Obviously, this week's enewsbrief is going out a day late. We enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully you did as well. I could go on and on about the liberties and freedoms we have due to Americans giving their lives on the battlefield for us, but that soapbox is pretty big right now. All I will say is thank you to all of those who have served.
We are looking forward to the Summer issues of Building Edge. Usually, whether it is the hot weather, kids out of school or family vacations, it seems the summer months are always a little slower on the publishing side. This year is very different. We are anticipating some of our largest issues ever.
Our ENewsBrief list continues to grow. Unlike the print copy of the magazine, there are no caps on distribution. If you know someone wh o would like to receive this, please send me their email and we will add them to the list.
This week, we close up on our July issue of Building Edge and Summer issue of Commercial Building Edge.
If you would like to stop in and see our new home, we are in Northwest Gainesville in the Metro Corp Center, on the corners of NW 39th Ave and NW 43rd St. Actual street address is 4110 NW 37th Pl, Suite C. Gainesville, FL 32606. The phone number for the Gainesville office is (352) 372-5854. The phone number for Ocala is (352) 368-1707.
We look forward to hearing from you.
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
Our June 2007 is now available online and the hard copy is in the mail. The Cover Feature is Jim & Pal Bennett with Bennett Construction Services in Ocala. We will have an Edge Spotlight this month on Via Bertolini. Our National feature is on Doors: Interior, Exterior, Patio and Overhead/Garage Doors. This is also our Parade of Homes Wrap Up issue.
Our July issue, which is now closed, features a cover story on Kara Sutton & Sutton Family Homes. Our National Feature is on Baths: Fixtures, faucets, home spas, hardware, tile and countertops. If you are interested in participating, please call today. If you would like to preview Kara's newest home before the magazine comes out, their first open house at the new Willow Oak Plantation will be this upcoming Saturday, June 2nd from 1-5. The street address is 8752 SW 74th Ave. To get more information, please contact Larry or Nancy Skaggs at (352) 472-6152.
Sales are now open on our August issue. The cover story is on Ocala's Adams Homes. The National feature is Curb Appeal: Entry doors, brick and siding, roofing, lighting, landscaping, paving. This issue closes on Tuesday, June 25th. For more information, please contact us at (352) 372-3958 in Gainesville, or (352) 368-1707 in Ocala.
Coming up, in the September issue is Glaeser Development. Coming up in October is Tommy Waters Custom Homes.
Sales are wrapping up this week on the Summer 2007 issue of Commercial Building Edge. The Cover feature is on Gray Construction Services. The National Feature is on Green Building. To participate, please email scott@buildingedgemag.com.
Sales for the new Home Magazine are open. Home: Living in the Heart of Florida, a new magazine from Advantage Publishing is open for sales. Taking the experience we have gained from Building Edge and Commercial Building Edge, we are very excited about this new endeavor which will showcase the best of living in our community. Home: Living in the Heart of Florida will be a general circulation publication available to everyone in the community. The early feedback is beyond anything we could have expected. The website is currently under development. With a distribution of over 30,000 copies, this will be the largest magazine in North Central Florida. For more information, please contact us at (352) 372-5854.
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Alachua County Builders Could Face Additional Higher Fees
Area builders may be hit with a double whammy soon - higher fees to have their proposed developments reviewed in addition to higher impact fees on those developments. Alachua County Growth Management Department and the Office of Management and Budget are now developing a new set of fees for the review of rezoning requests, comprehensive plan amendments, developments of regional impact, various permits and other general commercial and residential building services.
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Residents Exploring Sales-tax Initiative
A group of Alachua County residents has been meeting to discuss the desirability of launching a sales-tax initiative to raise money for roads, schools, open space and recreation parks. While nothing may come of the talks, some of those involved believe a small boost in the sales tax may be needed for projects that local governments will not be able to afford.
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Marion County finds taxable value up 19 percent
Marion County's property values have again reached an all-time high, although the percentage increase is less than it was last year. The taxable value of all property in the county is $21.5 billion, according to preliminary numbers that Property Appraiser Villie Smith released last week. By July 1, Smith's office will release final numbers that all local governments use to set their property tax rates and budgets for the 2007-08 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
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Marion County OKs Two Residential Developments in Ocala
The Marion County Commission last week went against the advice of planning staffers and approved land-use changes that open the door for large-scale residential developments on two 300 plus-acre parcels. By a 3-2 vote, commissioners approved a request from Castro Realty Holdings to change 395 acres near Northwest 63rd Street and Northwest 90th Avenue from rural and urban reserve use to medium-density residential. A stipulation capped the number of homes at two per acre, meaning that up to 790 homes could be allowed.
