This week's brief is a little longer than normal. It is usually easy to limit the categories to 10 topics per category. This week was a little harder, as there was a lot of news coming out.
It was a good week. Sometime you just have to go beyond the headlines in the mainstream media to find the good news.
First of all, the passage of Amendment 1 should go a long way stimulate the state's economy. Despite what you may read, Florida remains a growth state. However, the rush to the state has slowed, and one of the main reasons expressed is that taxes are too high. This is a step to make Florida attractive, and that will stimulate the building industry and the economy. While the passage of this amendment will make local government work a little harder in balancing the budget, it might offset frivolous spending. It also frees up on average $250-$500 per homeowner from their property tax bills.
The second piece of good news was the decision by the Fed to lower interest rates for the second time in a week. That action, along with the stimulus package being considered by Congress will help a sluggish economy. Whether it is credit card interest rates, mortgages or lines of credit, this lowering of the rate should hopefully stimulate some movement.
Finally, of course, the great news was that Hometown Democracy will not be on the ballot in November. While the fight is not over, and the expectation is that it will be back in 2010, this ill-conceived plan would have killed growth in Florida. And if you kill growth, you kill the economy.
So all in all, it was a good week.
There was one bit of sad news that needs mentioning. Beth Younggren-Glassman passed away on Friday. Many know Beth from her time at TV 20. She was so much more than that. She dedicated herself to improving North Central Florida, fighting for causes that meant everything to her. She was an active volunteer in the community, at her church and at Talbot Elementary. Her kids were everything to her - so much so that she left the job she loved so she could spend more time with them. Beth believed everything started with integrity, and it defined her. My heart goes out to her husband, Dan, and their two young children, Ben and Shanna.
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www.BuildingEdgeMagazine.com
The February issue of Building Edge is online, and will start mailing on Tuesday. 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.
Our April issue, with its annual spotlight on the Builders of the Parade of Homes™, is now open. The National Feature is on kitchens. We will be covering the Parades in Alachua and Marion counties. In May we will feature, The Enclave Apartments developed by Collier Enterprises, and constructed by Davis and Son Construction. In June, we return to Ocala, and feature Claeys Construction. We are excited about these issues, and look forward to your participation.
Our Winter 2008 Commercial issue, featuring Trunnell Construction, is online, and should be arriving in the mail this week.
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. Please 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'sAndrew 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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Marion Oaks Ready for Feasibility
The $15,000 of matching funds is now in place for the Marion Oaks Incorporation Committee Inc. to move forward with exploring the option of becoming a city. Once added to the county's portion, the money will help fund a $30,000 feasibility study needed to determine if Marion Oaks can be self-supporting. Last-minute checks from the Marion Oaks Civic Association and First Baptist Church of Marion Oaks helped meet the goal. Most of the funds came from residents, civic groups, area churches and large donations like $5,000 from the Deltona Corp, the developer of Marion Oaks. The funding news was a highlight shared by the committee on Sunday during a town meeting attended by approximately 50 residents. "We have the money," said Mildred Musho, treasurer of the committee who has helped lead the way for incorporation. "We are ready for this. We see more and more need for deciding our own destiny in this community. It's time for Marion Oaks to be a city."
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Ocala/Marion County Officials Give Mixed Reviews to Amendment's Passage
Now that Florida voters have approved the property tax amendment, it's time to wait and see if the results will be as good as advocates proclaimed, as bad as opponents feared or somewhere in between. Karen Grider, president of the Ocala/Marion County Association of Realtors, believes the "portability" provision of the amendment could kick-start the county's stalled housing market by allowing homeowners to take up to $500,000 of their Save Our Homes cap on tax increases with them when they move. Grider said that could entice people to sell their homes in South Florida and coastal counties, and purchase less expensive houses in Marion County, a move that used to wipe away the Save Our Homes protection built up from their old homes.
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Watchdog: Are We Lumbered with Bad Tree Law?
Dale Syfert said Gainesville officials are treating the city's tree ordinance like the game show "Let's Make a Deal." Last summer, Syfert approached the city department that implements the tree ordinance about removing a sweetgum at his northwest Gainesville home. He claims he was misquoted parts of the ordinance and misled about his obligations. This month he planted two trees and bought another six trees for the city as mitigation, but believes he should have been allowed to remove the diseased tree without penalty. "To me, there's an element of a shakedown in this," he said. The city's arborist agrees the ordinance was not followed to the letter of the law, but said if anything she was too lenient with him. The chairman of the city's tree advisory board pointed out that Syfert failed to take advantage of an appeals process.
