Participation · Accessibility · Collaboration · Excellence

PHCC Articles & Bylaws

Governing our organization, protecting member participation, and guiding the future of service in Pine Hills.

Current version adopted June 2, 2026 Member-approved governance Florida 501(c)(4) organization
Read Current Documents Explore Major Changes
A Message From the President

Preserving our history while building for the future.

Julien Serrano-O’Neil President Pine Hills Community Council, Inc.
Setting the P.A.C.E. for Better Governance

Good governance is one of the most important responsibilities of any nonprofit organization. Throughout PHCC’s history, our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws have provided the foundation for how we organize, make decisions, engage our members, and serve the Pine Hills community.

As our programs, partnerships, membership, and community impact continue to grow, our governing documents must evolve with us. On June 2, 2026, the PHCC membership approved a comprehensive revision of the Council’s Articles and Bylaws.

These revisions modernize our leadership and committee structure, strengthen Board accountability, clarify member and officer responsibilities, improve administrative procedures, and establish a responsible framework through which PHCC may recognize or collaborate with separately incorporated affiliated organizations.

This page is intended to make those documents more understandable and accessible. Whether you are a longtime member, a prospective member, a community partner, or a resident learning about PHCC for the first time, I encourage you to explore the major changes and review the complete governing documents.

Together, we are preserving the Council’s history while strengthening its ability to serve Pine Hills for generations to come.

With Gratitude & Purpose, Julien Serrano-O’Neil President, Pine Hills Community Council, Inc.
Understanding PHCC Governance

What do these documents govern?

The Articles of Incorporation establish PHCC’s legal purpose and authority. The Bylaws provide the operating rules through which that purpose is carried out.

Organizational Purpose

Defines PHCC’s civic mission, community objectives, authority, and limitations.

Membership

Establishes membership categories, voting rights, dues, and member responsibilities.

Leadership & Operations

Defines officer duties, Board authority, elections, committees, meetings, and succession.

Accountability

Provides rules for financial stewardship, amendments, member discipline, and organizational dissolution.

Our Governance History

Evolving with the community we serve.

PHCC’s governing documents have been amended over time by the membership to address changing organizational and community needs.

1987

Foundational Documents

PHCC’s Articles of Incorporation and governance framework were established.

2002

Membership Amendments

Members approved revisions to the Council’s governing documents.

2010

Governance Updates

Additional organizational and administrative amendments were adopted.

2021

Membership & Administrative Revisions

Updates addressed membership, dues, officer titles, and current organizational practices.

2026

Comprehensive Modernization

Members approved a broader revision and reorganization on June 2, 2026.

Approved June 2, 2026

Major changes in the current Articles & Bylaws.

Select a category and open each card to learn what changed and why it matters. This summary is provided as a public guide. The complete governing documents remain the controlling authority.

Approved revisions

  • Establishes Organization, Individual, Senior, Student, and Honorary membership categories.
  • Formally identifies Student Membership within the Articles and Bylaws.
  • Clarifies that Honorary Members are ratified by the Board.
  • Allows general membership applications to be shared with the Board for information without requiring individual Board ratification.
Why it matters: The new structure better reflects the different residents, students, organizations, and community partners who participate in PHCC.

Approved revisions

  • Establishes the First Vice President as the First Vice President for Development.
  • Establishes the Second Vice President as the Second Vice President for Membership.
  • Assigns development, fundraising, growth, and sustainability responsibilities to the First Vice President.
  • Assigns membership development and member engagement responsibilities to the Second Vice President.
  • Clarifies the succession order when the President is absent or the office becomes vacant.
Why it matters: Officer titles and duties now more clearly communicate who is accountable for organizational development and membership growth.

Approved revisions

  • Adds grounds for removing a Board member for cause.
  • Identifies grounds such as gross negligence, fiduciary violations, criminal activity, or conduct that brings disrepute to the Council.
  • Requires written notice at least 15 days before a removal vote.
  • Gives the Board member an opportunity to respond in writing or appear before the Board.
  • Requires a two-thirds vote of Board members present where a quorum has been established.
Why it matters: The provision creates an established accountability process while preserving notice and an opportunity for the affected member to be heard.

Current standing committee framework

  • Audit
  • Budget and Finance
  • Business and Economic Development
  • Code Enforcement, Anti-Litter, and Beautification
  • Community Outreach
  • Education and Youth Programs
  • Hospitality and Chaplain
  • Marketing, Public Relations, Website, and Email
  • Membership
  • Parliamentary Procedure
  • Zoning
Why it matters: The structure connects committees more directly to PHCC’s modern civic, educational, communications, membership, and economic-development work.

