notice and a copy of any proposed amendment shall be provided to all regular members not less than thirty (30) days prior to such meeting.