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Couple Gives UF Colleges $2M gift
A 1951 University of Florida graduate who is now a major South Florida real estate developer and his wife, a registered nurse, have teamed up to give back to UF in the form of a $2 million gift to the College of Design, Construction and Planning and the College of Medicine. William G. Lassiter Jr. and his wife, Aneice, have given $1 million to the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction and another $1 million to the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine, the University of Florida Foundation has announced.
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Marion County Contractors to Fix Soldier's Nightmare
A new set of contractors are stepping up to finish the work left undone by others at the home of a soldier who is about to ship out. And it won't cost Charlene Cowan any money. The new workers classify it as "pay it forward," a reference to a 2000 movie by the same name about good deeds that are not a payback, but the start of a chain of positive events for others. Her good work is serving her country as an Army sergeant, the builders say.
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MCBA Calendar of Events
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BANCF Calendar of Events
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Deal on Property Tax Struck, But Details Few
Florida legislative leaders said late last week they have agreed on a method for giving homeowners a super-sized property-tax exemption while rolling back taxes in a new way to punish local governments that have gobbled up the most tax money. But while they hailed their announcement as a "substantial agreement,"' lawmakers failed to give details or dollar figures that would show how much the cuts are going to save people, how much they're going to cost local governments, and who will benefit the most and least.
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Counties' Windfall Adds Fuel to Tax-cut Talk
The value of homes and business property in Central Florida continues to increase by double-digit percentages, county officials are reporting, adding further fuel to legislative efforts to dramatically slash property taxes. County property appraisers are finalizing their 2007 estimated tax rolls across Florida, basically telling cities and counties what they can expect to collect in property-tax revenues to pay for public safety, social service, roads and other services in next year's budget.
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Property values keep rising
Residents who thought their property taxes would drop because of declining home values could be in for a shock when they open their tax bills in November. The taxable value of existing property rose six percent last year in Manatee County and four percent in Charlotte County, according to estimates released last week by property appraisers in those counties.
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New Impact Fees Proposed
Hendry County officials may implement new fees to take advantage of new development countywide. The hope is that entities coming into the county will pay impact fees that will take the need for funding capital facility improvements into account. The emergence of such new developments must be accounted for by a proportionate growth in municipal services and facilities to meet the needs of the new areas.
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Pasco School Board to Consider Fee Increase
Building schools is getting downright expensive. The inches-thick Pasco School Board agendaoffersstark testament to just how much it costs to keep a growing school district flush with classrooms.
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Longtime Homeowners Want Tax Breaks
If it were up to Florida voters, longtime homeowners would get big breaks on property taxes from the Legislature -- but not businesses, snowbirds or real estate investors. That's among the findings from a statewide poll for Gannett Co. newspapers and television stations that clarifies the will of voters as lawmakers prepare for a special session on taxes.
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House Speaker Rubio on Property Tax: Essentials Won't be Cut
South Florida residents questioned House Speaker Marco Rubio recently on proposed property tax reforms. He told them that local governments are highly unlikely to cut essential services. Rubio, who has led the tax reform charge -- and who has proposed the largest cuts in the Legislature - told the crowd the House and Senate have all but agreed on some form of super-sized property-tax exemptions.
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Building Codes, Revamped Since Andrew, Still Being Worked On
Fifteen years later, Andrew's legacy takes the form of a state building code that was tested during the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes and is still being adjusted and researched today. The code's purpose is to protect lives, help reduce property losses in a storm and provide a guide for insurance companies to determine rates.
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Bradenton Ponders Affordable Housing
Bradenton's affordable housing crunch affects fast-food workers, firefighters and even executives, all of whom struggle to achieve homeownership or find affordable rentals. Last week, the city brought together planners, developers, housing experts and public officials to seek solutions to what Councilman James Golden calls "a real crisis." Bradenton's housing workshop revealed troubling statistics about the problem and a few ideas on how to fix it.
