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Last week, I wrote about a bit of good news in the local building industry. Builders and Realtors in North Central Florida mentioned an increase in traffic, and even a little bump in sales. Now this week, we are encouraged again by a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. That group recently reported that mortgage applications rose for the first time in three weeks as interest rates fell sharply, and demand surged for home purchasing and refinancing loans. The association's seasonally adjusted index of mortgage applications, which includes both purchase and refinance loans, for the week ended Aug. 3 rose 8.1 percent to 656.5, the highest level since early June.
But of course, just like last week, we need to concern ourselves with the decisions being made by local governments. Those decisions can quickly crush any positive momentum.
It is certainly interesting that after weeks and months of scare tactics about cutbacks in law enforcement and fire rescue and a double-digit cut in the Alachua County budget, commissioners are working on a budget with a five percent cut, and are restoring programs. The leader in those scare tactics was, of course, County Manager Randy Reid.
Interestingly, one proposed $150,000 in economic development money for the Council for Economic Outreach, an arm of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, and the East Gainesville Development Corp. Other economic development money for the creation of a new fairgrounds/industrial park on Waldo Road was retained. A few months ago, when the Chamber, in cooperation with BANCF and GACAR, started a campaign to educate the community about the adverse effects of increased impact fees, Commission Chair Paula DeLaney threatened to get the Chamber economic development funding eliminated. Is this her making good on her threat?
It has been easy to track the success stories resulting from the money that has been going to the Council for Economic Outreach for several years. Many businesses and jobs were retained, and many new businesses were brought to the area. It is tough to imagine how the money for a new fairgrounds/industrial park will have the same kind of results.
So that brings us once again to the impact-fee hearing later this month. If commissioners implement the fees that are being proposed, it will be another critical blow to economic development in this community.
We all know where Commissioners Lee Pinkoson and Mike Byerly stand. They have been consistent in their positions, and while I disagree with Byerly, I have to respect his consistency. The question is what about DeLaney, Rodney Long and Cynthia Chestnut.
DeLaney, who campaigned as a supporter of the business community, even spoke several months ago at a BANCF membership meeting about how well she worked with us, only to come out only a few weeks later in favor of the increased fees. While it is frustrating to find that she supports the fees, it is more frustrating that she did not have the courage to tell us that at the meeting.
Long and Chestnut missed an impact-fee workshop last month, and instead sent letters read by Reid expressing their support for the fees. Like DeLaney, Chestnut was elected with the support of the business community.
I am reminded in all of this of a scene in the classic movie, "Casablanca." While sitting in Rick's Café, the French Prefect of Police Capt. Renault was asked by the Nazi Major Strasser whether he supported the Germans and Vichy, the French puppet government set up by the Germans. Renault's response was, "I go with the wind, and right now, the prevailing wind blows from Vichy."
In order for us to do what is best for this community, it is time for us to change the prevailing wind.
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
Our August 2007 issue is online, and in the mail. 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 September issue, which includes a feature on The Palms, an exciting new downtown Gainesville condominium development being brought to you by Mitch Glaeser, Greg Trunnell and Miles Kinsell, is now in production. 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.
Sales are open for our October issue, which will be featuring Isaac Construction in Lake City. The National Feature will be on Weathering the Elements: HVAC, insulation, house wrap, anti-mold products, siding and brick, roofing, pest control.
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.
Sales are now open on the Fall 2007 issue, which will include a cover feature on Ocala's Ausley Construction . 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. Internally, excitement about the magazine is building, as we are very close to sending the first issue to the printer. Our website, while still a work in progress, is up. 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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MCBA Changes Name to Reflect New Objectives
The Marion County Builders Association of Ocala, Florida, Inc. is pleased to announce that the MCBA Board of Directors voted to approve its new name and identity as the Marion County Building Industry Association of Ocala, Florida, Inc. (MCBIA). This new name follows the association's completion and occupancy of its new 8,000-square-foot facility located at 2800 N.E. 14th St. in Ocala. The new facility also features a 150-person capacity conference hall available for rental to the community and a number of office suites available for lease to businesses.
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Developer Gets Deadline to Repay City of Ocala
The Ocala City Council set a timeline Friday for City Shops & Walk developer Jorge Gutman to pay the city $2.5 million. Gutman has an Aug. 17 deadline before interest on a loan from the city rises from 6.75 percent to 25 percent. He has until Aug. 20 or the city can file a lawsuit. Gutman did not speak during a special meeting the city council called Friday. His attorney Steve Zucker did the talking instead. After the meeting, Gutman said he was "very satisfied" with the deal. City Shops & Walk is the first project in the long-discussed redevelopment of downtown Ocala. Plans are for a 40,000-square-foot, open-air restaurant and retail center and a parking garage. Last August, city officials and Gutman celebrated the impending start of construction with a groundbreaking ceremony. Since then, there hasn't been a lot to celebrate.
