From the Panhandle to the Keys, Florida’s unique geography plays a role in why the state has three distinct chapters: IIDA North Florida, IIDA South Florida, and IIDA Florida Central. Multiple boards, goals, and priorities, as well as physical distance had meant that the three chapters were pursuing advocacy efforts separately, as well. This year, however, the current VPs of Advocacy decided to change all that, and formed the Florida Advocacy Alliance to ensure that Florida’s interior designers are speaking with a unified voice to fellow members, stakeholders, and legislators as they work to protect their title act, which recognizes interior design as a distinct profession, from the threat of deregulation.

VP’s of Advocacy Arelis Ferro, IIDA, South Florida Chapter, Rodney McCasland, IIDA, Florida Central Chapter, and Seka Collins, IIDA, North Florida Chapter talk about what they want for the future of advocacy in their own chapters but also how working together can amplify their efforts.

Florida has three chapters, how did you begin collaborating and what did it look like before that began?

AF: Before the Consortium, our chapter president, Midori Shim, IIDA, of Gresham Smith, last year’s VP of Advocacy, Carolyn Mendoza, IIDA, Diversity in Design Collaborative and I as Director of Legislative Advocacy, thought it was prudent to reach out to our counterparts. Shim reached out to ASID Florida South, and Mendoza reached out to the other VPs of Advocacy for IIDA Florida Central and North Florida Chapters. We started meeting regularly, comparing notes, creating goals, and finding synergy in having one statewide voice. Mendoza and I were new to our roles, and the previous VP had the heavy work of fighting deregulation, so this was very new to us.

RM: I was invited to IIDA’s 2023 Winter Chapter Leadership Council (CLC) on advocacy, joining our President, President Elect and VP of Events to learn more in depth how we can help our chapters. When I was there, I met the VP of Advocacy from IIDA’s North Florida chapter, and when I got back from the trip, I thought it would be a great idea if all three chapters in Florida worked together towards one goal. So, I reached out, introduced the idea and we created the Florida Advocacy Alliance. Prior to this alliance, we were all focused on our own ideas. Everyone was successful in their own right, but having this support system is great. It adds people of like minds, we all learn from each other and incorporate these ideas.

SC: I was inspired by the 2023 IIDA Winter CLC in 2023. I met my counterpart from the IIDA Florida Central chapter and together we conspired to join forces with South Florida. We are all doing great work in the realm of advocacy, but we weren't sharing the knowledge. Professionally, I want to be the most efficient I can, and I saw value in the collaboration. I also came from the old Florida IIDA Board, where we were all one. We are much more powerful and effective together.

Why is there a need to collaborate? What are your short-term and long-term goals?

AF: As the fight against deregulation showed us, we are all in this together. It makes more sense to pool our ideas and resources to ensure that we are providing our members the same messaging. For both short and long term, we would like to create a framework for those who succeed us to keep it going. In addition, we are developing several things: CEUs on how to be an advocate, resources on how to speak about interior design to different audiences, ideas on creating awareness across the state for topics of both legislative and social advocacy, etc. We also represent each other at the Board of Architects and Interior Designers (BOAID) meetings which move around the state.

RM: I think the biggest reason to collaborate is that we can all become numb or get into a routine and just become stuck, hearing fresh ideas or even a solution to a challenge is so inspiring and motivating. Knowing that we are all trying to do the same thing, this is like an expansion of our teams. Currently we are aligning ideas around an Advocacy 101 CEU and working on Capital Days. The long term idea for me is to create a system for advocacy that others feel comfortable getting involved in. Too often when people hear advocacy, they have a singular idea of what that means, but it is so much deeper than that and really should be used in all facets of our IIDA efforts in the chapters. From social advocacy supporting diversity and inclusion to internal advocacy supporting our event efforts, to our external advocacy supporting reaching out to our officials and other alliance partners, each of these are important and truly support each other.

SC: We need to collaborate and speak with one voice. While many voices and organizations are important, it dilutes the power of our message. In the short term our goal is to align resources and speak with one message across the state and increase advocacy education. Our long-term goals are to spread advocacy to incorporate EDI and social advocacy within the profession. South Florida is already leading the way with their amazing team.

