Terms Used In Florida Statutes 607.509

  • Articles of incorporation: includes original, amended, and restated articles of incorporation, articles of share exchange, and articles of merger, and all amendments thereto. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Person: includes an individual and an entity. See Florida Statutes 607.01401
  • Public benefit: means a positive effect, or the minimization of negative effects, taken as a whole, on the environment or on one or more categories of persons or entities, other than shareholders in their capacity as shareholders, of an artistic, charitable, economic, educational, cultural, literary, religious, social, ecological, or scientific nature, from the business and operations of a social purpose corporation. See Florida Statutes 607.502
  • Social purpose corporation: means a corporation that is formed, or has elected to become, subject to this part, the status of which as a social purpose corporation has not been terminated. See Florida Statutes 607.502
  • Specific public benefit: means a benefit identified as a purpose of the social purpose corporation which is set forth in the articles of incorporation and is consistent with a public benefit. See Florida Statutes 607.502

(1) If an officer of a social purpose corporation reasonably believes that a matter may have a material effect on the ability of the corporation to create a public benefit or a specific public benefit identified in the articles of incorporation and the officer has discretion to act on the matter, the officer shall consider the interests and factors provided in s. 607.507(1).
(2) The officer’s consideration of interests and factors under subsection (1) does not constitute a violation of s. 607.0841.
(3) Except as provided in the articles of incorporation, an officer is not personally liable for monetary damages to the corporation or any other person for the failure of the social purpose corporation to pursue or create a public benefit or a specific public benefit; however, he or she is subject to s. 607.0841.
(4) Except as provided in the articles of incorporation, an officer does not have any duty to a person who is a beneficiary of the public benefit purpose or any specific public benefit purpose of a social purpose corporation arising from the status of the person as a beneficiary.