Would-Be Florists Say State Test Is Unfair
March 28 -- Sandy Meadows has spent the past 10 years arranging flowers in Louisiana retail stores and supermarkets, but the flower police still came calling.
One day, a state inspector showed up where Meadows works, and she knew what was coming: in the state of Louisiana, she cannot sell flowers because she did not pass the test.
Louisiana's flower-arranging test is no joke. Offered four times a year, it is required of anyone who hopes to sell flowers in the state. It is administered by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and is so difficult that even longtime florists who move to the state rarely pass. The state's own figures show that more than half of the people who take the exam usually flunk.
Meadows has flunked four times. "The first couple of times, I was really depressed," she said. "The third time I was super depressed, and this past time I pretty much expected I wouldn't pass."
The details of the test are kept under lock and key. State officials refused to surrender a copy to ABCNEWS. But a handbook the state gives to applicants explains that there is a written examination and a demonstration exercise. The demonstration portion alone is three hours in length, and applicants are tested on the fundamentals of "good design," "balance," "rhythm," and "unity."
"It's ridiculous," Meadows said. "This is not rocket science. It doesn't hurt anybody."
Hoping for Change
Lawyers from the Institute for Justice agreed.
Just moments after Meadows completed her fourth attempt to pass the test, she walked out the testing center's door and met a representative from the renowned non-profit law firm.
The two began what is about to become class-action lawsuit against the state of Louisiana. They argue the test is unfair, unnecessary, and that only the marketplace should decide who can sell flowers in the state.
Popular Reads
ABC News Live