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Marion Jumps Into Ocklawaha Issue
Marion County will participate in a study about the potential use of the Ocklawaha River for future water supply in the region. A letter from the county commission to St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Kirby Green states that Marion wants to take the "lead role in such efforts" because the county has concerns about the plan. County Commission Chairman Stan McClain and Water Resource Manager Troy Kuphal worked on the letter, which commissioners approved Tuesday.
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In Belleview, Residents' Views Mixed on Bypass
The property Mike Petty purchased six months ago is 300 feet from the new roadway that will loop around Belleview. It's a road Petty did not know was in the works when he purchased his home. "I'm not happy about this at all. I just found out about the road last week," he said. Petty was among 80 property owners attending a public information session in Belleview on Thursday about the road. The road project stretching nine miles, will include building a 5.2-mile stretch east on Southeast 92nd Place Road which will eventually link with County Road 484. The second portion of the project, about 3.8 miles, will include widening a portion of Baseline Road to four lanes. The estimated $25 million project is currently in the design phase. Funding for construction is not expected until the 2010 fiscal budget.
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Beltway Finds No Takers at Meeting
A proposal by State Sen. Steve Oelrich to ring Gainesville with a beltway that would provide express access to key areas received a chilly reception from elected officials Thursday. Though Gainesville and Alachua County commissioners were skeptical of a new expressway, they agreed to look into ways to reduce the congestion that has inspired officials to consider similar proposals on at least three other occasions in as many decades.
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Library Becomes Second to Get Gold in Green Rating
Light-years away from its days of asbestos and lead-based paint, Library West is now officially recognized as one of the most environmentally progressive buildings on campus. Bahar Armaghani, assistant director of UF's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, said last month the library became the second building on campus to attain the gold certification level, which is the second-highest level, in the LEED Green Building Rating System.
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New Alachua County Budget Revives Some Programs
Social service agencies got some funding restored, some park projects were spared and economic development groups took a hit Tuesday as Alachua County commissioners began hashing out a 2007-08 budget. The tentative budget reflects a 5 percent state-mandated cut, which equals about $2.54 million from the general fund. That portion is filled primarily with money from property taxes.
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Columbia School District Working on $4.1M Worth of Construction
The Columbia School District plans to unveil $4.1 million worth of new facilities during the 2007-08 school year. The new facilities are the result of construction projects that have been underway for several months. Some of the projects are scheduled to be opened for use during the first day of school, while others are running behind schedule and will be available for use later during the school year's first semester.
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Partnership Asks for Downtown Ideas
What will downtown Leesburg look like in 10 years? That's what's on the mind of the Leesburg Partnership, and it's enlisting the help of elected officials, residents and merchants to come up with some fresh ideas. The partnership is holding a design charette on Aug. 17 at the Leesburg Opera House in downtown Leesburg.
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Costing More in Palatka: Some Fees Will Rise in October
Although Palatka officials are poised to reduce the city's property tax rate, that doesn't mean the cost of municipal services will be going down.Come Oct. 1, residents and visitors will pay more for several services.The list is varied, from the price for a space in the city owned cemetery to the fee charged to play a round of golf.
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MCBA Calendar of Events
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BANCF Calendar of Events
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FHBI Now Offering Qualifier Bonds
Working hard to meet the changing insurance and risk management needs of the Florida construction industry, Florida Home Builders Insurance, Inc. now offers Financially Responsible Officer/Qualifier bonds that meet the State of Florida's new $100,000 threshold. The new limit, recently adopted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, represents a dramatic reduction from the previous $500,000 requirement. The change enables officers previously unable to secure an officer/qualifier bond the opportunity to fulfill the needed surety requirement for licensing.
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Few Floridians Think Their House Values Will Dip in Five Years
Floridians are optimistic about housing prices despite the gloom pervading much of the real estate industry, a new University of Florida survey finds. Only five percent of 287 Florida homeowners said they think their house values will fall during the next five years, according to the survey, which was conducted in July by UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research.
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Property Tax Proposal Gains Corporate Support
The property tax amendment headed for voters in January picked up its first official corporate blessing Thursday from the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB director Bill Herrle said his group was creating an electioneering communication organization called Small Business Speaks to run television and radio ads this winter for the amendment.
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Orange City Bucks State Tax Orders
Despite an effort by the Florida Legislature to force local property-tax cuts, Orange City is poised to pass a budget in September that could contain a small tax increase. Orange City is the only one of Volusia's 16 cities to notify the county property appraiser that it may exceed the rate set recommended by the state.
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State Agencies Offer to Trim Budgets
State agencies offered proposals Wednesday to trim their budgets by $3 billion to help the state government through its current fiscal crisis, with advocates for the poor and disabled saying they fear their programs could be hit the hardest when the Legislature adopts a revised budget next month.
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Groups Align in Growth Battle
Businesses and developers have already poured money this summer into fighting the Florida Hometown Democracy group that wants to stop local governments from rubber-stamping development. Now they have a new weapon.