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UF New Vet Hospital Closer to Final Design
Two architectural firms are closing in on a final design for the UF College of Veterinarian Medicine's new hospital for small animals. Although the college will keep its existing hospital intact with a few improvements, the new building will offer several new features for veterinarians, students, clients and animals. Sarah Carey, spokeswoman for the college, said UF has needed a new veterinary hospital for years. "We haven't substantially changed our building since we opened our doors," Carey said. The hospital opened in 1978. The college raised about $4 million in donations before it received permission from the Florida Legislature to proceed with designs for the $58 million, 90,000-sqare-foot building, she said. Although she said raising enough money was the biggest hurdle, the college reached its funding goal in fall 2007. The state will match the donations to the college, she said.
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Mott, Poe Will Square Off in Runoff
In the Gainesville City Commission election Tuesday, Thomas Hawkins Jr. was elected for the at-large 2 seat, and the incumbent for District 3, Jack Donovan, was elected to a second term. The anticipated tight race for the District 2 seat did not disappoint as none of the three candidates received a majority and it must be decided in a runoff election on Feb. 19. The finalists for the runoff were Bonnie Mott and Lauren Poe. Bryan Harman came in third and was eliminated from the race. Hawkins is a 28-year-old attorney specializing in growth management law. He defeated 22-year-old Robert Agrusa, who was expected to pull from a large student voting turnout for the at-large seat. Hawkins received approximately 65 percent of the vote, with Agrusa pulling in 5,710 votes or 35 percent.
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Ocala Palms Residents Reject Annexation into City
Concerned over the possibility of increased taxes and amenity fees, Ocala Palms residents voted down a referendum Tuesday that would have made the community part of the city of Ocala."If it's not broke, don't fix it," said Bob Brouillard as he left the Ocala Palms clubhouse - the voting precinct for the community off U.S. 27, also known as Northwest Blitchton Road. More than 1,300 of Ocala Palms' approximately 1,600 registered voters cast ballots on the annexation question. Of those, almost 78 percent voted against it. John Roesler, who spearheaded an informational effort against annexation, was "very glad" to hear that the referendum did not pass, he said. Roesler said he distributed the red flyer after realizing that many of his fellow residents weren't considering the effect annexation would have on homeowners' insurance, property taxes and amenities fees, he said.
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Make it Simple, Belleview Board Says on Revising Regulations
Several city commissioners, in keeping with comments made during two previous meetings about revisions to Belleview's land development regulations, said Monday that they want the final regulations to be easier for the public to understand and follow. "I want to see the implementation phase made easier," said Commissioner Ken Nadeau. "Whatever gets the job done with the least amount of work to staff. And I don't want to have a process that makes it too hard to build something in the city and people just say, 'Build it in the county.'" The goal of Monday's gathering, the third of four input sessions, was to collect input from elected leaders, who will have the final say on the revised regulations. The first meeting included the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, and was followed by a session with the seven-member Land Development Regulation Working Group. The LDR group will compile the revisions and present a draft to the commission for approval.
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UF Competes to Conserve
Since last Sunday, The University of Florida has been competing with hundreds of other colleges and universities across the country to see which school can recycle the most material. "RecycleMania is not just about the competition, it's also about teaching people about recycling," said Adrian Erlenbach, the publicity chair for Gators for a Sustainable campus, as well as an intern for UF's Office of Sustainability.
Erlenbach said that RecycleMania will run through April 5. Almost 400 colleges and universities are participating in RecycleMania this year, according to RecycleMania's Web site. "Over a 10-week period, campuses compete in different contests to see which institution can collect the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate," the Web site states.
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Stearns Obtains Funds for Marion Projects
Ocala Congressman Cliff Stearns has announced that he has secured funding for law enforcement and transportation programs in Marion County. Stearns obtained $250,000 for the Belleview Bypass and Baseline Road project, $200,000 for SunTran to buy an additional bus, and $178,600 for Marion County to purchase fingerprint identification equipment, according to a press release from the Republican representative's office.
