|
Many who receive this know the Willis and McDonald families. Blayne Willis, the son of Lori and Jack Willis, and the nephew of Kevin McDonald, was in a motorcycle accident, and has spent the last two weeks in Shands. Anyone who knows this family knows they would give the shirt off their back to help another before they could blink. They tend to do their kindest acts behind the scenes, as opposed to looking for praise. If there was ever a family deserving our prayers, and a speedy recovery for their son, it would be the Willis'. Please keep them in your thoughts.
We know Lake and Marion counties voted against the increases in impact fees. Going into Tuesday's session, it appeared Alachua was going to stand firm, and take the easy way out with raising impact fees, as opposed to doing the courageous thing, and looking for alternative ways to raise the necessary funds. Barry Rutenberg spoke at the commission hearing on behalf of a Citizens Initiative Group to research a one-cent sales tax. The funds raised would be more than triple the impact fee, and spread out amongst all who would use it. The vote appeared to be 4-1 to raise rates. Commissioner Rodney Long spoke up after five-plus hours of silence to propose the impact fees be raised, but at a 15 percent discount and, over a five-year period. He further proposed to delay implementation until November 2008 to see if the sales tax initiative will work. I think it is too early to tell whether this is a positive or negative, as we don't want to see later increases compounded on top of this proposed increase, but at the least, it delays implementation a year, and the increase is split up over a five-year period.
As far as the other counties in the area go, while everyone celebrated the defeat of impact-fee proposals in Marion and Lake counties a little more than a week ago, the work there, and in other neighboring counties, is not done. While there is nothing immediate on the table in Marion County, Lake is facing a school impact-fee plan, as is Columbia County. We must continue to educate the public and our elected officials about the problems with looking toward impact fees alone to solve fiscal problems.
Lastly, I want to take a minute to recognize Labor Day. I heard three interesting things about Labor Day on the radio last week. One was that the holiday was created because there is too long a period of time between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. The second is that in most parts of the country, it is considered the end of summer. To me, it means the start of football season! The last, and most important, is that it is a time to recognize the people that built this country - the people who built our infrastructure, and of course, we do that.
It is also a day to spend with family. Whether you are taking advantage of the holiday or returning to work early, we thank you for what you have done to help keep our economy strong, and hope you and your families had a nice holiday weekend.
|
|
|
|
www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
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, will be online this week. The national feature is Interior Design: Lighting, hardware, trim millwork, interior doors, fireplaces, stairs, closet systems.
Sales for our October issue are closing shortly. It 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 .For more information, please contact us at (352) 372-3958 in Gainesville, or (352) 368-1707 in Ocala.
To finish off the year, Demetri Homes of Ocala will be our November cover story and GC Construction of Gainesville will be featured in December.
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 close for the Fall 2007 Commercial issue next week. The cover story is a 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
Our newest publication, Home: Living in the Heart of Florida, is in production. We saw some early layout proofs last week, and are certainly excited about how it looks and the array of articles and information, we will be bringing to the community. 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!
|
|
|
Alachua County Impact Fee May Jump
The transportation impact fee was increased last Tuesday night by the Alachua County Commission but it will not take effect until November 2008, giving impact fee opponents a chance to sell a sales tax to the public that could cancel the fee increase if passed.
Click Here>>
Ocala Ready to Sue Gutman Again
City attorneys will begin preparing paperwork last week to file a second lawsuit to foreclose against City Shops & Walk developer Jorge Gutman. The South Florida developer had until the end of the day Monday to satisfy a $130,000 mortgage he took out against the downtown Sprint property, but he did not make the payment.
SFCC Plans $32 Million Fine Arts Building
Santa Fe Community College's fine arts facilities have been less than adequate for far too long. President Jackson Sasser says the auditorium is worse than a middle school performance space. Dance department chair Alora Haynes likened it to a garage. But the deplorable performance conditions at SFCC are scheduled to change in the coming years as the college moves ahead with plans to build a grandiose fine arts building that Haynes said should be dubbed "The Miracle on 83rd Street."
Click Here>>
SE Gainesville Plan Outlined
Out-of-town developers will be brought in to help bring a plan to reality that is designed to jump-start development in southeast Gainesville, officials and planners said Thursday as they laid out a detailed set of proposals for the area's revitalization. WilsonMiller, the Tampa-based consultant developing a plan known as the Southeast Gainesville Renaissance Initiative for the city, is recruiting developers and investors in Gainesville, Tampa and elsewhere to participate in the project, said Michael English, who is working on the project for WilsonMiller.
