By Jay Cunningham, Picture Perfect Pools
The Florida Swimming Pool Association offers robust advantages that extend beyond your member company, serving as a powerful catalyst for your personal and professional growth. By taking a closer look at what the FSPA provides, you will find a wealth of resources designed to elevate your career and ensure long-term success.
Continuous Learning and Professional Development
The FSPA’s annual Everything Under the Sun Expo® is a premier venue for educational advancement. The Expo offers essential opportunities, including:
- Continuing Education (CE): Vital for maintaining professional licenses.
- Specialized Tracks: Access to the Genesis education track and manufacturer-led learning labs for the latest installation insights.
- Business Growth: Courses focused on business structure and development to help you outpace the competition.
Beyond the Expo, members can access the Florida Public Pool SpecialistSM (FPPS), 60-hour training and digital summer refresher courses at a discounted rate. These initiatives provide a diverse training platform that allows even “one-poler” operations to establish themselves as trusted local professionals. The upcoming Virtual Summer Refresher on August 5, 2026, that offers up to 7 CE credits for just $35 for members is just one example.
Advocacy and Government Relations
The FSPA serves as your voice in government, with industry councils working at the grassroots level along with the state government relations team to address issues impacting our trade.
Recent wins include stopping the expansion of HVAC and building contractor scopes of work into pool equipment and decks. Additionally, successfully lobbying against the elimination of professional continuing education and implementation of the copper bonding grid in Florida.
Whether you are involved in retail, service, repair, remodeling, construction or commercial pools, the industry councils and state staff fight against unnecessary red tape and attempts to dilute industry licensing. I encourage each of you to connect with your local Chapter Board to discuss specific challenges within your market. These concerns and insights can help with escalation to the state level for collective solutions.
Community Impact and Philanthropy
FSPA membership also directly supports the Florida Swims Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the FSPA.
- Swim For Life License Plate: Proceeds directly provide free or reduced cost swim lessons to prevent drowning deaths in our state. These efforts are further advanced by matching funds offered with our partners “Every Child a Swimmer” and “Step Into Swim”.
Donate today and make a difference! Learn more at www.FloridaSwims.org.
The Power of Local Networking
Beyond FSPA providing structured benefits, the impact of local networking is invaluable. When I started as a “one-poler” operation, it was the “open door” mindset of successful Chapter members that gave me the confidence to grow. Their willingness to share insights allowed me to tackle industry challenges head-on. This support provided the confidence to grow personally which resulted in extensive growth for my company as well. This support and encouragement eventually led me to my current role as Chapter President.
I challenge each of you to reflect on your local involvement. Are you attending Chapter meetings with a welcoming mindset? Each one of us has the opportunity to share the benefits of membership by inviting those within the industry to join at your next Chapter event. One open invitation has the potential to be the catalyst for their career or business growth. This welcoming mindset will continue to strengthen our industry. By creating an inclusive environment, we ensure that decades of experience are passed down, keeping our industry strong. Furthermore I personally believe that each of you offer the largest membership benefit within our association: your expertise and community.
I encourage you to explore all the opportunities the FSPA offers at the local Chapter and state levels.
Not an FSPA member? Join today at www.JoinFSPA.com.
