RULE 18 - Committees and Caucuses of the Republican Party of Florida

A. Establishment of Standing Committees

  1. The following permanent standing committees of the Republican Party of Florida are established:

    1. Audit

    2. Budget

    3. Constitution and Rules

    4. Credentials

    5. Grievance

    6. Legislative Affairs

    7. Rural County

    8. Veterans Engagement

  2. At any time, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida may also establish such select or ad hoc committees as he or she deems necessary.

  3. The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida may appoint the Chairman and all members of each committee. All committee Chairmen and members serve at the pleasure of the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida may also appoint any Republican to serve as a member of any committee in an ex officio capacity.

  4. Only members of the Republican State Executive Committee are eligible to serve on a standing committee of the Republican Party of Florida. Any member of a county Republican Executive Committee is eligible to serve on a select or ad hoc committee of the Republican Party of Florida. To the maximum extent possible, committee members should be equally divided between men and women.

B. Organization and Responsibilities of the Audit Committee

  1. The Audit Committee shall consist of at least seven members of the State Executive Committee, six of whom shall be appointed based on the recommendation of, respectively, the Republican Party of Florida’s Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, National Committeewoman, National Committeeman, and Immediate Past Chairman (if he or she remains in good standing). The Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida shall appoint as members of the Audit Committee the persons recommended as described in this Rule. The Audit Committee shall elect its own Chairman.

  2. The Audit Committee shall interview and select an accounting firm to conduct the annual audit required by law. After the annual audit has been completed, the accounting firm shall present the annual audit to the Audit Committee, which shall have authority to review, approve, and file a copy of the audit with the Florida Department of State prior to the statutory filing deadline. The Audit Committee shall provide a report on the results of the annual audit to the Executive Board of the Republican Party of Florida, along with any recommendations of the Audit Committee concerning the annual audit. The Audit Committee shall have the authority to inspect and audit, but not to change, destroy, deface, or remove any of the financial records of the Republican Party of Florida. The term of the Audit Committee members shall expire with that of the Officers of the State Executive Committee.

C. Establishment of Caucuses

In addition to the committees established under this Rule, there shall be a Caucus of County Chairmen, a Caucus of State Committeemen and State Committeewomen, and a Caucus of Appointees that shall be made up of the 10 Governor’s Appointees, the 10 Senate President Appointees, and the 10 Speaker Appointees. Each Caucus shall elect its own Chairman and Vice Chairman before the Annual Meeting of the State Executive Committee in each odd-numbered year. Each Caucus shall meet at least four times each year in conjunction with the meetings of the Executive Board of the Republican Party of Florida and shall provide a report on the activities of the Caucus to the Executive Board. Each Caucus has the authority to adopt Bylaws consistent with these Rules and shall file a copy of its Bylaws with the Republican Party of Florida. The first chair of the Caucus of Appointees shall be a current member of the Executive Board.