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Lake City Chamber lauds business leaders
Daniel Crapps was honored as the 2007 Business Person of the Year at the 86th Annual Lake City/Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Meeting and Dinner on Monday night at the Lake City Community College Gym/Conference Center. Starting out as a one-man operation, Daniel Crapps Agency grew and has assisted in bringing new industry, restaurants, shopping and services to Lake City and Columbia County, 2007 Chamber President Keith Brown said. Crapps thanked the Chamber and those gathered for the honor but also took a moment to address the sliding real estate market and to encourage people in the community to help out. The best time to buy real estate is now, Crapps said.
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MCBIA Calendar of Events
BANCF Calendar of Events
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USGBC Heart of Florida Chapter
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Gay Marriage Ban Makes Ballot, Hometown Democracy Fails
A citizen initiative to ban gay marriage will be on the November ballot, the only one of more than 50 active petition drives that qualified Friday at the deadline for signature verification. Hometown Democracy, which would have required voter approval of local growth plan changes, was the only other proposal that appeared to have a chance before the 5 p.m. deadline, but it missed the mark. Officials, though, ran out of time before they could process all signatures due to a deluge of petitions submitted in the past month and the diversion of county election workers to preparing for and carrying out Tuesday's presidential primary election. It couldn't immediately be determined if there were enough unprocessed signatures to have placed Hometown Democracy on the ballot.
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Woman Files Complaint Against Schools Chief Over Vote Message
A parent filed a formal complaint this week against St. Lucie County Schools Superintendent Michael Lannon for using the district's automated phone tree to leave a message opposing a property tax amendment in the days leading up to Tuesday's vote. The message, sent to about 40,000 parents via the district's Connect-Ed phone system, warned voters that a "yes" vote on Amendment 1 could cause a $22.5 million loss in revenue to the district over five years, resulting in cuts to academic programs and services. Lisa Beert, who has two children in the school system, believes such use of the district's Connect-Ed phone system was inappropriate. The system is intended to provide information to parents about upcoming events, academic programs, school emergencies and closures. The system shouldn't be used to put out political messages, she said. "I respect Mr. Lannon's opinion, but he should spend his own money to get his message out," she wrote. Click Here>>
No. 1 Spot to Buy a House? Try Tampa Bay
The online edition of Forbes magazine, with help from business prognosticator Moody's Economy.com, touts the Tampa Bay area as the No. 1 place in the country to buy a house. Come again? Aren't we supposed to be in the throes of housing agony? Hear them out: Because of our area's overall strong, growing economy and comparably modest housing prices, Forbes calls Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater a prime bounce-back market. It predicts our area will experience what it calls a V-shaped recovery, where a market experiences a free fall, but rebounds strongly once it hits bottom. Other regions will chart U-shaped or L-shaped courses. U-shaped recoveries are those in which prices fall slowly and recover gradually. Think Boston and Sacramento.
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Florida Chamber: New Leader, Old Success
The face of Florida business changed last week as Mark Wilson takes the helm of the Florida Chamber of Commerce as its first new president since 1980. Wilson, who has served for months in a dual role of executive vice president and president-elect, becomes president with the retirement of Frank Ryal, who now becomes a consultant to the chamber. As the chamber's membership vice president, Wilson was given responsibility for development of the Florida Chamber Federation, a grassroots employers' organization that now includes more than 139,000 members, according to chamber records. He also served as a principal staff member in moving the chamber's political action agenda in a more collegial direction by creating eight coalitions with other statewide advocacy groups. These coalitions have been credited with some of Florida's most visible recent reforms, including passage of constitutional amendment reform in 2006 and this week's Amendment 1 property tax referendum.
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What's Next, Now That Tax Amendment Has Passed?
Depending on who's talking, the resounding victory Florida voters handed to Gov. Charlie Crist's Amendment 1 property-tax plan is either the "first step" to even broader tax relief -- or the finale for property owners. Now, the tax talk shifts to boardrooms, back rooms and courtrooms. Voters Tuesday opted to accept the Amendment 1 that lawmakers had rushed to get on the presidential-primary ballot, giving the package a 64 percent supermajority. While the amendment will cut taxes by an average of $240 this year for more than 4 million resident homeowners, it also widens the gulf between longtime homeowners and the 7 million people who either rent or recently bought homes.
