(1) Unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation or in subsection (8), action required or permitted by this chapter to be taken at an annual or special meeting of shareholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice, and without a vote if the action is taken by the holders of outstanding shares of each voting group entitled to vote thereon having not less than the minimum number of votes with respect to each voting group that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all voting groups and shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted. In order to be effective the action must be evidenced by one or more written consents describing the action taken, dated and signed by approving shareholders having the requisite number of votes of each voting group entitled to vote thereon, and delivered to the corporation by delivery to its principal office in this state, its principal place of business, the corporate secretary, or another officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of shareholders are recorded. No written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within 60 days of the date of the earliest dated consent delivered in the manner required by this section, written consents signed by shareholders owning a sufficient number of shares required to authorize or take the action have been delivered to the corporation by delivery as set forth in this section.

(2) Any written consent may be revoked prior to the date that the corporation receives the required number of consents to authorize the proposed action. No revocation is effective unless in writing and until received by the corporation at its principal office or received by the corporate secretary or other officer or agent of the corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of shareholders are recorded.

(3) Within 10 days after either written consents sufficient to authorize or take the action have been delivered to the corporation or such later date that tabulation of consents is completed pursuant to an authorization under subsection (4), notice must be given to those shareholders who have not consented in writing or who are not entitled to vote on the action. The notice shall fairly summarize the material features of the authorized action and, if the action be such for which appraisal rights are provided under this chapter, the notice shall contain a clear statement of the right of shareholders entitled to assert appraisal rights under this chapter with respect to the action to be paid the fair value of their shares upon compliance with further provisions of this chapter regarding the rights of shareholders entitled to assert appraisal rights under this chapter with respect to the action.

(4) A consent signed under this section has the effect of a meeting vote and may be described as such in any document. Unless the articles of incorporation, bylaws, or a resolution of the board of directors provides for a reasonable delay to permit tabulation of written consents, the action taken by written consent shall be effective when written consents signed by shareholders owning a sufficient number of shares required to authorize or take the action have been delivered to the corporation.

(5) In the event that the action to which the shareholders consent is such as would have required the filing of a certificate under any other section of this chapter if such action had been voted on by shareholders at a meeting thereof, the certificate filed under such other section shall state that written consent has been given in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(6) Whenever action is taken pursuant to this section, the written consent of the shareholders consenting thereto or the written reports of inspectors appointed to tabulate such consents shall be filed with the minutes of proceedings of shareholders.

(7) The notice requirements in subsection (3) do not delay the effectiveness of actions taken by written consent, and a failure to comply with such notice requirement does not invalidate actions taken by written consent. This subsection may not be deemed to limit judicial power to fashion any appropriate remedy in favor of a shareholder adversely affected by a failure to give such notice within the required time period.

(8) If a corporation’s articles of incorporation authorize shareholders to cumulate their votes when electing directors pursuant to s. 607.0728, directors may not be elected by written consent of the shareholders unless the consent is unanimous.

History.—s. 52, ch. 89-154; s. 14, ch. 93-281; s. 55, ch. 2019-90.