Click Here>>
Marion Economic Development Corp. Not Alone in Quest for Funding Source
With local officials concerned about budget cuts triggered by property tax reforms, the Ocala/ Marion County Economic Development Corp. is looking for new funding sources. It's a concern shared statewide, Enterprise Florida vice president Chris Hart told the EDC's monthly board meeting last Wednesday.
Click Here>>
Lake County School Board OKs Higher Impact Fees
Developers could pay double their current impact fees for new school construction if the Lake County School Board gets its wish. Some or all of those impact fees would be passed along to people looking to buy new homes in Lake County. But if eventually passed by county commissioners, the new fees won't come without another fight from some people, including builders and developers.
Click Here>>
Lake County Commissioners in Give-and-Take Mood Over Budget
Lake County commissioners shaved more than $300,000 from its proposed 2008 budget last Tuesday. But they came up with a little more cash for community programs. Commissioners agreed to put $100,000 in reserves for unanticipated costs in 2008, $200,000 toward reducing the total general fund budget, and transferred money from a job incentive fund for community programs.
Click Here>>
Click Here>
BANCF Calendar of Events
Click Here> |
|
|
|
|
More Than 100,000 Sign Up for Home Inspections
More than 103,000 Florida homeowners have signed up for free home inspections to learn about possible wind resistance upgrades, Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Thursday. The state program, called My Safe Florida Home, allows owners of single family homes to get free inspections to help them identify ways to strengthen their homes to better withstand hurricanes.
Click Here>>
State Lawmakers' Tax Pledges Run Into Reality
Gov. Charlie Crist and state lawmakers made a promise two months ago that if voters approve a property tax-cut plan on Jan. 29, the politicians would protect schools from billions of lost education money. Now as Florida's economy cools and legislators prepare to cut up to $400 million from education, the politicians are realizing they're going to have a hard time keeping their word -- so they've come up with a different promise. It goes like this: If the tax-cut amendment passes, it will revive the housing market and re-ignite the state economy, which will mean bigger tax collections for schools.
Click Here>>
Property Tax Notices Bring Mix of Feelings
Property taxes are falling for many - but not all - Floridians although the reductions often are not as much as expected. The Legislature's passage of a tax rollback in June had property owners expecting a windfall or at least a decrease, but they are now learning that the benefits can vary due to a variety of factors including local market conditions, state and county tax officials say.
Click Here>>
Ft. Myers Beach Mayor Proposes Eliminating Property Taxes
The mayor of Fort Myers Beach has proposed eliminating the town's property tax and replacing it with a one percent sales tax. It has homeowners excited, but many business owners are worried it will drive away tourists. Mayor Dennis Boback thinks his proposal is fair and puts the tax burden back on some of the people who use city services the most.
Click Here>>
Nationwide To Drop 39,000 Florida Policies
By now, the news is familiar to many Florida homeowners. In an effort to further limit its hurricane exposure in the state, Nationwide Insurance of Florida said Tuesday it will not renew 39,000 property policies in Florida, starting in January. For Nationwide, which will begin sending out the notices next month, this isn't the first time it has trimmed its policy count in the state to reduce exposure.
Click Here>>
Builders' Wallets Helping Charlotte County Tax Plan
In just seven weeks, the campaign committee promoting a sales tax increase to fund new schools raised $68,425, due largely to checks from the building industry. Two-thirds of the donations to the Charlotte Safe Schools Initiative Political Action Committee, which was formed to get people to vote for the half-percentage point tax increase, were made by architectural firms and building companies. Some of those companies have collected tens of millions of dollars through district contracts over the past couple years.
Click Here>>
Hurricane Study Shows Code's Strength
A study of losses in the hardest hit area of Florida during Hurricane Charley shows the effectiveness of modern engineering-based building codes and supports the need to strengthen the wind-resistance of homes built before 1996. The study, released by the Institute for Business and Home Safety, finds that when a home was built made a big difference in the damage it sustained as a result of Charley. Newer homes needed only partial roof covering replacement, window damage was primarily limited to screens, and garage door repairs were minor.
Click Here>>
City and Mayors Adopt "Green" Resolution
The Florida League of Cities and Florida League of Mayors adopted resolutions supporting the Florida Green Building Coalition's Green Cities standards. The Florida Home Builders Association sent a letter in support of voluntary green building standards as well.