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Allstate Gets OK to Write New Policies
A Florida district court of appeal will allow Allstate to continue writing new policies in Florida, but it sped up the appeal of its insurance license suspension. The First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee issued its order to keep its temporary stay in place late Wednesday. On Jan. 17, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty had suspended Allstate's license to write all new insurance policies in Florida because the company had failed to fully comply with a subpoena seeking documents and information. The Office of Insurance Regulation is investigating Allstate's business practices as well as relationships with rating agencies, industry trade groups and computer modeling firms that are hired to help set rates. The documents were due Jan. 15. Two days after the suspension was issued, the district court granted Allstate a temporary stay. Last week, OIR had asked the court to reinstate its suspension of the company's license until Allstate provides all the documents that regulators are seeking.
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Crist Sends Budget Proposal to Legislature
Bracing for continued weakening in Florida's economy, Gov. Charlie Crist proposed a $70 billion state budget Thursday that would boost spending on programs to stimulate business and count on reserves and gambling money to get through the tough times. The proposal to the Legislature for the next budget year, which begins July 1, is $869 million below current spending even after the Legislature slashed it by $1.1 billion in October due to declining tax revenues. What Crist calls "The People's Budget," includes spending cuts for most state agencies, but it would allocate more money for children's health insurance, energy diversity programs and 1,331 new full-time state jobs - most of them to staff new prisons. To balance the budget, Crist wants to tap $1.1 billion from the state's reserves, including unspent money from trust funds normally earmarked for specified purposes, and he has proposed increasing fines on overweight trucks to bring in an estimated $34 million.
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Raising Impact Fees Bad Idea for a Hurting House Market
You don't stimulate a stagnant housing market by tacking exorbitant fees onto the cost of a new home. In fact, it's very likely you can go from bad to worse. So if Palm Beach County commissioners are concerned about the slumping real estate industry, and the weight it's throwing around the neck of the entire economy - as builders and homeowners alike are - then they will stay as far away as they can from a consultant's untimely recommendation to substantially raise impact fees. To be fair, consultant James Nicholas' proposal to an advisory group was not made in a vacuum. Road construction materials have risen in cost 44 percent since 2003, and asphalt won't get any cheaper or easier to lay, especially with expected declines in gas tax revenues.
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Lee Commission Considers Waiving Impact Fees to Boost Building
Lee County commissioners will consider waiving impact fees and accelerating county projects to try to kick-start the local building industry. Though commissioners seemed hesitant to waive the fees, they appear eager to move along county construction projects to provide a local economic boost and needed jobs. "This is much broader than a short-term stimulation," Commissioner Frank Mann said during a Tuesday meeting. "This is a national collapse of the construction industry. It occurred in states that have no impact fees. The collapse is universal." County manager Don Stilwell said he'd had more than one commissioner mention waiving impact fees. He asked if commissioners wanted to take that tack to boost local building. Stillwell said he will bring commissioners details and recommendations on the issues in about a month.
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'Smart Home' Technology a Growing Industry
Dan Fulmer was just curious when he attended the Electronic House Expo in Orlando in 1995. He'd just graduated from the University of Central Florida with a computer science degree, so an exhibition hall on a technologically wired home was right up his alley. "I knew this was cool stuff," he said. "I just didn't know how well it worked, and how commercial it would be to make money off it." Inspired by what he saw, Fulmer founded Jacksonville-based FulTech Solutions and took his shot at the home automation industry, also known as "smart home" technology. The custom installation of such systems involves much more than hanging a flat-screen TV. Fulmer, 35, focuses on high-end home buyers who pay $80,000 to $100,000 for systems that electronically connect a home's lighting, security, air conditioning, computers, phones, in-home intercoms and TVs into a single system.
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Chamber Lobbies Legislature in Tallahassee
More than 100 Northeast Florida business and community leaders went right to the source Thursday for a preview of upcoming state legislative issues that could affect them. Tallahasee visitors were briefed on items to be addressed during the legislative session, which begins March 4, by the state House speaker, two state senators, one representative and members of the Duval County Legislative Delegation, as part of the chamber's annual lobbying event. Major issues addressed by the chamber's 2008 state business advocacy agenda include: The chamber is against the "extraordinary property tax increases" because they will shift the property tax burden onto Jacksonville businesses and customers. It supports local government's home rule authority to make changes to its own tax structure. The chamber is for business tax exemptions because they help keep Florida's business community competitive.
