2004 FLARA EB & LEGISLATIVE MTG NEW PORT RICHEY, FL.

RETIREES LUNCHEON SET FOR WEST PALM BEACH IN OCTOBER

A FREE LUNCHEON will be awarded to up to the first twenty (20) APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter dues paying members paying $2.00 monthly deduction or $24.00 year union dues to the National APWU Retiree Department and/or Chapter member’s spouse or family member, limited to two free luncheons per family, who sign in and attend the Retirees Luncheon scheduled to be held on Thursday, the first day of classes for the APWU of Florida State Educational Seminar, at the Seminar hotel to be held in West Palm Beach on October 21-23, 2004. Information about the hotel will be published when available. If you have any questions, contact Jack Gose at 727-343-2998.

The luncheon is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the hotel restaurant at the Fall Seminar in West Palm Beach. All APWU Retirees and their families are invited to an APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter Executive Board meeting from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and the free luncheon which was approved by the State Chapter Board of Directors at the meeting at Daytona Beach on May 12, 2004. Congratulations to all the newly elected Chapter Executive Board officers. See you in West Palm Beach.

We will have an invited mystery guest speaker at the Retirees luncheon to keep us up-to-date on the latest news from the National APWU Convention and National APWU headquarters in Washington, D.C. So far, we have enjoyed entertaining presentations by several National APWU Officers, namely, Bob Tunstall, Sec.-Treasurer, in Fort Walton Beach; Sue Carney, Human Relations Director, in Lakeland; Jim McCarthy, Clerk Craft Director, in Cape Canaveral; and John R. Smith, Retiree Director, in Jacksonville and Orlando at previous state training seminars.

Free Happy Folders chock full of APWU memorabilia will be distributed to each luncheon attendee. The Retirees luncheon provides a great opportunity for the active Officers, Stewards, Members, Auxiliary Officers, Members, and Family guests to enjoy a social affair and share companionship with the founders of our great Union, the APWU Retirees and their families.

FLARA MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2004 IN NEW PORT RICHEY

All 3050 APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter officers, members and family guests are invited to the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans (FLARA) regular quarterly Executive Board meeting and rally, to be held at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center, 5316 U. S. Highway 19 North, New Port Richey, Fl. 34652 on Saturday, September 11, 2004 from 9 a.m. until conclusion 3:00-4:00 p.m. All APWU National, State, and Area Local/Local Officers, Stewards, Members, Auxiliary Officers, Members and Family guests are also invited to attend on this special occasion in remembrance of the terrible tragedy which happened on 9/11 in New York City with thousands of lives being lost. A press conference with invited guest speakers will include renowned politicians from Florida and the Nation. Hope to see you at the Clarion!

The Clarion Hotel room rate is $65.00 for poolside rooms and $55.00 for non-poolside rooms, plus taxes per night, for FLARA members and families. If you are interested in attending and elect to arrive on Friday night, September 10, 2004 please call 1-800-CLARION or call the hotel directly at 727-847-9005 and ask for the discounted FLARA rate, if available. For special requests, contact Justin Bowden, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Clarion Hotel in New Port Richey.

The hotel is located in Pasco County on the Gulf of Mexico, west of Tampa, between Holiday and Port Richey, Florida on the right side of the U.S. Highway 19 if you are coming from the South. If you are coming from the East on State Road 54, turn right onto U.S. Highway 19 and it is a short distance just north of State Road 54. If you are coming from the North, it is located on the left side of U.S. Highway 19 after you go past State Road 52 before you get to State Road 54. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Tony Fransetta, President, at the FLARA Wellington (West Palm Beach) office 561-792-8799 or E-mail at floridaara@aol.com.

FLORIDA VOTERS ARE URGED TO REQUEST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT & VOTE EARLY IN PRIMARY AND GENERAL ELECTION!

Did you know that any Florida registered voter can vote by absentee ballot, either in person or by mail? You don’t need to state why or have a reason! All you have to do is pick up the telephone and call your Supervisor of Elections Office for the County in which you reside to request an absentee ballot to vote in the Florida Primary Election on Tuesday, August 31, 2004 and the Florida General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004.

Many of the 67 Florida Counties Election Supervisors’ offices have their own web site and communicate via E-mail. My wife, Patty, and I live in Pinellas County and we may visit the www.votepinellas.com web site for the Supervisor of Elections office to request an absentee ballot. For additional information, we can E-mail the Supervisor of Elections at election@votepinellas.com or fax or telephone. We decided to personally visit the Supervisor of Elections office to request an absentee ballot in all elections.

When requesting your absentee ballot, you must provide: voter’s name and address, date of birth, daytime phone number, and mailing address if different from home address. An immediate family member or guardian may also request absentee ballots for others and must provide the same voter information given above for you and provide: requestor’s relationship to voter, requestor’s name and home address, daytime phone number, and requestor’s driver’s license number (optional).

A voter may designate with a signed letter, another person to pick up his absentee ballot no sooner than four (4) days prior to Election Day with a limit of two ballots per election, except for immediate family. The designee must provide a picture ID and complete an affidavit.

A person may return by mail or in person any number of voted ballots. A voted absentee ballot cannot be accepted at a polling place on Election Day. It must be returned to one of the Supervisor of Elections Offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day. The USPS postmark on a mailed absentee ballot will determine its acceptance.

You may also vote early in person on a touch screen machine in Pinellas by providing your name, home address, date of birth, daytime phone number, and picture and signature identification. There is no valid reason you can’t vote, if you are registered!

The deadline to register to vote in the November 2 General Election is October 4, 2004.