Charitable Solicitation Permits

What is a Charitable Solicitation Permit?

The issuance of charitable solicitation permits is regulated by Section 78, Article III of the Town Code. For the purposes of this section charitable, contributions, and solicit and solicitation are defined below:

  • Charitable - Charitable means and includes the words patriotic, philanthropic, religious, social service, welfare, benevolent, educational, civic or fraternal, either actual or purported.
  • Contributions - Contributions means and includes the words alms, food, clothing, money, subscription, property or donation, including when under the guise of a loan of money or property
  • Solicit and solicitation - Solicit and solicitation means the request, either directly or indirectly, for money, credit, property, financial assistance or other thing of value on the plea or representation that such money, credit, property, financial assistance, or other thing of value will be used for a charitable purpose.

Agencies are limited to two (2) charitable solicitations within a 365-day period.  This limit does not apply to those organizations receiving funding from the Town through its budget process.


Requirements

Applications must be completed in their entirety and be accompanied with all required supplemental documentation and full payment. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and may result in the assessment of additional fees. Please do not submit applications without payment either. If a question is not relevant to your organization/event, then please write or type in "n/a". If you have questions regarding the application and what needs to be provided, then please contact us.

Below are the requirements to obtain a charitable solicitation permit:

  • A completed charitable solicitation permit application shall be sworn to and filed with the Town Clerk at least 60 days prior to the date of solicitation. Permits applied for less than 60 days prior shall be subject to late fees.
  • A schedule for the last preceding fiscal year of any funds collected through a charitable solicitation, which shall disclose the amount of money raised, the direct cost of raising it, and the final distribution of net proceeds. This is not required for first time applicants.
  • A statement on the estimated cost of the solicitation expressed as a percentage of the total amount estimated to be raised and a statement as to the amount of the funds raised estimated to be applied directly to functions and activities within the town and the state. These estimates shall include in-kind contributions.
  • A copy of an approved state registration form from the State Division of Consumer Services of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services showing that it shall be in effect for the full duration of any solicitation. The registration statement shall not be required if the organization is determined to be exempt from registration pursuant to F.S. Ch. 496.
  • Any delinquent fees from prior events must be paid at the time of application, in addition to the current application fee.
  • A resolution from the charitable organization(s) giving authority for the fund-raising event. Minutes of the Board Meeting where authority was given are also acceptable.
  • The hosting of an outdoor event or the serving of food and/or alcohol may require additional documentation and/or permits. Please refer to the permit application for more information.


 Fees

If the application is received at least 60 days before the event, the fees are as follows:

  • Events anticipated to raise $5,000 or less $240 each
  • Event anticipated to raise over $5,000-1st Event $500
  • Event anticipated to raise over $5,000-2nd Event $240

The application fee is waived for the first 3 events held in any given year for those organizations receiving funding from the Town through its budget process, provided that a complete application and all required supplemental documentation is received at least 60 days before the event. Failure to submit all required information on time will result in a loss of this application fee waiver.


Late Fees

If the application is received late, then the following fees apply:

  • Received after the event 400% of permit fee
  • 0-7 days prior to event 200% of permit fee
  • 8-15 days prior to event 175% of permit fee
  • 16-30 days prior to event 150% of permit fee
  • 31-59 days prior to event 125% of permit fee


After the Fact Penalty Fees & Incomplete Submissions

Even if a partial application has been submitted prior to an event, an organization may still be subject to the "After the Fact Penalty" if they fail to submit any of the required documents, information, or fees due prior to the event. Furthermore, the organization will be prohibited from holding any future events in the Town until all fees due have been paid.

For further assistance, please email the Town Clerk's Office or call 561-838-5416.