Florida Approves Property Tax Cut
Florida voters gave themselves a tax cut Tuesday, deciding that about $240 in property-tax relief is better than none in a campaign season cloaked in economic woe. Voters approved Amendment 1 by a 64-to-36 margin, with the most expensive real-estate region in the state, South Florida, giving it resounding approval. It is a major victory for Gov. Charlie Crist, who pushed the issue, raised $4.4 million to finance a statewide campaign, and became the face in a blitz of TV ads. ''Floridians are concerned about the economy, so I think a tax cut is important to them,'' said Crist as he celebrated the primary victory of John McCain in Miami. "I'm pleased for the people of Florida.'' The proposal was placed on the ballot by the Legislature in October to answer the call for tax cuts from homeowners, businesses, and investors squeezed by mounting real-estate costs as property values rose. It saves homeowners about $240 a year by increasing the homestead exemption an average of $15,000, gives homeowners ''portability'' -- the ability to transfer their tax savings to a new home -- and gives new tax breaks to businesses and, to a lesser extent, non-homestead property
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State Chamber Rallies Troops for '08 Agenda
The Florida Chamber of Commerce will lobby to make it harder to amend the state constitution, fight to give business owners the right to allow guns on their premises and continue to push tort reform in the next Legislative session, chamber leaders said Wednesday. Sheri McInvale, who handles governmental affairs for the state chamber, outlined the group's agenda to area legislators and business owners during a meeting at the Daytona 500 Experience attraction. "We are going to be active in Tallahassee over the next few months," said Jim Cameron, vice president of government relations at The Chamber, Daytona Beach/Halifax Area. "It's all part of a grassroots effort on the part of the chamber."
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For FPL, it's Garbage in, Power out
Florida Power & Light is not quite making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but it's close -- going green by burning the stinking gases in garbage dumps. In an announcement Tuesday, the state's largest utility, already a leader in generating power with fewer greenhouse gas emissions, is teaming with Manatee Green Power to produce power from garbage gases. The Public Service Commission Tuesday approved a contract between the two companies to generate electricity from landfill gases, largely methane, that result from decomposing material. The 5.25-megawatt generating plant will be near the Lena Road Landfill in Manatee County. It is expected to start producing power in January 2009 and will serve about 1,800 homes, based on summer peak demand averages. The new plant will reduce the need for fossil-fuel burning plants, which create greenhouse gases that has led to global warming. Burning of methane will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Fla. Voters Set Record for Numbers in Presidential Primary
Florida voters turned out in record numbers for Tuesday's primary, drawn by a fierce presidential campaign on both sides and a proposal to lower property taxes. With 99 percent of the expected vote counted, turnout for the presidential race was about 3.6 million, higher than any other presidential primary since Florida began them in 1972. In the 2000 primaries that Al Gore and George W. Bush won in their parties, turnout was about 1.25 million. The difference between now and then is that this year's primary was moved earlier, to give Florida more attention and say in picking the candidates. In 2000, it was held in March, when the races were largely decided. This year's turnout did not break records in percentage terms. About 36 percent of all registered voters cast ballots, up from 20 percent in the 2006 gubernatorial primary and the 2004 and 2000 presidential primaries. But 1972 set the record with 58 percent, although far fewer numbers of voters lived in Florida then. This year, Democratic turnout exceeded the exceeded the record of nearly 1.3 million voters set in the 1988 primary, the state party said.
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A Shelter Is Built Green, to Heal Inside and Out
Although he will not be moving from the dilapidated homeless shelter here for another week, Paul McClendon, 55, has his oversized baby-blue garbage bags packed. Sitting on his bed in a winter jacket, he talked Thursday about the new, so-called green shelter with the central heating that he will be moving into. For a man who has lived on the streets, the prospect of the new facility was hard to fathom. "It's going to be one beautiful place," Mr. McClendon said, smiling. "It has respect for the environment, global warming and saving trees." The facility, Crossroads, which will accommodate 125 residents, may be the only "green" homeless shelter built from the ground up. It has a solar-paneled roof, hydronic heating, artful but practical ceiling fans, nontoxic paint, windows that can be opened to let in fresh air, and desks and bureaus made from pressed wheat.
