(1) Board members shall attend all regularly scheduled Board meetings unless prevented from doing so by reason of the illness of the Board member or a member of the Board member’s family, death of a member of the Board member’s immediate family, or natural disaster.
    (2) No Board member may be absent from three consecutive regularly scheduled Board meetings unless the absence is excused for one of the reasons stated in subsection (1) of this rule. An absence for any reason other than the reasons stated in subsection (1) constitutes an unexcused absence for the purpose of declaring a vacancy of the Board. An otherwise excused absence is not excused if the Board member fails to notify the Board office of the impending absence prior to the regularly scheduled Board meeting at which the absence will occur or unless the failure to notify the Board office is the result of circumstances surrounding the reason for the absence which the Board itself excuses after the absence has occurred.
    (3) “”Family”” consists of immediate family, nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.
    (4) “”Immediate family”” consists of spouse, child, parents, parents-in-law, siblings, grandchildren, and grandparents.
Specific Authority 455.207(3), 473.304 FS. Law Implemented 455.207(3) FS. History-New 9-30-97.