So it seems that finding every tax and fee that it can to pick our pockets is not enough for the Alachua County Commission. Now the commission will spend more than $20,000 of our money to tell us how to vote on the property-tax proposal on Jan. 29. Yes, it is election time again. The commission - with Lee Pinkoson serving once again as the only sane voice rallying against the insanity - voted to spend the money to "educate" us on the pros and cons of the tax-cut plan. They don't need to spend a dime of our money to let us know that they oppose any effort to take money away from them, and give it back to us. Expect to see the typical scare tactics of cutting fire services or police protection used again.
Last week, Alachua County School Board Superintendent Dan Boyd pushed through the changes to the Buchholz High School finance and entrepreneurial magnet programs. Under the pretense that this was done due to school overcrowding, the net effect is going to be minimal to the overall numbers at the school, but will possibly impact significantly a nationally recognized program. What was most appalling at the school board meeting was Eileen Roy, less than five minutes after the explanation was given about the overcrowding at Buchholz, proposed rezoning a neighborhood that would double the number of kids going to the school that they would rezone from this program.
It is imperative that we educate ourselves on the upcoming elections, and make sure we do what we can to elect those who will make a positive impact.
Every year around this time, we release a survey asking for input on how we are doing. Consider it our annual report card of sorts. Responses from the survey have dramatically changed what we do at Advantage Publishing so we may serve you better. Whether it was the start of Commercial Building Edge to focus on the commercial and industrial construction industry, the development of these e-news briefs to keep our readers involved on what is happening on a local, statewide and national level, or the launch of HOME to bring our advocacy of the trade to the consumer, we believe strongly that our publications are here to deliver what you want to see. It is your input that allows us to grow and change. Since virtually everything we do at Advantage Publishing, Inc. is for and about the building industry, we want you to tell us what you like, what you don't like, what you want us to keep, and what you want us to change. Please take a few minutes to reply to the survey at this link, www.buildingedgemagazine.com/residential/Survey_2007 _2_.pdf, and fax it back to us at 352-372-5957. Thank you.
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
The January 2008 issue of Building Edge is out. The cover story is on Allen Stine and All America Homes. Our National Feature is on Home Technology.
February's issue is in production and should start printing shortly. Our cover story is on Sparks Construction. The National Feature is on Surfaces & Finishes: Countertops, floorcoverings, walls & ceilings. Look for this issue to arrive around Valentine's Day.
Our cover story for March will be G.W. Robinson Remodeling, LLC. The National Feature will be on Windows: Style, efficiency, architecture, and glass technology. We close Tuesday, January 29th. If you would like to participate, please call us today.
Coming up in the second quarter will be the annual spotlight on the Builders of the Parade of Homes™ in April, The Enclave Apartments developed by Collier Enterprises and constructed by Davis and Son Construction in May, and Claeys Construction in June. We are excited about these issues, and look forward to your participation.
Our Fall 2007 Commercial issue, featuring Ausley Construction , is now available as well. You can view this issue online, or call us for a copy.
Our Winter 2008 Commercial issue, featuring Trunnell Construction on the cover, is now in production.
The Spring 2008 issue of Commercial Building Edge is now open. Paul Stentiford and Stentiford Construction Services will be on the cover. Early response on this issue has been phenomenal. lease call us for details.
In the Summer, we will feature Nathan Collier and Paradigm Properties.
HOME™: Living in the Heart of Florida:
Our winter issue is now available. Look for it at one of our roughly 400 distribution points. The cover story is a feature on Sister Hazel's Andrew Copeland. Our website has been revamped to make it even more user friendly when trying to view the magazine on line. Listening to recommendations from the first issue, we have maintained the quality, but increased the editorial topics. One of my personal favorites in this issue is the article on kitchen islands. HOME is distributed over a 12-country area, from The Villages to Lake City.
We are now working on the Spring issue, and are very excited about our cover story. Paige Beck, of WCJB TV20, has been keeping us well informed about news in our area for some time. For more information, please email us at info@advantagepublishinginc.com or call us at 352-372-5854. If you have not seen our first issue, please visit our website at www.livingintheheartofflorida.com.
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Thomas Assumes Role as Chair of Gainesville Chamber
Kinnon Thomas took over as Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. He chairs the chamber at a time when it takes a leadership role in pursuing a penny sales tax for the 2010 ballot, an idea local business leaders pitched to Alachua County commissioners as an alternative or addition to impact fee increases to fund community projects. Thomas said he doesn't want to get into an argument about whether growth pays for itself-he said he's seen studies that purport to prove both sides.
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SFCC Builds Job Skills
Santa Fe Community College has retained its near perfect job placement rate for graduates of its two-year construction management program and for its apprenticeship programs. SFCC offers four areas of construction education to about 300 students at a time. While most go on to jobs in the construction industry directly from SFCC, some choose to continue their education. About half the students are in programs that will send them directly to the work force.
