Lawmakers Break Property-tax Standoff
In a potential breakthrough in the property-tax stalemate, House and Senate leaders have agreed to consider a new approach that would give super-sized exemptions to homeowners and create first-ever exemptions for all other property owners. The turnabout came Friday, when House Speaker Marco Rubio embraced a weeks-old plan from another legislator and modified it to allow for bigger savings for homeowners, including seniors and the wealthy.
Click Here >>
Fort Myers Expands Its Charity
Builders Care, the nonprofit charitable arm of the Lee Building Industry Association, has partnered with the city of Fort Myers to expand its charity home renovation services. The Fort Myers City Council has approved a resolution to give Builders Care five percent of the Attainable Housing Trust Fund, and in return, Builders Care will do a home renovation project for every $15,000 it receives from the city. Local builders will contribute by donating labor and materials. The city has also amended its State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program to allow nonprofit agencies to apply for renovation dollars.
Click Here >>
DeSoto County Lowers Impact Fees
Counties across the state have used impact fees for years to assist in funding infrastructure and growth. The old saying "let growth pay for growth" has been the bye word for county governments both large and small. DeSoto County is relatively new to the world of impact fees having put them in place in May 2006. The impact fees originally put in place were a good place to start, but in hindsight the fees were considered by many, including some developers, to be too high. In fact, some developers said, "thanks but no thanks" and pulled the plug on plans to come to DeSoto County. Now, with the recent decision by county commissioners to reduce the impact fees, it's possible a whole new batch of builders may be eyeing the area.
Click Here >>
Titusville to Review Impact Fees
Impact fees in Titusville will come under review after a large-scale project raised concerns that the current fee schedule may not address new development impacts. The city council recently approved the master plan for the Sandy Pointe development, and its developers agreement addressed impact fees, which exceeded the city's rates. City staff does not expect any increase in current rates would equal those outlined in the agreement.
Click Here >>
Polk Impact Fee Changes Approved
Polk County commissioners voted 4-1 to revamp the county's impact fee ordinance, consolidating a number of existing ordinances into one. The vote does not include the proposed impact fee reductions for economic development and affordable housing. Those will be discussed at a later session.
Click Here >>
Lake Sumter Impact Fee Raise Gets Approved
The Lake Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization board unanimously backed a study that supports raising road impact fees to among the highest in the state. If fully implemented, builders of single-family homes will have to pay $11,396, an increase from the current fee of $2,189. The increase will make up for outdated estimates that support roadbuilding before a construction boom that sent material costs skyrocketing and set a slew of planned road projects back.
Click Here >>
Planning and Zoning Board Rejects Boca Proposal
The Planning and Zoning Board for Boca Raton recently rejected a proposed workforce housing ordinance. However, the proposal will still go to the city council on June 12 with a recommendation to deny. A public hearing will not be held until August 15. Some members of the board felt that the proposal lacked specifics about the process of creating workforce housing.
Click Here >>
Improving Outdoor Structures Will Save Insurance Costs
Upgrading standards for patio enclosures, carports, sheds and other such structures could prevent $857 million in storm losses over the next two decades, according to a study issued Friday by state insurance regulators. The $200,000 study, which was commissioned by the Florida Legislature in 2006 following extensive damage of the exterior structures during the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes, is the first such review in the nation.
Click Here >>
Batchelor to Speak at BUILD Class
Former state legislator and business and political consultant Dick Batchelor will be one of the highlight speakers at Session II of the Building University for Individual Leadership Training (BUILD) program on May 17-19 in Orlando. Batchelor will speak on Grass Roots Political Action. BUILD participants will complete four sessions this year in a curriculum that develops leadership skills.
Click Here >>
FHBA Benefits from Legislative Session
The Florida Home Builders Association garnered more than a dozen significant victories on a number of top priority issues at the 2007 Legislative Session. FHBA victories included issues concerning growth management, workforce housing, construction education, petition reform, water supply, building code and more. Although property tax remains on the top of the list for legislative priorities, lawmakers said that it will take a special session to achieve this goal.
Click Here >>
Business Community Rallying to Push for Collier Work-Force Plan
Volunteers from the Economic Development Council of Collier County and the Urban Land Institute have crafted an incentive-based program they say will encourage developers to build more affordable homes for professionals, such as firefighters, teachers and police officers. The plan would allow developers of affordable housing projects to build more homes per acre, guarantee them a shorter review and approval time, and expand a program that lets homeowners delay paying part of their impact fees, until they resell.
Click Here >>
Advocates of No Growth Continue Assault in Florida
Localized measures to limit zoning and planning changes continue to surface in Florida, and a Hometown Democracy amendment that would require voter approval for every proposed change to a county's comprehensive plan may appear on the state's November 2008 ballot despite a recent defeat of an anti-growth measure in the city of Lake Worth. On March 13, Lake Worth residents rejected an amendment that would have required four out of five commissioners to approve any change to the city's comprehensive plan, effectively shutting down all building and redevelopment in the city.
Click Here >>
Palm Beach City Won't Seize Land
Two national advocacy groups dropped lawsuits Thursday against this downtrodden city that were aimed at stopping one of the nation's largest eminent-domain projects after the city said it would not force residents from their homes. The move comes one year after Florida enacted a law that prohibits the use of eminent domain for private development.
Click Here >>
SEBC Themed "All the Right Moves"
The 29th annual Southeast Building Conference is set for July 11-15 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The theme for the conference is "All the Right Moves" and will feature more than 65 seminars and workshops for various sectors of the housing and construction industry. Florida contractors can easily earn all 14 required hours of their continuing education.
Click Here >>
Print
