BLINDED
VETERANS ASSOCIATION (BVA)
FLORIDA REGIONAL GROUP, INC.
3801 Coco Grove Avenue
Miami, Florida 33133
FRG NEWSLETTER, 2009 FRG State Convention Issue
FRG
President's Message: The FRG State
Convention is right around the corner (May 1-3). Because
of all of the activities, please make your hotel reservations early to insure availability
of a room. Again, we plan to have a full
schedule of events that will be explained elsewhere in the newsletter. We have invited Dr. Norman Jones, the President of
the National BVA, to be our Guest Speaker for the Installation Banquet. This year, like every year, is going to be very
enjoyable. Remember, our VIST Coordinators
and BROS are holding training meetings during our Convention. This is a very welcome opportunity to meet with
your VIST or BROS in a more relaxed and comfortable environment. Of course we will be having our third annual
horseshoe pitching tournament. I believe all
defending champs from last year intend on participating.
Lines will be drawn, stakes planted, and the plan is to have the first horseshoe
airborne by 9 AM, Friday. It will be on the
beach in back of the hotel, just like last year. If
you would like to participate, call Bill Burgess at (386) 445-4987 and sign up for the
tournament. Be sure to be there on the
morning of the 1st of May (Friday) by 9 AM on the beach in back of the hotel. Lesson learned from last year is not to have the
stake so far away from the shot line. Seems
every year we find another thing needed to be done to tweak the tournament. Reminder, the morning horseshoe event on Friday
needs to be wrapped up in time, so that everyone can make sure they can pick up their
Convention registration packet, between 1 and 3 PM. Following
late registration, at 3 PM, the opening Informational Seminar will be held. Later Friday evening during the Dinner Dance,
we'll have the award presentation for the different classes of winners of the horseshoe
pitching tournament. Remember some of our
members want to attend the state convention but are not able to attend because of a lack
of transportation. If you have an empty back
seat and would like to give a fellow member a ride call your District Director. The State Convention is truly the most important
event of the year. Please plan on attending. Another item, we need volunteers to work in the
Hospitality Room before and after the Installation Banquet, Saturday evening. Also, we are looking for a volunteer to store the
left over Hospitality Room supplies until the next Convention. If you wish to volunteer, call Bill Burgess or me
at the number listed. One last note, Kirk
Harmon wanted to pass to all of us that the Newspaper reading service Newsline
is a free service that reads newspapers over any phone line. It also makes available TV-Guide. The Newsline service now can be sent
directly to our computers. It is sent to your
email address. This makes the
Newsline service even more convenient to use.
To find out more or to subscribe to this service please call Kirk Harmon ,number below. Kirk
will be at the FRG Convention to provide additional information. again, telephone numbers of our District
Directors: Northwest District Darryl Goldsmith - Pensacola (850) 554-7819, email
dandv5@cox.net; Northeast District Bill Burgess -Palm Coast (386) 445-4987 email
billstoy1@bellsouth.net; Central West District Gigi Mathis - Lakeland (863-255-9275 email
gigig285@aol.com; Central East District Kirk Harmon -Orlando (407)
380-3371 email kvh54@fl.rr.com; Southwest District John Thomas - St. James City (239)
283-1708 email pghiohnl@aol.com: Southeast District Jerry Abney Miami (305) 270-1739 email
abneyj@bellsouth.net. Again, as
always, keep the mission alive and help one another to help each other. Paul W. Kaminsky, FRG President. (904) 291-0576, email pkaminsky@bellsouth.net.
FRG
State Convention: Again, this year, the
Florida Regional Group State Convention will be held at the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel , 640
North Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida 32118,
May 1-3. The Plaza Ocean Club is a 190 room
hotel directly on the Atlantic Ocean. Your
Convention Committee secured the low rates of only $79 per day, for 1 to 4 persons per
room. All rooms have refrigerators and micro
waves. In addition all rooms have ocean view
balconies. These low convention rates will be in effect, on a space
available basis,3 days before and/or 3 days after the Convention. So, you may come early or stay late for an
extended vacation. The low Convention rates
are guaranteed for reservations made on or before April 13th. Reservations made after April 13th, will be at the
low Convention rate but on a space available basis. There
will be another group at the hotel that weekend, so rooms will be at a premium. We urge you to make your reservations soon to
insure your accommodations. You may cancel
your reservation and receive a full refund of
your deposit, if you cancel at least 24 hours before noon on the day you were scheduled to
arrive. You will find a Hotel Reservation
Slip at the end of this Newsletter. Please
clip it off and send it to the Hotel along with your check for one night's room rate and
tax, the Tourist Development Tax is presently 12.5% (a total of $88.88) or you may use
your credit card number to guarantee your reservation.
Other than your deposit, the hotel
will not accept checks for your remaining charges. You
must have a credit card or cash. The Hotel
toll free reservation number is (800)
874-7420. There are 24 Hotels using that
reservation number, so be sure to specify the
Plaza Ocean Club Hotel. In addition, refer to
the Blinded Veterans Association-Florida Regional Group as the group which arranged the
above indicated rates.
Convention
Registration Fee: The Convention
Registration Fee will be $35 per person (for each BV, family member, or friend attending). However, an early registration fee of only $30
per person will be in effect for registration received on or
before April 13th. The registration fee will
cover general Convention activities, including the dinner-dance on Friday night, the
Hospitality Room, and Banquet on Saturday night. Please
make your check payable to the BVA and send it to: 3801
Coco Grove Avenue, Miami, FL 33133. Please
include the first and last name of each person registering, so that we will be able to
make name tags prior to the start of the Convention.