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Local Economy has Potential to Spike if Voters Approve Tax Amendment
If approved by voters on the Jan. 29 ballot, an upcoming tax amendment could affect the county's economy and give the real estate market a much-needed boost, according to officials. In recent years, the housing market in Columbia County has seen a tumble because homeowners in South Florida, who were partly responsible for the housing boom a few years ago, are unable to sell their homes because of escalating prices. One of the biggest points of contention of the proposed tax Amendment 1 on the upcoming ballot is the issue of portability. This amendment proposes that homeowners who sell their homes are able to take the difference between the "just value" of their home and the "assessed value" with them to a new residence within the state.
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District to Limit Entry to Buchholz
Alachua County School Board members agreed not to rezone the city high schools and they agreed to limit the number of out-of-zone students admitted to Buchholz High School magnet programs to 20 percent or less. The board had been considering zoning issues and access to the magnet programs recently, drawing the ire of many parents. A large-scale rezoning plan was scrapped earlier this month while officials continued to look for ways to deal with overcrowding in Buchholz. The high school is 200 students over capacity with an enrollment of about 2,245 students.
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GRU Manager's $210,000 Salary OK'd
The new general manager for Gainesville Regional Utilities will assume the position on March 3 with an annual salary of $210,000, according to the employment contract approved Monday by the City Commission without discussion. On Dec. 17, the Gainesville Commission selected Robert Hunzinger from a pool of five candidates to fill the general manager position, which had been vacant for 21 months. Mayor Pegeen Hanrahah said she expected to sign the contract Tuesday afternoon and express-mail it to Hunzinger for final approval.
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Renovation Inspired by Spain
Barbra Hubbell said she was looking for inspiration while renovating her northwest Gainesville home and found it in her vast collection of vintage furnishings from Spain. Working with local architecture Victor Raymos, the two transformed this typical ranch-style home into a Mediterranean villa. The renovation included the front porch, roof and garage doors. But that was just the beginning.
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City, Schools Can't Agree on Growth Benchmark
There is a magic number that will require developers to pay for the additional students their new communities will bring to the School District-but local government agencies have yet to agree on it. A decision will have to be made by May 1, but for the time being members of the Ocala City Council and Marion County School Board agreed to disagree on a "level of service standard" at a preliminary workshop on school concurrency held Wednesday.
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FDOT Starts $13 Million Widening Project on CR 484
Work got underway to improve and widen a nearly five-mile stretch of County Road 484 from Interstate 75 east to County Road 467. The $13 million project by the Florida Department of Transportation will expand the roadway from two lanes to four lanes over the next year and a half. In addition to widening the roadway, the project also includes replacing signals, milling of existing pavement, new signage and drainage system improvements.
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Leader in Concrete Concept Dies
Theodore R. "Ted" Crom Sr., co-founder of Crom Corp. and a national leader in prestressed concrete, died Thursday night at age 87. Crom was one of the first in the nation to work with prestressed concrete and helped set the standards for use of the product nationwide. He got his start with the concept while working with his father, J.M. Crom, to build the first prestressed beams in Florida. They were used in the construction of a church on NW 5th Avenue in Gainesville in 1952. The church has since been demolished. Following his retirement from the corporation in 1992, Crom moved from Gainesville to a lake home in Melrose.
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Light Bulb Exchange is Bright Idea
An additional 100 or so Alachua County homes now have energy-efficient lighting, thanks to a community light bulb exchange held Saturday at Westside Recreation Center. The exchange was supposed to last for four hours, but the organization running it ran out of its 2,000 compact fluorescent bulbs in a little more than an hour and a half because of an unexpected high demand.
The compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) were exchanged for 2,000 regular light bulbs in an event co-sponsored by the International Carbon Bank and Exchange Inc. of Gainesville, the University of Florida's Office of Sustainability and Gainesville Regional Utilities.
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MCBIA Calendar of Events
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BANCF Calendar of Events
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Deltona Mayor Wants to Do Away with Property Taxes
Gov. Charlie Crist is fighting to reduce property taxes, but imagine paying no property taxes. Deltona Mayor Dennis Mulder outlined a proposal to reduce or do away with property taxes in Volusia County's largest city. Homeowners said they wouldn't mind the extra income in their pockets. They know a city without property taxes would attract more home buyers, but they also wonder if city services, like public safety would suffer as a result.
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Big Business Aids Crist on Tax Cut Vote
Gov. Charlie Crist hits the road Wednesday to push his property tax amendment with the help of some of the state's largest industries that have a stake in earning the governor's favor in the months ahead. Following the same playbook and using the same staff he used while running for governor, Crist is promoting the amendment through a non-stop schedule of appearances and glossy television ads that take him Wednesday to stops in Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
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St. Lucie Approves Tax Waivers to Lure New Businesses
Some new businesses won't have to pay thousands of dollars in impact fees before they start construction in St. Lucie. The unanimous vote by the St. Lucie County commissioners was made so the county can compete better for high-paying businesses with other areas that grant financial breaks, such as impact fee waivers. Commissioners hope the incentives will pay off in the long run by generating more in property taxes and creating lucrative jobs.