Approved revisions

  • Requires each ad hoc committee to have a defined purpose, scope, and timeline.
  • Requires alignment with PHCC’s mission and strategic direction.
  • Requires periodic updates to the Board.
  • Requires a final written report when the assignment is completed.
  • Provides for automatic dissolution after the purpose is fulfilled or at the President’s discretion with notice to the Board.
Why it matters: Ad hoc committees remain flexible while gaining clearer expectations, reporting responsibilities, and defined endpoints.

Approved revisions

  • Organizes the Treasurer’s reporting, recordkeeping, audit, and transition responsibilities into a clearer list.
  • Retains Board approval requirements for grant and award accounts.
  • Clarifies the banking signature hierarchy.
  • Preserves the requirement to initiate updated banking resolutions and signature cards following officer installation.
  • Clarifies the outgoing Board’s responsibility to transfer organizational records and accounts.
Why it matters: Clearer financial procedures support continuity, accountability, and orderly transitions between administrations.

Approved revisions

  • Establishes 6:00 p.m. as the normal General Council meeting time.
  • Preserves the membership’s authority to change the meeting hour by simple majority vote.
  • Retains public access to General Council meetings.
  • Preserves time for community residents to present suggestions.
  • Clarifies the January Annual Meeting and installation procedures.
Why it matters: The governing documents now more accurately reflect how PHCC meetings operate while maintaining public participation.

Approved revisions

  • Retains the six-month membership requirement for Board candidacy.
  • Retains the requirement that a presidential candidate have at least one year of prior Board service.
  • Clarifies that Directors-at-Large must complete orientation and training before receiving voting rights.
  • Adds a seven-day Board notification requirement when a vacancy occurs.
  • Provides for appointment of a replacement by majority vote at the next Board meeting.
Why it matters: These procedures support continuity and create clearer expectations when Board positions become vacant.

Approved revisions

  • Applies the 60 percent membership approval requirement to long-term office leases or formal facility-use agreements.
  • Expands notice options to include a member’s mailing address, email address, and official PHCC communication platforms.
  • Excludes short-term event reservations and routine facility arrangements from the heightened voting requirement.
  • Excludes qualifying intergovernmental partnership agreements within the Board’s ordinary course of business.
Why it matters: Members retain oversight of major long-term obligations while the Board can manage routine facility needs efficiently.

Approved revisions

  • Authorizes PHCC to establish, support, or recognize separately incorporated affiliates.
  • Allows potential affiliates organized under Section 501(c)(3), Section 501(c)(6), or other applicable provisions.
  • Requires each affiliated organization to maintain separate governing documents, leadership, finances, and legal status.
  • Recognizes the Pine Hills Community Foundation, Inc. as a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Establishes governance boundaries, financial separation, and written-agreement requirements for shared services or resources.
Why it matters: PHCC gains a responsible structure for supporting charitable and economic-development work without combining the legal or financial operations of separate organizations.

Approved revisions

  • Adds a table of contents.
  • Uses consistent section titles, officer names, and terminology.
  • Separates lengthy responsibilities into numbered lists.
  • Clarifies headings for authority, eligibility, meetings, elections, and financial administration.
  • Preserves earlier amendment dates as part of the formal historical record.
Why it matters: Governing documents are most effective when members can understand and use them.
At-a-Glance Comparison

From the previous framework to the 2026 framework.

The 2026 revision retains PHCC’s historic mission while adding clearer structures for accountability, participation, operations, and future growth.

Governance Area
Previous Framework
2026 Approved Framework
Leadership
Traditional First and Second Vice President titles with duties described throughout the documents.
Development and Membership portfolios are reflected directly in the officer titles and responsibilities.
Membership
Membership categories and application procedures were addressed in several forms over prior revisions.
Organization, Individual, Senior, Student, and Honorary categories are expressly identified.
Committees
Committee structure reflected many longstanding areas of PHCC activity.
Standing committees are aligned with present-day communications, youth, outreach, membership, economic development, and civic work.
Board Accountability
General attendance and performance expectations were established.
A formal removal-for-cause process includes written notice, an opportunity to respond, and a defined vote threshold.
Ad Hoc Committees
The President could establish temporary committees with delegated authority.
Temporary committees receive defined scopes, timelines, reporting duties, final-report expectations, and dissolution procedures.
Affiliated Entities
Earlier language primarily contemplated the creation of a charitable arm.
A broader framework permits separately incorporated 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6), and other aligned affiliates with governance and financial separation.
Document Accessibility
Historic formatting and terminology reflected earlier periods of organizational operation.
A table of contents, consistent headings, numbered duties, and updated terminology improve navigation and readability.
A Significant 2026 Addition

A responsible framework for affiliated organizations.

