General Meeting, 3rd Tuesday of Every Month, at 7:30 PM
Refreshments served at 6:30 PM
Board Meeting, Monday Before General Meeting, at 7:00 PM
Support For Officers & Their Families
Click on below link to go to www.policefamilies.com it's a web site that offers support for Police Officers and their families
Lodge 66 of the Fraternal Order of Police was chartered on the 11th of September, 1985 by the Grand Lodge with an original membership of twenty two members. The first President of Lodge 66 was Robert E. Lister who tragically passed away in 1986. At that time the members renamed our Lodge the "Robert E. Lister Memorial Lodge #66" in memory of the dedication and work done for the FOP by Bob Lister.
The lodge office and meeting hall are located at 23300 Harper Ave., in Charlotte Harbor. The lodge phone is 627-9666. The lodge office is usally manned during the day by volunteers and if no one is present, a message may be left on the lodge answering machine, 627-9666. The Lodge regular membership meets on the third Tuesday of each month of the year. The Lodge Executive Board meets on the Monday before the regular membership meetings of each month. The Lodge Labor Council usally meets on the second Tuesday of each month. At the regular membership meetings, food and refreshments are served. Food is normally served at 6:30 PM and the meeting follows at approximately 7:30 PM.
The Lodge provides the following benefits for all members ( unless otherwise indicated ):
1.) Use of the Lodge hall. The Lodge hall, which accommodates approximately sixty persons, can be reserved by members for their personal use (birthday parties, weddings, picnics, squad parties, etc ). Reservations may be made at the Lodge office by completing a reservation form and by leaving a $50.00 fee. $25 is returned to the user if the Lodge is left in a satisfactory condition. The Lodge has a fully equipped kitchen which is included in the $25 charge. Although the original contact can be made by phone, you must stop by the Lodge in person to make final arrangements and receive instructions on the Lodge rules.
2.) Participation in the Lodge blood bank program.
3.) A Legal Defense Fund. This program is available only to active working law enforcement members. This fund provides up to five hundred dollars for legal fees for "on duty" related incidents requiring legal assistance and if additional money is needed, up to twenty five hundred dollars in additional monies may be authorized by the Lodge Executive Board. This plan, which has been in effect for several years, is seperate from the legal defense plan available to Labor Council members.
4.) Survivor Benefit Fund. This fund provides up to one thousand dollars to the designated survivor of any Lodge member who dies while a member in good standing in the Lodge. The plan provides that upon joining the Lodge, the member has a one hundred dollar benefit for the first year, then step increases of one hundred dollars for four years to five hundred dollars and in the fifth year increased to one thousand dollars. If there is a break in service and a member either rejoins or is reinstated in the Lodge, the member starts again at one hundred dollars. ( a "break in service" can be caused by failure to pay Lodge dues at the required time and being suspended from Lodge membership ).
5.) Our District Lodge, the State Lodge, and our own Auxiliary Lodge, each year provides school scholarships for members children. ( These are limited and an application must be completed and submitted for consideration. Contact the Lodge secretary for additional information )
6.) Lodge Newsletter. Published monthly, the Lodge newsletter is dedicated to informing all members of the Lodge on Lodge activities, and legislation in the state and national congress pertinent to law enforcement officers. Note, if you fail to receive a newsletter at anytime, contact the Lodge office and leave a message. Our newsletter is mailed by bulk mail and the Post Office does not notify the Lodge if it is undeliverable.
The Lodge has an active Auxiliary Lodge which meets on the third Wednesday of each month at the Lodge hall at 7:00 PM. It also has an active Associate Lodge which meets on the third Thursday of each month at the Lodge hall at 7:00 PM.
The Lodge is in a sound financial condition and our yearly dues of $48.00 are among the lowest of the Florida State Lodges. To supplement our members dues the Lodge conducts a solicitation campaign to solicit support from all citizens in Charlotte County for our endeavors. We also sponsor and work at a bingo night at the "Bingo Hall". The revenue generated by our solicitation and bingo nights amount to 85 percent of our yearly income. The Lodge owns its own building in Charlotte Harbor, with sufficient land for future expansion of our facilities.
Members who are employed by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office as deputies or correction officers may sign up for payroll deduction and their yearly dues will be deducted from their salary. They may also have their Labor Council dues deducted the same way. After individuals have signed up for membership, their application is forwarded to our national lodge and new members should receive their FOP membership card from the national lodge in about a month.
Between membership meetings, Lodge business is managed by an elected Executive Board. This board is composed of 15 elected members. Since its inception a majority of board members have been active working law enforcement officers and all but one Lodge President has been an active working officer. The administration of the Lodge is handled by our Lodge State Trustee, our Lodge Secretary, and Lodge Treasurer. Our Lodge has created and manages three "Not for Profit" Corporations ( The Lodge, The Auxiliary Lodge, and The Associate Lodge ) and a "For Profit" Corporation ( the FOP 66 Inc., our solicitation entity ). We operate and manage our own telephone solicitation, eliminating the need for a professional middle man, and therefore receive all monies donated by the citizens in Charlotte County.
Finally, how our Lodge decides what benefits we provide to our membership, who will run the Lodge, is decided at our regular meetings. Get involved and make your opinion known, attend the meetings. Any questions? Please give us a call at the Lodge, 627-9666 or email "fop66@earthlink.net".