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Mortgages Work in Reverse
All the television commercials about reverse mortgages caught Pat King's attention. Digging deeper, the Jacksonville homeowner went last week to the Housing Partnership of Northeast Florida for a reverse mortgage seminar sponsored by Wells Fargo. "You have all the blurbs out there on TV, and we thought we would come and see what it's all about," she said. Her verdict: She's intrigued, but still wants to do more research because the loans are so different from her experience with regular home mortgages. "You have to literally think in reverse," she said. Offered to homeowners 62 and older, reverse mortgages have picked up steam the past three years. In 2007, federally insured reverse mortgages grew by 27 percent, according to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association, a trade group based in Washington.
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Price Plunge Spurs Rise in Housing Stocks
Demand for new homes in 2007 slowed to its lowest level in 16 years, but a continued steep decline in home prices gave investors hope buyers will budge in 2008. Housing stocks turned higher Monday, continuing a week of gains. Beazer Homes USA Inc. (BZH, Fortune 500) led the winners, adding 83 cents, or 11 percent, to $8.04. Volume builders such as Pulte Homes Inc. (PHM, Fortune 500) edged up about 1 percent. The optimism comes as an increasing number of analysts suggest that lower prices may spur buying in 2008 after two years of steady and sometimes precipitous declines. "Better affordability, driven by lower home prices and mortgage rates, will likely help to spur sales activity in coming months," wrote Bank of America analyst Daniel Oppenheim.
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Bush Hammers Home on Economy
President Bush, citing concerns about the country's economic future,called Monday for swift passage of a $150 billion program intended to counter slowing growth. Bush, delivering his seventh and final State of the Union address, did not lay out any new economic proposals but used the occasion to round out his economic agenda for his last year in office. He listed a number of priorities: making tax cuts permanent, taking steps to ease the housing crisis, cracking down on government spending and supporting efforts to lower the cost of health insurance and medical care. In the economic headliner of his address, Bush urged Congress to pass what is billed as an economic stimulus plan. The program, which was brokered between House leaders and the administration last week, is now facing resistance in the Senate as lawmakers seek to put their mark on it.
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House Approves Economic Stimulus Plan
The House voted on Tuesday to approve a $146 billion fiscal stimulus package, hoping to seal a fast-paced deal with President Bush on tax rebates and business incentives intended to jolt the economy with new spending. But the deal, which would be the most striking show of bipartisan cooperation since Democrats won control of Congress in 2006, was at risk as Senate Democrats forged ahead with their own, more expensive plan and jockeyed over what to include in it. The House plan was approved by an overwhelming vote of 385 to 35. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Republican leader, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, immediately called on the Senate to adopt the House bill without changes, as did President Bush when he was signing an executive order at the White House.
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Weak-New Home Sales Show Need for Housing Stimulus
New single-family home sales fell 4.7 percent in December, according to figures released today by the U.S. Commerce Department. December's seasonally adjusted annual rate of 604,000 units was 40.7 percent below a year ago. "While the Administration and Congress are off to a good start in crafting an economic stimulus package to boost the ailing economy, the continuing deterioration in the housing market, as reflected in today's numbers, underscores the need to do more to stabilize housing and the economy," said Jerry Howard, executive vice president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Specifically, Howard called on lawmakers to: raise the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac conforming loan limit for two years instead of one and link this change to reform of the housing government-sponsored enterprises. "This will increase the availability of mortgage money in high-cost markets," said Howard. "The one-year fix won't work. By the time the plan is passed, regulators sign off and Fannie and Freddie are ready to implement it, we'll be down to less than a six-month window to help borrowers in high-cost markets."
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Builders Line Up for Green Education at IBS
As members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) prepare for the launch of the NAHB National Green Building Program, they're planning on getting educated - in droves. Those attending the International Builders' Show (IBS) in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 13-16 have been filling their online show planners with educational seminars on all things green - from marketing sessions to technical presentations to courses needed to meet the requirements for earning the new Certified Green Professional™ designation. "NAHB has been preparing its members for the day that green building takes center stage in the marketplace," said association president Brian Catalde, a home builder in Southern California. "That day is almost here, and our builders are getting ready." Six of the 10 most popular education sessions so far are devoted to green issues as attendees continue to sign up for an introduction to the NAHB National Green Building Program, sessions on sustainable architecture and even "Green Building 101."
