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Last week was an interesting week in Alachua County. As I sat through the 5-hour "Workshop" on Impact Fees, I came to numerous conclusions. It is obvious that there is one commissioner, Lee Pinkoson who truly wants what is best for the community and is willing to look beyond the easy way out to get there. There is one commissioner, Mike Byerly, whom I disagree with on virtually everything, but at least comes across as consistent in his stance. I respect the fact that you know what you are getting from Commissioner Byerly. I don't like or agree with his politics, but at least he is consistent. Two commissioners have decided that their agenda is all that matters and didn't care what was said at the "Workshop". In fact, Commmissioners Long and Chestnut were not there. They did grace the presence of everyone by reading a statement thorugh Manager Reid that they wanted impact fees. How nice of them to go on record without hearing what everyone had to say at a meeting where supposedly no action was to be taken. It was blatantly obvious the difference between those desiring to keep Alachua's quality of life strong and those who just want to stop any growth. I commend local business owners like John Pastore and Freddy Wehbe who spoke out. I did get a laugh however from Randy Reid. He must have commented 10 times during his attempts to censor Lee Pinkoson, avoid questions from Mike Byerly and defend himself against the popular opinion that he must ,"limit what he says since he will be repeating himself during a lawsuit". I thought this was a public workshop to discuss ways to cover the cost of new transportation costs, not fight a future legal battle.
Another thought came to my mind. I was comparing the impact of impact fees to my business. For those who don't know, since we started Building Edge in North Central Florida over 4 years ago, printing costs have gone up by over 120%. The sensible option would be to charge a nominal fee for receiving the magazine. $1 a copy? Like a 1-cent sales tax, it is something that would be spread out over everyone who receives and utilizes the services as opposed to charging more to the people who are financially supporting the publication already. The easy way out is to just raise rates for those who already see the value of the magazine and pay, but long-term does that make the most sense? Am I going to end up losing the valuable people who allow me to keep the magazine going so that a small few can subsidize the greater majority? As I debate this I have kept rates relatively the same. Please tell me what you think. If I started charging a dollar an issue ($12 a year) to receive Building Edge to offset the cost of higher production, would you still want to receive the magazine? Would you feel I should only raise rates to those who are already supporting the magazine and essentially keep it growing? Do I take the easy way out and continue to burden those who are already covering the expense or do I take the hard road and try and make it across the board? Similar to impact fees, huh? I would love to hear your views on this. Please email me at scott@buildingedgemag.com
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
Our July issue featuring Kara Sutton & Sutton Family Homes, is online and in your hands. Kara's husband David through aterrific surprise party for her at Conestoga's in Alachua last week. It was amazing to see such support from her subs and suppliers. It truly goes to show you that behind every successful builder is a team who has bought into that builder and is committed to quality. I applaud everyone who attended. Kara is an amazing woman who has some interesting ideas. If you haven't met her yet, you really need to!
Our August issue is now in production. The cover story is on Ocala's Adams Homes. The National feature is Curb Appeal: Entry doors, brick and siding, roofing, lighting, landscaping, paving. The online version will be up next week and in the mail.
Sales are open on the September issue is a feature on The Palms, an exciting new downtown Gainesville condominium development being brought to you by Mitch Glaeser, Greg Trunnell and miles Kinsell. For more information, please contact us at (352) 372-3958 in Gainesville, or (352) 368-1707 in Ocala. The national feature is Interior Design: Lighting, hardware, trim millwork, interior doors, fireplaces, stairs, closet systems. We are spotlighting in this issue Griffis Tile and Flooring.
October-December is going through a shift right now. We have our cover stories, it is just a matter of figuring out who will be featured in which month. Stay tuned for more details. In case you weren't aware, to be considered for feature on the cover, you have to be referred to Building Edge at least 5-times over a 12-month period. We are now taking referrals for the 2008 covers. If you would like to nominate a builder/contractor to be featured, please email us the name of the contractor and why you feel they would be an ideal spotlight.
Our Summer 2007 issue of Commercial Building Edge is now available. The cover feature is on Gray Construction Services. The National Feature is on Green Building. As you will see from reading this issue, I had to a terrific month. To feature a quality individual who does business the right way is always a plus. To feature two (Todd Gray for Commercial and Kara for Residentail) is a nice bonus. By the way, congratulations to Todd as he continues to build his own football team with the arrival of his new son.
Sales are now open on the Fall 2007 issue, which will include a cover feature on Ocala's Ausley Construction www.ausleyconstruction.com. The Winter issue will feature Trunnell Construction on the cover.