What are some pros of doing advocacy work with three chapters, and what are some challenges you’ve faced?

AF: You mean besides validation that we are not alone? I mean, that is a big one. Support, guidance, knowledge, and thank goodness for the technology to meet virtually! Working together as one Florida Alliance has helped us see beyond the challenges and opportunities in our own backyards to the bigger picture of advocacy for both our profession as well as what we represent to the community. This includes championing change in EDI, access, sustainability, as well as ensuring representation at all levels of our industry. Challenges are different for each of us. I know for South Florida, we don’t have enough of a base in our farthest areas to have a City Center, so keeping connected with those folks is a challenge we are working on. Each chapter has its own culture, so we are learning from each other to develop our own best practices and keep continually growing.

RM: Again, having others where it feels like you are expanding the efforts are so strong. You have a group of people that are all looking for the same impacts in our state. The only challenge I have found is how to be as effective in my chapter as the others are in theirs.

SC: Some of the pros with working with the three chapters are, we can share best practices and deliverables, so that we don't need to reinvent the proverbial wheel. Some of the challenges I find are aligning our schedules to meet and getting the work done. As a volunteer organization, it is often difficult (for me) to find the time to work on the initiatives. I also struggle with members' broader knowledge of the importance of advocacy, the WHY, but hearing what our other chapters are doing helps fuel the momentum locally and through the state. I think Florida IIDA has a huge opportunity to grow our advocacy voice.

Do you find that your chapters often work together outside of advocacy work? Are there a lot of practice and chapter policy differences between the three?

AF: Honestly, I’m quite proud to say that I believe the Florida Advocacy Alliance is spearheading this effort. As I mentioned, each chapter has its own culture. Heck, each county in the South Florida chapter has its own culture that we are internally sensitive to in terms of planning programming for our members. Advocacy is a unifying voice that addresses a need at the core of our industry. I believe that there are other places for overlap; that it hasn’t developed yet I think has less to do with chapter policy and more to do with opportunity. My fellow VPs and I saw an opportunity, and we took it!

RM: The only difference I have noticed is the board support from chapter to chapter. There are different levels of engagement and knowledge on the importance of advocacy work. This is a way that we all support each other. We currently only connect for advocacy reasons, but I am so grateful for all of them!

SC: I am not aware if our chapters are collaborating outside of this advocacy effort. At a minimum, it would be great to share best practices for all matters, so we can learn together.

What have you accomplished so far, and what do you see as priorities over the next year?

AF: We have made our advocacy work a known entity within our chapters. That may not sound like much, but we have found that many interior designers are not aware of the power of being registered within the state and the protections and opportunities that registration holds. We’ve made IIDA a presence at the BOAID meetings, and together with our counterparts at ASID we are planning our visit to Tallahassee to speak to our legislators for Capital Days. Over the next year, we would like to develop our statewide virtual advocacy workshop with CEUs, as well as to create monthly social media messaging that is posted across all 3 chapters. We are also hoping to develop resource kits for folks to speak to different audiences: allies (architects, engineers, etc.), clients, students, etc. This includes career day resources, mentorship resources, as well as growing South Florida Chapter’s Diversity by Design program to reach underserved children across the state.

RM: The biggest things I feel I have accomplished would be creating a new relationship with a legislator, aligning our chapter on the efforts and the creation of the Florida Advocacy Alliance.

SC: In my role to date, I have created an "Advocacy War Chest" to proactively support the responsibilities of this role and to support our lobbyist in the event of legislative deregulation threat. We are funding the effort with a portion of each event ticket. We created bi-weekly Florida Alliance calls, where we share and brainstorm advocacy work in our state. We are educating our local chapter at each event with a preamble about advocacy work. We hosted a Battle of the Firms event which proceeds go to the Advocacy War Chest." I have attended the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design quarterly meetings.

Within this next year, I plan to create an Advocacy 101 CEU to promote education and awareness. Communication is a major priority, along with meeting our legislators. My chapter has a lot of opportunities within advocacy, and with the support and collaboration of the Central and South Florida chapter advocates, I know we can do anything.

Learn more about the IIDA advocacy work here.