Florida SEE 2011 Annual Meeting

The 2011 Florida Society of Ethical Ecotourism annual meeting was held on June 4, 2011, at the Pink Shell Beach Resort & Spa located on Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

The meeting began with a welcome by Rebecca Beck who is the board chairperson. She explained the agenda for the meeting and then introduced John Kiseda. John has overtaken the duties of Executive Director of the organization so it will continue to grow. John stated that the organization started as a local grassroots organization and it has evolved to a state organization. He encouraged participation from all SEE members and he stated that the organization has always relied on feedback from the membership for direction.

The organization has been renamed the Florida Society of Ethical Ecotourism and it has launched an expanded website for all members and visitors. A new feature for the website is a webinar feature which will enable members to view board meetings. The webinar feature can also be used for training instructors for the certification process. The expanded website will allow members to view documents, newsletters, photos, and organizational news and updates.

Beth Preddy, the marketing chair, and Pete Corradino, Vice Chair, discussed strengthening both the website design and the website content. Beth presented a detailed marketing plan which included marketing goals and current projects.

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter have also been established for the organization.

An operator who wants to be certified has to be a member in good standing of the Florida Society of Ethical Ecotourism, have current proof of insurance, and meet all CORE criteria. The cost of certification is $100.00 and is good for three years. The operator is also required to maintain their annual dues based at $50.00.

An election of officers was conducted at the meeting for both current officers as well as new members from different areas of the state. New officers include Kristen Beck, Felipe Correa, and Kathy Hill.
Following the meeting, the participants met at Mound House for lunch and a tour provided by Teresa Schober who is the Director of Cultural Resources for the site and a FL SEE member. We would like to thank Theresa Schober and the special volunteers who devote their time educating the visitors at Mound House.

Note: A special thank you for Nancy MacPhee for sending her meeting notes and minutes for the article.