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Court Lifts Ban on Allstate
Allstate Insurance wins round one. A Florida appeals court on Friday temporarily rescinded an order from state regulators that prevented the company from writing new auto and home insurance business until it delivers documents sought in an investigation.
Now, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has 10 days to show the court why his order should stick and Allstate should be barred from selling new policies in the state.
For Allstate's 1,200 agents and their staffs, the stay is a boon since they were losing out on writing new business, which delivers the highest commissions for them. Allstate's biggest line is auto coverage, both for consumer and commercial vehicles. It is the second-largest insurer in the state of autos, with about 1.7 million policies.
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Crist Rallies for Property Tax Amendment
With polls showing that passage of a property tax amendment is no sure bet, Gov. Charlie Crist spent Wednesday barnstorming across the state and trading accusations with opponents about the true impact of the measure that goes before voters on Jan. 29. Crist hit major media markets in Central and South Florida telling voters that the property tax amendment would be good for Florida's economy.
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County Pockets Buyers' Prepaid Impact Fees
The slumping real estate market is claiming even more victims in Charlotte County-buyers who prepay impact fees to help offset the cost of road construction. Some of these people, who shelled out the money, might not be getting it back, even if their homes are never built. The county is holding the prepaid impact fees, regardless of whether anything was built. To many, this is not fair.
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County to Weigh Stimulus Plan
With Hillsborough County residents hurting from a collapsing real estate market and stalled development, the county commission is considering a limited economic stimulus package, including halving impact fees. Commissioner Jim Norman made the proposal, saying local government cannot stand by while residents suffer. Norman said he will ask the county's Economic Development Department to put together a package to spur the building industry.
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Crist Wants More Money for Schools
Countering critics of his property tax-cut plan, Gov. Charlie Crist recommended a statewide education budget that would increase, rather than cut, spending on public schools by $1 billion next year. The governor's proposal to the Legislature comes three weeks before he releases his full state budget and was intended to quiet critics who are concerned that if voters approve his tax-cut amendment on Jan. 29, school funding will drop $1.5 billion statewide over five years.
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Bush Proposing $145 Billion Plan to Spur Economy
President Bush called Friday for roughly $145 billion in tax relief for individuals and businesses that he said would "provide a shot in the arm" for the economy, while Congressional Democrats, in a rare show of Washington bipartisanship, pledged to work with him to enact a plan quickly. Mr. Bush laid out his ideas for an economic rescue package only in broad strokes, saying the plan must be "built on broad-based tax relief" and "big enough to make a difference in an economy as large and dynamic as ours." He did not use the word recession, but acknowledged that "there is a risk of a downturn."
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NAHB and Financial Services Roundtable Ask Congress to Raise GSE Conforming Loan Limit
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Housing Policy Control (HPC) of The Financial Services Roundtable joined forces today in taking a leadership role to break the deadlock in Congress over regulatory oversight reform of the housing government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. NAHB and HPC support a temporary increase in the conforming loan limit to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase mortgages in high-cost areas as part of prompt action on GSE reform legislation, the two groups said. Specifically, they are calling on the Senate to approve legislation swiftly similar to the House-passed legislation H.R. 1427, which would reform the oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and allow them to increase liquidity in the nation's mortgage markets.
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Builder was Green Before It was Cool
The entrepreneurial spirit and a love of architecture run deep in the blood of John Suppes, 47-year-old founder of Clarum Homes and a leading figure In the energy-saving "green building" movement that has suddenly become fashionable. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Clarum Homes and Suppes are riding the rising popularity of energy-saving "green" houses. No longer just a fad, green building is steadily gaining favor, as concern grows about global warming.
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Tumbling Rates Boost Mortgage Demand to Four-Year High
Mortgage applications surged last week, with demand hitting its highest in nearly four years as interest rates plunged, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Douglas Duncan, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association, said the robust data offer a glimmer of hope for housing.
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'Green' Building Policies Crucial for Reducing Greenhouse Gases
Despite all the public attention focusing on the harmful emissions that come from the automotive sector, the dirty little secret is that buildings are actually the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that two-thirds of all carbon dioxide emissions come from stationary sources. It would seem obvious, then, that increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions from buildings would make the biggest impact in our growing efforts to combat the harmful effects of climate change.