Click Here>>
|
|
|
|
Fed Chief Vows to Protect the Economy
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke vowed Friday to do all that is necessary to protect the national economy from the ill effects of a global credit crunch - but not to bail out investors and lenders "from the consequences of their financial decisions."
Click Here>>
NAHB Calls for SAFE Applicants
The National Association of Home Builders is call for entries for the 2007 Safety Award for Excellence (SAFE), which recognizes home builders who develop outstanding work site safety programs. The award honors the achievements of builders and trade contractors who have developed and implemented high-quality construction safety programs, as well as those government officials and NAHB-affiliated associations who have made successful efforts to advance safety in the home building industry. Applications must be received no later than Oct. 5.
Click Here>>
Some Home Buyers Gain Edge from Credit Crisis
Home buyers with solid credit and money for a down payment are now better positioned than they were a few weeks ago. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is at a three-month low. Home prices in many areas have fallen. And despite the meltdown in non-traditional mortgages, many community banks still offer loans above $417,000, though rates have risen. It is an excellent time to buy for those who want to move up to a bigger house or buy a home for the first time.
Click Here>>
New Home Sales Rise
The first look at home sales in the key month of July showed that sales came in better than expected. According to the Census Bureau report, Americans bought newly constructed homes at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 870,000 units. That's 2.8% above the upwardly revised June rate and better than the consensus estimate of 830,000 that economists were expecting.
Click Here>>
New York Announces New Standards for Green Buildings
Dozens of state construction projects in New York will have to meet new environmental standards beginning next year. The Dormitory Agency, a state agency that provides financing and construction services to public and private universities and nonprofit health care facilities, will require new projects to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
Click Here>>
|
|
|
More Than 7,500 Gulf Coast Residents Trained Under Initiative
The Business Roundtable Aug. 27 reported that more than 7,500 Gulf Coast residents have been trained as part of the organization's Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative (GCWDI), an effort to recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction workers in the Gulf Coast region by the end of 2009. Launched last year by the Business Roundtable, ABC and more than 20 other organizations, the initiative provides craft training for Gulf Coast residents working to rebuild following the devastating 2005 hurricane season.
Click Here>>
Home Depot Sells Supply Business
Home Depot agreed to sell its commercial supply business to a consortium of private equity firms for $8.5 billion, nearly $2 billion less than the original agreement. It is one of the first big buyouts to be renegotiated as a result of the recent tightening of credit and problems in the housing market. Because the deal relies heavily on debt, investors and banks have been watching it closely for signs of how new limits on credit could affect other large buyouts that are still pending and are worth nearly $400 billion collectively.
Click Here>>
Construction Industry Not Feeling as Crimped, as Yet
Businesses have splurged on new warehouses, office buildings, hotels and other commercial real estate in the past several years, helping keep the economy afloat as the housing market has plummeted. Even before worldwide credit markets started seizing up in the past month, however, there were signs that the commercial real estate boom was hitting some speed bumps. Lenders have been tightening standards for real estate loans, while reporting that more developers are falling behind on loan payments. So far, the troubles have not filtered out in a major way into the construction industry.
Click Here>>
Shands Northside Jacksonville Campus Plan Could Face Hurdles
Shands Jacksonville is plotting an ambitious Northside campus that could include a hospital and generate up to 1,000 jobs - hoping to pocket more health care dollars from the area's burgeoning population. Hospital officials confirmed plans last Wednesday for an up to $200 million campus, which will be built in phases over more than five years. The blueprint calls for an up to 300-bed hospital and is part of parent Shands HealthCare's more than $1 billion, 10-year capital plan that includes a new cancer hospital in Gainesville.
Click Here>>
Villages Hospital Still Growing
After 20 months of construction, fundraising and planning, The Villages Regional Hospital is bigger and better. The number of beds has more than tripled. Heart catheterizations - to combat cholesterol diseases and prevent possible heart attacks - will start next week. A new wireless monitoring system will allow new patients to go where they please while nurses watch every vital sign on a bank of computer monitors.
Click Here>>
AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
Click Here > | |
|
|
|
| Current Issues |
 |
Residential August 2007
Commercial Summer 2007
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Fall 2007
For more information,
Please contact
Scott Costello |
| Advantage Web Design |
|
If you are interested in joining the BANCF and taking advantage of these great opportunities,
Please visit
www.bancf.com |
|
|
