Hear Ye!    Hear Ye!     Hear Ye!

Grand Tall Cedar David McCallister is calling the forest for the first meeting of 2025, on Friday, January 31, 2025. 

A potluck meal will begin at 6:30 PM.  Tall Cedars are encouraged to bring a salad, dessert, side dish, beverage, or other edible.  

We will gather around the "stump" at 7:30.  This is an important meeting.  We will be voting on Tamiami Forest 205 merging with out forest.  Commentary, to date, by Tall Cedars of both forests have been favorable to the merger.  Tamiami Forest will vote earlier in the week on the merger.

We also will look at filling our Trustee positions.  I am currently both the Scribe and SDGTC.  I would like to encourage another Tall Cedar, from either Suncoast Forest or Tamiami Forest to consider accepting the SDGTC position.  The GTC would also like to appoint Tall Cedars to the appointed positions in the forest.  Volunteers are sought.  Present officers are GTC McCallister, SDGTC Minton, JDGTC Donald Carnley, Treasurer Travis Barbee, and Scribe Ken Minton.  

In the past three years, Suncoast Forest's second meeting has been a social at Tate's Italian Pizzeria Restaurant.  A discussion might be in order on our second meeting either at Tate's or a location further south, if Tamiami is merged with our forest. 

A question has arose over life memberships.  We currently have two life members, but it is not clear if that means they are exempt from all dues, of just the per capita.  Our constitution/bylaws refer to establishing a  life membership at a future date.  It appears that Supreme Forest shows life members as being life members of the Tall Cedar Foundation (TCF) and still levying us per capita for them, but are not levying the required assessment  to the TCF.  I will try and get clarification from the Supreme Forest on this matter.

Most of the forest members have paid their 2025 dues, but anyone who hasn't can pay the $44.25 can do so at our meeting.  Should our merger with Tamiami Forest 205 take place, their members who have paid who have paid their 2025 dues will be paid up for our 2025 dues already.  Any members of the Tamiami Forest who have not paid that forest's dues, will need to pay their dues to Suncoast Forest form 2025 after the merger. 

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting.

Cedarly regards,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Ken Minton, Scribe (PGTC)