This year the FAA will hold its
 51st Annual Convention. Its first
 Convention was held in 1914 shortly
 after the Association was incorpor-
 ated in May of that year. Then there
 were less than 100 architects prac-
 ticing in Florida compared to over
 1,400 today. Not all were of similar
 stature relative to technical ability,
 ethical behavior or community inter-
 est. No legal standards of technical
 competency existed; and thus the
 public was largely at the mercy of the
 less competent and less scrupulous of
 those practicing, or offering to prac-
 tice, architecture.
 Need for both ethical and techni-
cal standards was obvious, and it was
primarily to fill this need that the
FAA was first organized. It became
active immediately. Largely, through
the efforts of the FAA a bill to
regulate the practice of architecture
was drafted and signed into law in
1915 as Chapter 467 of the Florida
Statutes.
 The partnership between the FAA
and the legislators of Florida was
formed at that time. The basis for it
was service to the people of Florida;
and in establishing, with legislators,
a statute of self-regulation, the archi-
tectural profession in Florida not
only demonstrated its interest in the
public good, but bound its member-
ship to high standards of competency
as a continuing safeguard.
 Development of the FAA has re-
flected the overall growth of the
State. Now, as when its was formed,
the FAA is the spokesman for the
architectural profession in Florida.
Though numerically small in com-
parison with the total membership
of the engineers, contractors, material
and product suppliers and the con-
struction trades that make up Flori-
da's huge building industry, archi-
tects occupy a unique position in that
industry. Their responsibilities are
varied and wide. They are, of course,
agents for owners of buildings and
thus are the dominant factor in the
design of buildings. In addition, other
elements of the building industry
look upon the architect as the co-
ordinator of the many and varied
trade activities and products neces-
sary in the production of any modern
structure. Thus, when architects
speak through the medium of their
professional association, the FAA,
every phase and segment of the build-
ing industry listens.
APRIL, 1965


 Thus, as representing the architec-
 tural profession in Florida, the FAA
 is in an excellent position to work
 with legislators along many avenues
 of public service. As a State Organiza-
 tion of the American Institute of
 Architects, it can offer Florida legis-
 lative groups helpful information on
 many matters touching the construc-
 tion industry relative to both policies
 and procedures that have proved
 practical and advantageous elsewhere.
 Through the work of its various com-
 mittees-currently there are 25 in-
 cluding several of direct legislative
 concern such as Urban Design, Re-
 search, Environment Design and
 Joint Cooperative Council-the FAA
 can strengthen its working partner-
 ship with legislative groups in the
 support of a wide range of public
 service programs.
 Like most state Associations, the
FAA is composed of the various chap-
ters of the American Institute of
Architects in Florida. These are eleven
in number; and in each one, indi-
viduals and various committee groups
are working at both community and
county levels to help solve local prob-
lems that involve their field of spe-
cialization and to aid in the enlight-
ened administration of local affairs.
These chapter activities reflect those
of the FAA at state levels. Thus in
the cooperative efforts of the FAA,
legislators can find not only an inti-
mate knowledge of local situations
and problems, but also an informed
comprehension of the part that local
matters necessarily must play in the
development of state-wide policies
and procedures.
 All this suggests a constant and
close contact with all elements of the
building industry on the part of the
FAA and its component chapters.
This is one of the most significant of
FAA activities Among its working
groups are liaison committees with
other design professions, with en-
gineers, with contractors and -
through the FAA's participation in
the program of the Joint Coopera-
tive Council, Inc.-with home build-
ers and material suppliers. The FAA's
architect-members have been instru-
mental in efforts, with members of
the Associated General Contractors
chapters in Florida, to solve some of
the problems connected with bidding
procedures. They were active with
the legislative committee reviewing


the old lien law and subsequently
replaced by the 1963 Legislature with
a new, workable, easily-understood
statute that provides fair protection
to all concerned with any building
project.
 Through its committees the FAA
works with a wide variety of groups
in such special interest fields as the
preservation of our State's historic
buildings, urban redevelopment, pro-
fessional education and zoning.
 Thus the interests and activities
of the FAA encompass a very broad
range of subject matter that is also
the concern of the Florida legislature.
Perhaps more ;than ever before, the
FAA is ready and able to work with
legislators in supporting progressive
actions in any of the many phases
of its professional concern. To shape
this possibility into a program of
practical cooperation the FAA Com-
mittee on Government Relations un-
der the able guidance of its Chair-
man, Barnard W. Hartman Jr., of
Panama City, has already organized
his committeemen as legislative con-
tacts throughout the state. Theirs is
the job of developing and maintain-
ing liaison with local legislators; and
the purpose of this FAA Committee
is to make available to legislative
committees or individual legislators
whatever advice and counsel may be
helpful relative to any matter that
touches the field of the committee's
professional sphere.
 It has an important additional pur-
pose. Many agencies of our State
Government are in some measure
concerned with building construction.
Since this concern automatically in-
volves contact with some phase of
architectural service, the Committee
has been organized to function not
only as a liaison with such govern-
mental groups, but also as a source
of specialized assistance on matters
of operating policy and of advice on
the development of programs.
 Thus the FAA is now more than
ever openly available as a working
partner not only to legislators, gov-
ernmental agencies and administra-
tive officers. It gladly offers its
interest and facilities to any state-
level group for the promotion of any
worthwhile program wherein its spe-
cialized professional background may
prove helpful and that has been de-
signed as a valid service to the public
of Florida.