FLORIDA CHAPTER
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
5123 Kernwood Court, Suite 100
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
Tel: 727-938-6752
Fax: 727-942-4570
www.flasla.org
SUE FERN
Association Manager
FLORIDA CHAPTER
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
E.J. BOLDUC III
President
KENN BATES
President-Elect
DANA WORTHINGTON
Past President
DAVID FERRIS, JR.
Secretary
MIKE MILLER
Treasurer
JEFF CASTER
Trustee
BRIAN TRAYLOR
Broward
MARGARET MOMBERGER
Daytona Beach
DANIKA RANDOLPH
Gainesville
CHRIS FLAGG
Jacksonville
TED BAKER
Miami
MICHAEL EKBLAD
Naples/Ft. Myers
ANDREW SHEPPARD
Orlando
JONATHAN HAIGH
Palm Beach/Treasure Coast
IVY CLINTON
Tampa Bay
VACANT
Tallahassee
MATHEW POWERS
Florida A&M University
EBRU OZER
Florida International University
GLENN ACOMB
University of Florida
MARY BATES
Member at Large
Education and Research
RICHARD TINDELL
Member at Large
Public Relations and Marketing
GEORGE GENTILE
Member at Large
Leadership and Membership
PATRICK HODGES
Member at Large
Advocacy and Licensure
February 7, 2010
Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
Government Affairs Committee
Grassroots Advocacy Plan - Stormwater Management Design and Permitting
Introduction
During the 2010 Legislative Session we anticipate that the Florida Engineering Society (FES) will attempt to restrict or eliminate a landscape architect’s statutory right to sign, seal and submit for permitting stormwater management designs. In preparation of FES either filing a bill or amendment to accomplish this end, below please find a step by step plan as to how the general membership of the Florida Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects can help us fend off any such changes to Florida law.
Step One: Understand the Issue Background
For well over twenty years FES has wanted to either restrict or eliminate a landscape architect’s ability to permit stormwater management design plans. In 1988 there was a joint task force that was weighted heavily in the interest of FES that issued recommendations that were neither enacted into law nor adopted by rule.
Since 1988, FES has periodically touted the unfavorable recommendations of the 1988 report as justification of placing restrictions on landscape architects permitting of stormwater management designs. In 2008, FES again began to push for restrictions on landscape architects and FLASLA engaged in negotiations with them in order to determine whether a suitable compromise could be reached. No such compromise was reached as a result of the negotiations and in the 2009 Session FES was prepared to file legislation to place restrictions on Landscape Architects. Rather than engage in a costly legislative battle, FLASLA and FES agreed to meet in a new joint task force during the summer and fall of 2009 to determine if any changes needed to be made regarding any professional permitting stormwater management designs. This agreement was codified in the budget and meetings began in the summer of 2009.
On November 1, 2009 the Stormwater Management System Design Task Force published its findings and provided them to the Florida Legislature. The Task Force, which was made up of an appointee from FLASLA, the Florida Board of Landscape Architecture, FES, the Florida Board of Professional Engineers, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Transportation, concluded that the current regulatory system is working to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Florida, that there are no documented cases of a stormwater management system designed by a landscape architect failing, and that there is no basis for amending the practice acts of Stormwater system design professionals. In short, there is no reason to make any changes to current law, and specifically no reason to restrict a landscape architect’s ability to prepare design plans and permit a stormwater management system.
Despite the favorable outcome of the Joint Stormwater Management System Design Task Force, we still believe that FES will attempt to restrict landscape architect’s rights through legislation during the 2010 Session.
Step Two: The Role of the Executive Committee
Members of the Executive Committee of FLASLA must set the example for the rest of the organization’s membership by actively engaging their elected officials and educating them on the profession of landscape architecture and specifically on the issue of stormwater
management design. In addition to following the steps that are outlined below on how to determine your State Representative and State Senator, the Executive Committee must mobilize the general membership to use the tools that we have created and advocate on behalf of the society.
Step Three: The Role of Section Chairs
In executing the grassroots strategy, Section Chairs have the responsibility of contacting and encouraging members in their section to advocate through emails, letters, phone calls or in office visits. In addition to mobilizing their section members, Section Chairs should also keep track of who does engage in advocacy and report their activity back to the GAC chair so a list of what contacts have been made and who has contacted what elected official can be compiled
Step Four: How to Contact Your Elected State House and Senate Members
These directions can be used by the Executive Committee and passed on to the general membership of the society in order for individuals to determine who their elected officials are and how to contact them.
1. Go to http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx
2. Click on “Find Your Representative”
3. Enter your address
4. At this point you should see your State Representative and State Senator listed with their address and phone numbers.
5. You can place advocacy phone calls to the phone numbers listed
6. You can send letters to the Capitol Address listed
7. To send advocacy emails it is best to call the elected official’s office and obtain the proper email address
8. To set up an in office visit with your elected officials, call their office and arrange the visit
Step Five: What to Tell Your Representative and Senator
In order to simplify the advocacy effort for individual members of FLASLA, we have created two letter templates for use in letter or email advocacy. One template is for professional members of FLASLA and the second template is for students studying landscape architecture. These letters can be used verbatim (just adding your name), can be altered to include additional thoughts you may have, or can simply be a guideline for crafting your own letter.
For calls, or in office advocacy, we suggest you review the background provided in this document, the letters we have provided, and also utilize the talking points we have provided on this issue.
Step Six: When to Contact Your Representative and Senator
Any time is a good time to introduce yourself and your profession to your elected officials. For this specific issue of stormwater management design permitting, however, we will want to control the timing of this advocacy effort in order to get the maximum impact. Based on our belief that FES will likely attempt to change the law via an amendment late in session, we will wait to mobilize. We suggest that Section Chairs prepare their members and have them ready to advocate, but to wait until the GAC chair issues the direction to begin contacting State Representatives and Senators regarding this issue.