It will be helpful if you will send your registration fee in advance.
This will greatly speed up the late registration at the
Convention. Remember to send your hotel
reservation slip and deposit to the Plaza Ocean Club in Daytona Beach and your Convention
Registration Fee to the BVA in Miami.
Convention
Schedule: The Convention Late
Registration Desk will open at 1 PM on Friday, May 1.
If you have not pre-registered, you may pay your late Registration at that time. If you have pre-registered, stop by the
Registration table in the Hotel Lobby and pick up your name tags and Convention Program. As indicated in the President's Message, the third
annual horse shoe pitching contest will be held at 9 AM on Friday. Check that message for more information.
The
Convention will begin at 3 PM on Friday, May 1 with an Informational Seminar for Blinded
Veterans and their families. At 7 PM on
Friday evening, a Dinner-Dance will be held in the Ballroom. This will be an evening for good food, good times, good fun, and good music.
The
Annual Florida Regional Group Business Meeting will be held at 9 AM on Saturday, May 2, in
the Ballroom. At that meeting, reports
regarding FRG activities for the past year will be made.
A legislative up-date will be presented. Plans
for FRG activities for the coming year will be discussed.
Any proposed amendments to the FRG
By-Laws, will be considered. The elections
for FRG Officers and District Directors for
the coming year will be held. The election
and instruction of a Delegate and Alternate Delegates to the BVA National Convention in
Portland, Oregon, will also be held. Proposed
resolutions for presentation to the BVA National Convention will be considered. All BV's in Florida are encouraged to attend this
Business Meeting and assist in planning the direction the FRG will take in the coming
year.
The
FRG Auxiliary will hold its annual meeting at 9 AM on Saturday. The Auxiliary is planning their meeting for the
State Convention. Spouses, family
members, and friends, both men and women, of the BVA
should plan to attend this FRG Auxiliary meeting. At
that time, the Auxiliary will plan their activities and elect Officers.
At
2 PM on Saturday, a second Informational Seminar will be held. The Convention will
close with the Installation Banquet on Saturday evening. There will be a period of socializing in the
Hospitality Room before and after the Banquet.
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(Clip off the hotel reservation slip on the other side and send it to the Plaza
Ocean Club)
FRG
District Meeting: Prior to the FRG State
Convention, a FRG meeting will be held at the Flaming Pit Restaurant, 1150 North Federal
Highway in Pompano Beach on Saturday, February 28. The
meeting will begin at 11:30 AM with a period of Socializing followed by lunch at noon. For lunch you may have either Ground Sirloin of
Beef or Broasted Chicken and salad, potatoes, vegetable, rolls and butter, iced tea or
coffee and dessert. The price of the lunch
will be $5 per person, including tax and tip. FRG
Vice President Paul Mimms will preside at the Informational Meeting following lunch. Come join us. For
information or to make reservations, write to
George Stocking, 3801 Coco Grove Ave, Miami, FL 33133 or call evenings,(305) 446-8008. You may also call FRG Vice President Paul Mimms,
West Palm Beach VAMC VIST Coordinator at: (561) 422-5260 or FRG Southeast District Director
Jerry Abney at: (305) 270-1739. In addition, you may call Roberta Goldstein, Miami VAMC
VIST Coordinator, at (305) 575-7000 ex 3607 or April Barnes , Broward VA Outpatient Clinic
VIST Coordinator, at: (954) 625-8730. Please be sure to make your reservations before
February 25, as the restaurant needs the number and choice of meal Desired, in order to
prepare properly for our meeting. Paul Mimms
and Roberta Goldstein are attempting to arrange transportation to the meeting from Palm
Beach and Miami-Dade Counties, respectively. Generally,
the transportation leaves and returns to the West Palm Beach VAMC and Miami VAMC. If you need such transportation, contact Paul or
Roberta.
Florida
Homestead Tax Up-Date: Information about
FS 196.081 and FS 196.101 , the two total Florida Homestead Tax Exemption Statutes were
provided in the January FRG Newsletter. FS
196.081 provides total Homestead Tax Exemption to 100% S.C. Veterans, without an income
limitation. FS 196.101 provides total
Homestead Tax Exemption to individuals who are restricted to a wheelchair for
25,Feb.mobility or who are legally blind. FS
196.101 has a total household income restriction. at
the time the January Newsletter was written, the 2009 household income limitation was not
yet available. The 2009 income limitation for
FS 196.101 is $25,221. If you are eligible
and have not yet filed for the exemption, do so now.
The cut off date is March 1, and may not be extended.
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Hotel Reservation Slip
Blinded Veterans Association
Plaza Ocean Club Hotel
Florida Regional Group
640 North Atlantic Avenue
State Convention
Daytona Beach, Florida 32118
Name____________________________________ Telephone no.
___________________________
Street
Date of
Date of
Address__________________________________________Arrival_______ depart__________
City______________________________________________
State______Zip__________
Complete this Reservation Slip and send it with your check
in the amount of $79 plus 12.5% tax or your
credit card number to the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel before April 13th to guarantee your
reservation. Or call, Toll Free (800)
874-7420. Be sure to notify the hotel you
will attend the BVA FRG Convention at the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel, to insure the low
Convention rates.