HOME™: Living in the Heart of Florida Resource Guide
Home: Living in the Heart of Florida, a new magazine from Advantage Publishing is open for sales. Our website will be up in about 10 days. While there is nothing to view now, I encourage you to bookmark the link, as we aim to make this the number one website for the North Central Florida Community. It is www.LivingInTheHeartOfFlorida.com . Part of this new publication will be our newcomer/relocation resource guide. It will include just about everything anyone looking to move to our area or relocate within the 12-county market will need. To be listed in the resource guide, please call us today to discuss. I am pleased to note that we have formed some terrific partnerships with local establishments to insure success through the delivery of the publication. Just to name a few, we are working closely with Gainesville Regional Airport, Gainesville Chamber of Commerce and the Newberry/Jonesville Chamber of Commerce. Coming this fall will be a publication for the consumer unlike anything out there today!
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Gainesville Builder Elected to Hall of Fame
Gainesville building Barry Rutenberg has been elected to the Florida Housing Hall of Fame. Rutenberg is a part president of the Builders Association of North Central Florida and the Florida Home Builders Association. In 1994, he was named Florida's Builder of the Year. He will officially be inducted on Oct. 6.
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Analysts say Columbia County market has returned to normal; July sales on the rise
Columbia County's housing market has seen a significant decrease in sales during the first six months of 2007, but most local analysts believe the market is just returning to normal after a two-year housing boom.
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Tax Relief Labeled as Out of Balance
Still in the midst of cutting the budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year, Marion County commissioners got a preview Monday of the more substantial effects January's voter referendum could have on property tax revenue. If voters approve the so-called "super" homestead exemption, Marion County Property Appraiser Villie Smith estimated it would remove from the rolls about $2.8 billion of the county's current total taxable property value of $22.4 billion. That is a decrease of about 12%.
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Businesses, Builders Decry Impact Fee Hike
Developers, builders and business owners told Alachua County commissioners at a packed workshop Tuesday that proposed impact-fee increases will stymie growth and hurt the economy. Some of the transportation fees, particularly those for businesses that create lots of traffic, would rise steeply under the proposal. Opponents say that new growth is already paying for itself through increased property tax revenue.
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Clash of the Consultants: How Much for Roads?
Despite developers' challenges against proposed road-impact-fee hikes, the county is sticking by a study that backs the large increase. County officials met Wednesday with representatives from the Home Builders Association of Lake County to hash out conflicting proposals in two separate impact-fee studies. At issue is the home builders' claim that the county's study -- from the statewide firm Tindale-Oliver & Associates -- overestimates the cost of road construction and suggests inflated impact fees.
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Small builders have found their home in a niche market
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Jumping into the housing construction business these days is like diving into a swimming pool - with no water. The market just isn't there. But North Carolina-based Beckwith Homes is donning swimming trunks and heading toward the diving board, anyway.
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Parrish Becomes FHBA President-Elect
Tallahassee builder and developer Robert Parrish has advanced to the office of President-elect of the Florida Home Builders Association, setting him up to be President in 2008. Parrish began his career in real estate, building and developing more than 20 years ago. He is now President and Owner of Parrish Group, Inc. Parrish will be installed on Oct. 6, 2007 during the FHBA Fall Conference in Amelia Island.
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Pensacola Resident Criticizes Insurance Policies
Rodic G. Hammond, of Pensacola, has written to the Pensacola News Journal criticizing the surcharge from his insurance company in the midst of legislatives telling him that they will reduce his homeowner's insurance costs. He has brought his concerns to the attention of Rep. Dave Murzin.
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Sarasota Overrides Mandated Tax Cuts
As Sarasota city commissioners reviewed their budget shrinkage of about $8.8 million, they decided that they did not want to cut $3.6 million in city jobs, neighborhood grant programs, public art funding and other services. They suggested trimming in new areas, such as employee salaries and health benefits. Two days of budget workshops ended with little consensus among commissioners over what to cut and from where. They did tentatively agree to override state-mandated property tax cuts, which would give them about $2 million more to work with.
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SEBC Named a Success
The Florida Home Builders Association's Southeast Building Conference attracted more than 16,000 participants to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Themed "All the Right Moves," the show presented a record 1,127 exhibits, including 45 in the new GreenTrends section of booths sponsored by the Florida Green Building Coalition. The first-ever Reverse Trade Show attracted 31 major builders and 31 suppliers in one-on-one dialogues.
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How Florida's Proposed Homestead Exemption Would Work
Homeowners would have to make a one-time choice between keeping existing tax benefits and taking the super exemption. Those who opted for the larger exemption would give up the current $25,000 property tax exemption on their primary home, as well as the Save Our Homes protections that limit increases in its taxable value to 3% a year. Instead, they would be eligible for a new exemption shielding 75 % of their home's value from taxation, up to $200,000. If the home is worth more, the new exemption also would eliminate taxes on 15% of its value between $200,000 and $500,000. The minimum exemption would become $50,000.