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Fate of Property Tax Schemes May Be Found in Courtroom
While lawmakers and voters prepare for a Jan. 29 vote on the future of property taxes in the state, the ultimate decision may come in a courtroom. A Leon County Circuit judge dismissed a lawsuit Monday filed by Alabama residents who own second homes in the Panhandle, although an appeal to state and federal courts is likely.
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Petition-Drive Clock is Reset
A new law that allows voters to remove their signatures from initiative petitions is on the books with a provision that gives opponents more time to fight measures aiming for the 2008 ballot. The law took effect Aug. 1, and for the first time gives voters 150 days to strip their signatures from a ballot initiative from the date voters first signed.
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Insurance Rate Hearings Set for August
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has announced seven public hearings for property insurance companies that have submitted "true-up" filings. Insurance companies that lowered rates after new laws were passed in January are now required to resubmit rates they feel are more in line with the actual risks they insure.
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Fla. Panel Offers Property Tax Proposals
Homeowners would be allowed to take existing tax breaks with them when they move under a proposal made Monday to some members of a constitutional tax and budget panel. About a half dozen of the panel's 25 members who participated in a conference call, though, said the "portability" proposal should be considered only as part of a broader examination of Florida's entire property tax structure.
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No Tax Cut for Disney's District
Another Central Florida government is preparing to ignore the Florida Legislature's recent order to slash property taxes -- but, unlike others, it doesn't have to worry about igniting a revolt among tax-weary voters.The Reedy Creek Improvement District, the obscure government created for and controlled by Walt Disney World, has only one voter it must answer to: Disney itself.
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Growth Management a 'Mess,' Says DCA Secretary Tom Pelham
Calling growth management 'a mess,' new DCA Secretary Tom Pelham wants a rewrite. Twenty years after he took the job of making Florida's landmark growth-management law work, Tom Pelham is back and ready for a do-over. By this time next year, Pelham hopes, Florida will have a new growth management law, or at least a giant first step, to replace the 1985 act as well as the Santa Claus-sized grab bag of changes the Legislature has passed since then.
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U.S. House Bill Seeks to Stabilize Property Insurance Market
The chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services committee promised Friday to quickly take up a bill seeking to stabilize the property insurance market in disaster-prone areas. The bill, introduced Friday and prepared by Democratic Florida Reps. Ron Klein and Tim Mahoney, would use private investors to build a national backup fund that states could use after the worst catastrophes.
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Homeland Security Cracking Down on Illegal Workers
With Congress failing to act on immigration reform, recent news reports indicate that the Bush Administration is now planning a new crackdown on illegal immigrants, which could force millions of business owners to either fire them or face heavy fines and even imprisonment. Any day now, the Department of Homeland Security is expected to issue new rules on how employers must respond if they receive a letter from the Social Security Administration stating that a worker's name or Social Security number does not match agency records.
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Housing Trust Fund Bill Heads to House Floor
The House Financial Services Committee last week approved legislation to create a national housing trust fund that would provide grants and other assistance in support of the production, rehabilitation and preservation of up to 1.5 million affordable housing units over the next decade as a part of the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act. The Federal Housing Administration would fund the trust fund. The bill will now head to the House floor.
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30-Year Mortgage Rates Lowest since Early June
Rates on 30-year mortgages sank this week to their lowest point in two months, which is good news for those thinking about buying a home. The 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.59%. This is the lowest since early June, when rates stood at 6.53%.
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New Homes, Hotel Coming to 39th Avenue in Gainesville
A growth spurt on NW 39th Avenue west of Interstate 75 will add a new hotel, a few new subdivisions, a relocated Clay utility office and several churches. But officials say traffic limits and a lack of large tracts of land will keep the stretch of 39th between I-75 and County Road 241 from having the kind of big developments that have been built elsewhere in west Gainesville.
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Home Depot Has Grand Opening Ceremony
The new Home Depot in northern Gainesville has been open a week, but employees, local dignitaries, vendors and company management from throughout the state were on hand to make it official Thursday morning with a board-cutting ceremony. Store manager Bert Miller did the honors with a handheld power saw as Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan stood by in safety goggles.
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Immigration ID Rule Rankles Florida Industries
A new federal crackdown on illegal immigration would force companies to fire employees whose Social Security numbers and names don't match government records.If they don't, they would risk harsh penalties -- a move that could be devastating to key Florida industries.Business people and immigration advocates say the new measure would wreak havoc on South Florida's construction, agriculture and hospitality industries, as well as snare millions of U.S. citizens because of inconsistencies in their Social Security records.
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AGC Supports Bridge Reconstruction Initiative
The Associated General Contractors of America today announced its support for a "National Highway Bridge Reconstruction Initiative," unveiled by Rep. Jim Oberstar. The initiative would provide dedicated funding to states to repair, rehabilitate and replace structurally deficient bridges on the National Highway System. The initiative will be introduced to the House when Congress returns in September.
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AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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Residential August 2007
Commercial Summer 2007
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Fall 2007
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