SAF in Action BY AMANDA JEDLINSKY 5 THINGS SAF IS TELLING CONGRESS IN 2025


> The Society of American Florists has long been a champion for the floral industry on Capitol Hill, fighting for policies that support businesses and ensure a thriving marketplace. Here’s what SAF is telling Congress


this year through its year-round lobbying effort, during issue-specific legislative fly-ins and during SAF’s 44th Annual Congressional Action Days, March 17-18.


We need affordable access to fresh product. The floral industry relies on imports from countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, the Netherlands and Canada to maintain a steady supply of fresh flowers, foliage and plants. Past threats of tariffs and the potential for more tariffs on imports from those countries mean importers must either absorb the costs or pass them along to customers — neither of which is sustainable, given the inflationary price increases of the last few years and the razor thin margins on which floral businesses operate.


INDUSTRY ADVOCATES SAF members meet annually with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for the industry. From left to right: Fernando Ortega of Jet Fresh Flower Distributors in Miami; Cameron Pappas, AAF, of Norton’s Florist in Birmingham, Alabama; Oscar Fernandez of Equiflor/Rio Roses in Doral, Florida; Chris Norwood, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Norwood-Day Floral Co. in Little Rock, Arkansas; and Jodi McShan, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of McShan Florist in Dallas.


The floral industry would also benefit


from the renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a trade program that previously eliminated a 6.8% tariff on Ecuadorian roses and saved the industry an estimated $20 million annually. SAF successfully


petitioned for the reinstatement of Ecuadorian roses in the GSP in 2020, but it expired at the end of that year and since then importers have been paying millions in additional tariffs on Ecuadorian roses. SAF is asking Congress to renew the GSP and oppose


SAF’S ADVOCACY IS A YEAR-ROUND EFFORT The Society of American Florists’ advocacy on Capitol Hill is a year-round effort, in which success is reliant on a combination of relationship-building and grassroots lobbying.


Relationship-building SAF’s senior lobbyist, Joe Bischoff, Ph.D., works every day on behalf of the industry to develop relationships with key con- gressional decision makers and keep the industry’s issues top of mind. His work is amplified by SAFPAC, the only national political action committee dedicated to advocating for the floral industry. SAF focuses its contributions on members of Congress who influence the industry’s top legislative and reg- ulatory priorities.


SAF also urges its members to maintain an active relationship with their lawmakers year-round, by inviting their represen- tative and senators to their operations when they’re in their districts, so they can see how the industry operates from a firsthand perspective. “Build a relationship first,” says Bischoff. “This can go a long way towards being heard when you’re asking them to vote one way or another on a specific piece of legislation.”


Grassroots lobbying SAF also calls on its members to give the industry a strong, unified voice on the Hill. Throughout the year, SAF arranges for floral business leaders to “fly-in” and meet with lawmak- ers on timely issues. SAF also hosts its annual Congressional Action Days, slated for March 17-18. SAF provides attend- ees with a half day of training prior to taking the issues to appointments with lawmakers and their staffs. (Visit saf- now.org/events for more information and to register for Congressional Action Days.)


“We need as many voices as possible at CAD to take advan- tage of this face-to-face time with congressional offices,” says SAF President Oscar Fernandez. Bischoff encourages industry members who can’t come in person to SAF’s grassroots advo- cacy events to reach out directly to their legislators directly. “Your advocacy doesn’t end in Washington,” Bischoff says. “It’s vital to continue these conversations locally.”


For more information on SAF’s advocacy and SAFPAC, visit safnow.org/advocacy


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FLORAL MANAGEMENT | March/April 2025 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


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