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Broward Sees Another Double-digitJump in Property Values
The yearly growth of Broward County's tax base has lost some of its feverish pace but still hit almost 11 percent, adding fuel to demands for property tax reform. Preliminary data released last week by the Property Appraiser's Office show the taxable value of homes and businesses rose from $157.5 billion to $174.8 billion for the 2007 tax year. The growth rate is down from the previous year's record 19 percent, but exceeded single-digit percentages posted before the real estate boom began in 2001.
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Brevard Urges Tax Reform
The HBCA of Brevard County welcomed State Senator Mike Haridopolos to their Governmental Affairs Committee meeting, and pushed him to support property tax reform that includes caps on impact fees. FHBA Senior Officer David Armstrong of Melbourne said that they want tax reform done right, with relief for existing homeowners, new home buyers and businesses. Members should still talk to lawmakers about property tax since the Special Session of the Legislature does not begin until June 12.
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Economy May Have Seen Worst of Slowdown
The U.S. economy slowed markedly over the past several months as the housing market slumped and businesses turned cautious on spending, but there are growing signs that the worst may be over. In recent months, factory activity has picked up, consumer spending has been fairly steady, the housing market fallout is showing some signs of stabilizing and job and wage growth have continued. Inflation has not gotten any worse over the past several months. With the job market holding on fairly strong, it is unlikely that consumer spending will fall seriously.
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Morgan Stanley Buys Australian Firm
Morgan Stanley's real estate unit agreed to buy Australian real estate firm Investa Properties Ltd. for $3.9 billion in U.S. dollars. The deal was part of Morgan Stanley's strategy to increase the investment bank's long-term presence in Australia. Investa said that its board had recommended the offer.
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Builders Accepting Trade-Ins to Move Homes
Builders are coming up with aggressive ways to move homes that are not selling, such as by accepting a trade in. An excess of unsold homes is being caused by soaring cancellation rates. New home cancellations shot up from one percent in January to nearly 29 percent in March.
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Study Says Home Prices not Falling
Most studies say U.S. home prices are on the decline, but a new report from the federal government says just the opposite. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), which has tracked prices for more than 30 years, said Thursday its housing price index grew 4.3 percent in the first quarter compared with a year ago. It was the slowest rate of growth in 10 years, however.
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Constructing a New Career
After serving in Iraq for 13 months, installing wire and cable to help soldiers communicate with each other, Eric Cohn was sure life stateside would be much easier than in a war zone. But he quickly learned it wasn't carefree. Newly married, Cohn found jobs that barely paid enough to get by, offered no health benefits and made no promises for the future. Cohn's fears have since eased. He is one of dozens of workers participating in Helmets to Hardhats, a program designed to help veterans join construction trade unions, which long have touted lucrative pay and benefits in exchange for blue-collar work. Click Here >> |
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LEED Certification Course Set for June 29
Commercial builders can obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification by attending the LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations Technical Review Workshop presented by the U.S. Green Building Council. Attendees will gain the knowledge needed to maximize commercial building performance. The LEED Rating System is the nationally recognized rating system for green building and is already being used by green building projects in all 50 states. The course is June 29 at the Stetson University College of Law in Tampa.
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Commercial Real Estate Market Predicted to Remain Healthy
The National Association of Realtors announced that the Commercial Lending Indicator for Brokerage Activity, a forward-looking index for the commercial real estate market, increased to an index of 120.3 during the first quarter of the year. This marks its highest level on record. The association predicted that "respectable job growth, improving fundamentals, favorable interest rates and limited speculative construction," paired with continued strong spending will allow commercial investment to remain high in 2007.
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Building Boom Sends Demand for Machines, Operators Sky High
Thriving commercial construction, an aging work force and tighter certification requirements are pushing demand for cranes and their operators nationwide. Spending on nonresidential construction was up nearly 14 percent during the first three months of 2007 from last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A preconstruction manager with Turner Construction, a Dallas-based company with offices across, said every marketplace right now is saturated and that all the contractors are basically at 100 percent capacity and exceeding it.
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Construction Spending Edges Up
U.S. construction spending edged up a small 0.1% gain in April on solid public and commercial building, while residential activity remained weak, according to a government report. This was unexpected, as economists predicted no change for April. Construction spending was down 2% from the same time a year ago.
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AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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| Current Issues |
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Residential May 2007
Commercial Spring 2007
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Coming Soon
Fall 2007
For more information,
Please contact
Scott Costello |
If you are interested in joining the BANCF and taking advantage of these great opportunities,
Please visit
www.bancf.com |
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