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Fed Auctions $30B at Lower Interest
The Federal Reserve, working to combat the effects of a serious credit crisis, said it had auctioned $30 billion in funds to commercial banks at an interest rate of 3.95 percent. It marked the third in a series of innovative auctions the Fed began last month as a way to provide cash-strapped banks with the reserves they need. The hope is that the increase in resources will keep banks lending to consumers and businesses and prevent the credit turmoil that hit in August from pushing the country into a recession.
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Homebuilders Return to Orlando for Industry's Largest New-Product Showcase
Thousands of home builders and their colleagues from across the housing industry will be returning to Orlando, Fla., for the 2008 International Builders' Show (IBS) at the Orange County Convention Center on Feb. 13-16. This will be the fourth consecutive year that Orlando has hosted the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) mega-show, where housing professionals can access a greater array of cutting-edge products and services geared to the building industry than at any other place on earth.
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Fed Chief Backs Quick Action to Aid Economy
A recession is probably not on the horizon, despite the drumbeat of grim financial news, but the ailing economy needs quick passage of a stimulus package plus aggressive action by the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, told Congress. The chairman insisted that despite valid concerns about the "slowing growth" of the economy, it remains "extraordinarily resilient," fortified by diversity, a strong labor force, excellent technology and a "liquid financial market that is in the process of trying to repair itself."
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Builders Continue to Reduce New Housing Production in December
Single-family housing starts declined 2.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 794,000 units in December as home builders continued to ratchet down production in an effort to reduce inventories of new homes on the market, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Meanwhile, a sharp reduction in the volatile multifamily sector contributed to an overall 14.2 percent decline in nationwide housing starts for the month to a one million-unit rate, the lowest since May of 1991.
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Rail Traffic May Rise in Region
A Florida Department of Transportation project to bring commuter rail service to Central Florida could mean increased freight traffic to rail lines in Alachua County and a new overpass on State Road 26 in Orange Heights. The $491 million project, which would add commuter trains to a 61.5-mile stretch of CSX rail line in the Orlando area, would route roughly eight or nine freight trains per day from that rail line onto the CSX line that cuts through Hawthorne, Waldo and other parts of eastern Alachua County, said Fred Wise, manager of the FDOT's Rail Office. To help accommodate the expected increase in train delays, the FDOT is planning to build an overpass on SR 26 near Orange Heights sometime in 2010, when the increased freight traffic is expected, Wise said.
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Total Construction Edges Up in November; Nonresidential Remains Strong
The U.S. Commerce Department's Census Bureau Jan. 2 reported that November construction spending was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.165 trillion, which is 0.1 percent above the revised October estimate of $1.163 trillion. The bureau noted that the November rate is 0.1 percent below the November 2006 estimate of $1.166 trillion. Total nonresidential construction spending in November was $673 billion, 2 percent above the revised October rate of $659 billion and 18 percent above the November 2006 rate of $570 billion. Total residential construction spending continued to decline in November, falling 2.4 percent from a revised October rate of $504 billion to $492 billion.
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Board to Consider Magnet School
Lake County School Board members will consider a much-needed land donation for a possible school in South Lake County. The district would have to pay for a traffic study and $4 million of title insurance in exchange for the "free" 60-acre plot in the Hills of Minneola Subdivision, according to district documents. With those costs, the land is theirs, if board members agree to have it.
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Disney Likely Building Time Shares Near Contemporary Resort
Walt Disney World is in the midst of building a $110 million, 15-story tower next to its iconic Contemporary Resort that likely will feature time shares-bringing the units closer to the Magic Kingdom than ever before. Disney will say little publicity about the fast-rising Contemporary addition. But there is ample evidence Disney plans to use the tower for time shares.
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Firms Suggest $27M County Arena
A 50,000-square-foot arena that could seat up to 7,500 and cost around $27 million is what Alachua County should consider for its new fairgrounds to lure concerts, sporting competitions, trade shows and other events, a consultant told the county Tourist Development Council on Wednesday. The firms, Economic Research Associates and HOK Smith Forkner, said the builder would earn the county little direct money but would generate more than $52.4 million for the local economy.
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Exactech Growing with New Warehouse
Exactech Inc. is in growth mode with the opening of a 29,000-square-foot customer operations warehouse and office building and the Jan. 1 close of its acquisition of North Carolina-based Altiva Corporation. With the new center and warehouse, the company continues to spread throughout the Northwood Commercial Park off State Road 121/NW 34th Street near U.S. 441. Exactech's fifth building gives it 149,000 square feet.
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Study: Raise Gas Prices to Fix Roads
A special commission is urging the government to raise federal gasoline taxes by as much as 40 cents per gallon over five years as part of a sweeping overhaul designed to ease traffic congestion and repair the nation's decaying bridges and roads. The two-year study being released Tuesday by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, the first to recommend broad changes after the devastating bridge collapse in Minneapolis last August, warns that urgent action is needed to avoid future disasters.
Click Here>> AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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Residential January 2008
Commercial Fall 2007
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
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