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Property Tax Plan Favored by Voters
Voters like a Republican-backed plan to cut property taxes by providing a massive new tax exemption to permanent residents. The latest Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found 57% of those surveyed supported the plan headed to voters Jan. 29. But Florida raised the bar for constitutional amendments last year. Florida's constitution now requires 60% voter approval to change it. The poll also found 67% of voters confessed they didn't know much about the proposed constitutional amendment, and half said the immediate property tax cuts lawmakers passed last month weren't big enough.
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Rival Initiatives on Growth Won't Do the Job for Florida
In Florida, if you can't win over voters with a straightforward appeal to their good sense, just confuse the hell out of them. It's how the state constitution became a mishmash of pregnant pig protections and bullet trains to nowhere. And here we go again. Developers, landowners and homebuilders, organized as Floridians for Smarter Growth, aren't limiting themselves to attack ads to defeat the slow-growth constitutional amendment proposed by Florida Hometown Democracy. They're countering with a rival amendment for the 2008 ballot. So far Florida Hometown Democracy, with a seven-year head start, is ahead in the race for signatures required to make the ballot, but its campaign is grass roots, lacking the developers' and homebuilders' deep pockets.
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Realtor Association Pledges $1 million for Save Our Homes Referendum
The Florida Association of Realtors is throwing its support behind a January referendum that would revamp the state's Save Our Homes program, by pledging up to $1 million to get its message to voters. The referendum, which goes to voters Jan. 29, would allow homeowners to choose between a 3% property tax cap already available under the existing Save Our Homes program, or a new exemption that could reduce taxable values of homes up to $195,000, FAR executives said. The organization did not say what the funds would be earmarked for, but the referendum is expected to be the subject of a heated battle leading up to its inclusion on the January ballot.
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Martin Growth Plan Change, if Passed, will Ignite Revolt
The over-development of Martin County has begun. A majority of the county commission is fast-tracking an amendment to the comprehensive growth plan that would allow almost unfettered development of the rural areas of the county. If this goes through, Martin County will end up looking like Broward County on steroids. This is the opposite of what county residents have told the commissioners during months of public hearings on the subject. More than 80% of county residents have told the commissioners they oppose clustering, changes in the comprehensive plan, increases in density and the dismantling of the urban services boundary.
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Manatee-Sarasota Construction Firms Earn Aurora Awards
Florida builders, including those from the Manatee-Sarasota area, continue to win awards for design and construction. The Aurora Awards, presented annually at the Southeast Building Conference in Orlando, this year honored home builders from 12 states in a variety of categories - from new construction and energy efficiency to best interior design and refurbished homes. For the fourth consecutive year, Florida builders came out on top in the 76 categories. They won more than 125 of the 152 awards. Of that number, 16 went to home builders in the Manatee/Sarasota area.
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Lt. Gov. Kottkamp: Keep Florida Affordable
Special legislative sessions on property taxes and insurance may be over, but lawmakers must fight to keep Florida an affordable place to live, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp said Wednesday. Kottkamp - in his first official visit to the Panhandle - spoke to more than 100 business and community leaders at the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County's quarterly breakfast at the Ramada Beach Plaza Resort. The former legislator from Southwest Florida assured the audience that Gov. Charlie Crist and his administration understand what's at stake for Florida residents.
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Realtors like Property Tax Amendment
Florida Realtors will spend up to $1 million to support a property tax amendment voters will decide on Jan. 29. John Sebree, vice president, said Tuesday his group hopes the financial support will encourage other business and interest groups to follow suit. The Florida Association of Realtors began assessing its members a $10 annual "advocacy" fee a couple years ago, which Sebree said would now go toward supporting the amendment.
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Hometown Democracy Needs to be Quashed
The Hometown Democracy Amendment is a bad idea. The proposed amendment that needs asignature-laden petition to get on the January ballot could be devastating to Florida's economy if it becomes law. The proposal would freeze some land-use classifications and backlog just about any proposed zoning change brought by any member of the public. To slow Florida's growth and development, those pushing the Hometown Democracy Amendment want every proposed land-use change to be brought to a vote of the people. Yes, every proposed change would be forced to wait until the next election cycle and be placed in front of voters.
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Florida Warns Home Insurers: Obey New Laws on Windstorm
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty put the state's homeowner insurance companies on notice Tuesday they had better comply with new insurance laws or face state action.Homeowners eligible to drop expensive windstorm insurance -- which has been allowed since July 1 -- are complaining that insurers say they don't have the proper forms or the state hasn't approved revised rates yet.