The revised Articles authorize PHCC to establish, support, or formally recognize separately incorporated organizations whose purposes align with the Council’s civic mission.

The Bylaws specifically recognize the Pine Hills Community Foundation, Inc. as a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) organization and permit consideration of a future 501(c)(6) business-focused affiliate.

Separate Legal Status

Each affiliated entity must maintain its own incorporation, governing documents, leadership, and tax identification.

Financial Separation

Affiliate funds may not be commingled with PHCC funds, and each entity must maintain separate financial records.

Independent Governance

Affiliated organizations retain independent authority over their programs, operations, grants, advocacy, and finances.

Written Collaboration Agreements

Shared services, branding, administrative support, resources, or financial collaboration must be approved in writing.

Historical Amendment Record

Preserving the 2021 revisions and earlier history.

The adoption of a new version does not erase the work of previous members and administrations. Earlier amendments remain part of PHCC’s organizational history.

The 2026 revision represents a comprehensive modernization and reorganization of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.

  • Modernized leadership roles and officer duties
  • Expanded and clarified membership categories
  • Updated standing and ad hoc committee standards
  • Added Board removal and vacancy procedures
  • Clarified facility-agreement requirements
  • Established an affiliated-organization framework
  • Improved organization, consistency, and readability

The 2021 revisions followed a review of PHCC’s governing documents and updated several areas to reflect then-current organizational practices.

  • Updated language in the Articles of Incorporation to reflect current organizational practice
  • Updated membership eligibility and classification language
  • Addressed officer titles and organizational responsibilities
  • Updated standing committee language
  • Updated membership dues categories and assessments
  • Preserved prior amendments adopted in 2002 and 2010

The 2010 amendments form part of the governing history carried forward in later versions of the Articles and Bylaws.

The 2002 amendments represent one of the earlier formally recorded updates to PHCC’s governing documents.

PHCC’s governing documents trace their foundational structure to 1987. Later amendments have built upon that original framework while preserving the Council’s civic mission.

Governance Document Center

Review the official documents.

The summaries on this page are provided for accessibility and public education. The complete adopted Articles and Bylaws remain the controlling governing documents.

2026 Final Articles & Bylaws

Read the complete clean version revised and adopted by the PHCC membership on June 2, 2026.

Download Current Document

2026 Amendment Redline

Review the marked-up document showing the proposed additions, deletions, and revisions considered during the amendment process.

Download Redline

2021 Historical Version

Review the prior governing-document version and the revisions approved by PHCC membership in February 2021.

View Historical Document
Governance in Action

Setting the P.A.C.E. through responsible governance.

PHCC’s governing documents help translate the principles of Participation, Accessibility, Collaboration, and Excellence into the daily operation of the Council.

P

Participation

Members have defined voting rights and opportunities to help shape the organization’s direction.

A

Accessibility

Clearer language and public access make governance easier to understand and navigate.

C

Collaboration

Committees and affiliated organizations can work together through defined responsibilities and boundaries.

E

Excellence

Accountability, financial stewardship, and organized leadership strengthen the Council’s ability to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding the governing documents.

The Articles of Incorporation establish PHCC’s organizational identity, purpose, authority, and major structural provisions. The Bylaws provide more detailed operating rules concerning the Board, members, dues, meetings, elections, finances, and other internal procedures.

The revisions were adopted by the PHCC membership on June 2, 2026, through the amendment procedures established in the governing documents.

No. The final version adopted on June 2, 2026 is the current governing document. The 2021 version is preserved on this page for historical transparency and institutional recordkeeping.

Proposed amendments must be presented in writing at a General meeting, read by the Secretary, and tabled until the next General meeting. Adoption requires a two-thirds vote of the members present.

The Bylaws recognize the Pine Hills Community Foundation, Inc. as a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) organization. It maintains independent governance, governing documents, finances, and operations. Shared services or collaborative arrangements must be established through written agreements approved by the respective Boards.

Governance belongs to the membership.

PHCC’s Articles and Bylaws are more than legal documents. They are a shared agreement about how we participate, lead, make decisions, and remain accountable to one another and to the Pine Hills community.

Review the Documents Become a PHCC Member