Parties of eight or more guests: Here too the Club has a records keeping requirement to protect our tax exempt status from receiving too
much revenue from nonmember guests.
Discrimination: We cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color
or religion. However, discrimination (selectivity) in the admission
of members is allowed and indeed required.
Public Accommodation: Non-member revenue and membership must
be limited. Otherwise a general-public status is assumed, which can cause
loss of not-for-profit status and expose the Club to new regulations s u c h
as those pertaining to disability accommodation.
One Club representative reported that his Club received Florida State
grant money to install a pump out station available to all boaters, but
no non-Club members have used it. Chip’s Club refused the free money
to avoid the public accommodation issue of being open to the public.
The take back message was that the Club that took the grant money
may want to reimburse Florida and we all should be wary of
“Trojan Horses”.
These are but a few subjects that Chip touched upon
while reminding us that our tax exempt status, our private Club liquor license and indeed our membership in
FCYC are at risk if IRS rules are not followed.
FWYC hosts the FCYC Veteran’s Day program next November and Commodore elect Ray Dewrell, and Director
Tom Reynolds are already engaged in planning this event.
FWYC joined the FCYC September 1996 and this will be
our first hosting of a general membership meeting for its 36
member Clubs.
~P/C Mickey La Garde, FCYC Alt. Representative
~17~