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NAHB Chief Economist will Discuss Mid-Year Outlook
The National Association of Home Builders' chief economist, David Seiders, will discuss the housing market downswing, chances of a recovery and more issues on Wednesday, July 25 at 2 p.m. This mid-year teleconference will also feature an analysis of the housing and mortgage markets and his forecast for the rest of 2007 and beyond.
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Housing Starts are Up in June but Permits Fall
Housing starts rose 2.3% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.467 million following downward revisions for the previous two months, according to the Commerce Department. This is the latest indication that the housing market is in a correction phase. Building permits, which generally are a harbinger of future building activity, were down sharply last month for both single-family and multifamily construction. The National Association of Home Builders' chief economist, David Seiders expects to see further erosion in housing starts during the second half of this year, but he also expects to see signs of stabilization by the end of this year and a gradual recovery process in 2008.
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Federal and State Regulators Team Up to Examine Subprime Loans
Federal and state regulators announced a coordinated effort to weed out deceptive or unfair practices at some of the nation's largest subprime mortgage lenders. The pilot program, to begin around October, will target about a dozen of the most active firms offering subprime mortgages. It focuses on lenders who get lost in the regulatory shuffle because they do not take deposits as conventional banks do and also on the mortgage brokers who work with them. There is no set end date for the project, which could be expanded depending on what regulators find.
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McGraw-Hill to Host Green Conference in China
McGraw-Hill Construction, the premier construction information and intelligence in North America and part of the McGraw-Hill Companies, announced it will present "Green Building and Energy Conservation: The Talk, Practice and Performance International Conference," Sep. 13-14 in Hangzhou, China. The even will gather green building thought leaders and practitioners in China and abroad to share their experience, challenges and solutions for common issues. Challenged by the environmental impact of the country's rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, China has launched ambition plans to make its buildings greener and more energy-efficient.
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National Awards Seeking Entrants
New home sales and marketing professionals are encouraged to submit entries for the 2008 National Sales and Marketing Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders National Sales and Marketing Council. The program rewards professional excellence in residential product design, marketing, interior merchandising, advertising, Web site design and both individual and team sales achievement. The deadline for entrants is Sept. 28. The awards ceremony will be held Feb. 13 in Orlando.
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Building to Begin for Hotel Downtown
Developers of a proposed Hampton Inn and Suites in downtown Gainesville said Monday they hoped to break ground by August after city commissioners approved incentives expected to be worth about $1.5 million. The $14.2 million, six-story project will include 124 rooms, 7,750 square feet of commercial space and meeting rooms on the southeast corner of SE 1st Street and SE 1st Avenue. The project, across the street from Harry's restaurant, could be completed by early 2009, said Bo Aughtry, president of the commercial division of Windsor/Aughtry, the South Carolina company developing the project.
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Downtown Detroit Residents Getting Sick from Dust
More than 20 residents of downtown Detroit, mostly disabled and senior citizens, have complained to the City Council that dust and other debris from the Book Cadillac Building project is making them sick. In response, Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, head of the council's Neighborhood and Community Services Committee, ordered a public hearing. The project's developer, the Ferchill Group, had written that the problems had already been corrected. The residents claim that the debris has caused ills because of the abundance of dust. The Downtown Public Safety Coalition has asked the city to make a public report on all the health and safety laws the project must follow.
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Hilton Head Park Costs Double
The cost of the new Compass Rose Park on Hilton Head Island is rising. Construction of the new park is now expected to cost $1.29 million, more than double the original $600,000 price tag. Town staff will ask for an increased budget for the project to match the new cost. The money would come from $500,000 in funds originally assigned to construct a different park.
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LA City Council Approves $400M Green Project
The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously approved a $400 million mixed-use green development that will feature more than 1,000 apartments, 40,000 square-feet of live-work office space and 175,000 square-feet of retail and restaurant uses on a seven-acre site. The project, adjacent to Pantages Thatre, will be developed by New York City's Clarett Group. This will be their first project in Los Angeles.
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Grand Canyon Skywalk to be Paved
The tribe that owns the Grand Canyon Skywalk has reached an agreement to pave the 14-mile dirt road leading to the glass horseshoe over that canyon. Until reaching an agreement with the tribe, landowner Nigel Turner had blocked construction of a paved road with a lawsuit. Turner said he worried the road would turn the region into a busy tourist center and endanger the ancient Joshua trees. The tribe paid Turner $750,000 to settle the lawsuit and allow for construction to begin.
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AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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| Current Issues |
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Residential July 2007
Commercial Summer 2007
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Fall 2007
For more information,
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If you are interested in joining the BANCF and taking advantage of these great opportunities,
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