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Fed Rushes More to Help Economy
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate another half-point to 3 percent Wednesday, completing an eight-day run during which the central bank slashed the rate more than at any time since 1990 in an effort to stave off recession and what it fears could be an economy-damaging credit crunch. Coupled with its three-quarters-of-a-point cut Jan. 22, the Fed has sliced its signal-sending federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other for short-term loans, by 1.25 percentage points in a little over a week. And policymakers suggested Wednesday that they were prepared to cut still deeper if necessary.
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The Nation's First Green Residential Remodeling Guidelines to be Unveiled at INTERIORS 08
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will release the nation's first sustainable residential remodeling guidelines at the annual ASID conference: INTERIORS 08. The press conference will take place on Friday, March 14, 2008 at 10 a.m. on the 41st floor of the New Orleans Marriott in the RiverView room. The REGREEN program (www.regreenprogram.org) is a series of guidelines designed for use by residential designers, construction professionals and homeowners alike. REGREEN includes best practices, learning programs and valuable print and electronic resources for those looking to green up an existing home whether it's room by room, or an entire house. "REGREEN is an important collaboration between both of our organizations," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "Healthy living is on the minds of many Americans and by providing the tools and resources they need to reach their sustainability goals, we'll be furthering our collective missions of education and transforming the built environment."
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Gainesville Hotel Construction Starts
Construction of a hotel in downtown Gainesville will began last week, with site preparation that will eliminate some parking but not result in any street closures. Charles Reyner of South Carolina-based Windsor/Aughtry Co. said construction on the six-story, $16 million, 122-room Hampton Inn Hotel and Suites should take about 14 months. It will be built on a parking lot on SE 1st Street between 1st and 2nd avenues. "We were waiting to finish up with elections, so now we are ready to go," Reyner said. "We're very excited to get going. We're looking forward to adding a new hotel to downtown Gainesville." Some of the right of way on 1st Avenue will be used during construction. Some street parking along 1st Street and on 2nd Avenue will be eliminated. However, traffic will remain in both directions along the affected streets. City crews were posting "no parking" signs on meters Wednesday afternoon in preparation for today's closures.
Paddock Mall Announces Makeover Details
The Paddock Mall is getting a bit of a makeover. Simon Property Group, Inc. announced the news this week. Among the planned improvements: a redeveloped food court, including decorative lighting and a variety of seating arrangements will be added to encourage a restaurant atmosphere. All flooring in the food court will be replaced as will the existing acoustical ceiling tile and grid, a Simon news release said. There will also be new restrooms, refurbishing of the three existing building entrances with new graphic signs, framing, automatic sliding doors and glass, new and renovated landscaping, and a new design to enhance the food court entrance. All existing flooring will be replaced with a mix of porcelain tile and carpet tile. Soft seating areas will be added throughout the mall.
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Construction Industry: Green Building is "Good"
According to FMI's 2008 U.S. Construction Overview, construction industry stakeholders are increasingly recognizing green building capabilities as "good" - and as a necessary part of a firm's best practices. Green building is no longer a niche sector. Three major trends are pushing green building to the forefront of the construction industry. According to the Overview, green nonresidential construction put in place was $13.4 billion in 2006, and by 2008 $21.2 billion of all new nonresidential construction will employ green building principles. The growth in green construction has created a shift in perception among owners and the architectural and engineering communities. Construction industry stakeholders have embraced the green movement and sustainable design for its energy savings, worker productivity increases and positive public perception, the report states.
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USGBC in the News
More than 4,000 of the office building's incandescent light bulbs were changed to fluorescent. Three large water tanks were installed in an underground parking garage to collect rainwater to irrigate a one-acre patch of lawn. Workers held contests to see who could save the most energy by turning off computers and lights. Those efforts were part of a year-long initiative at Discovery Communications' headquarters in downtown Silver Spring to save energy, and reduce water usage and pollution. Last month, the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council recognized Discovery's efforts by certifying its 540,000-square-foot building as "platinum," the highest designation under the council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Only 62 buildings in the United States have won platinum status from the District-based council. Its LEED system gives buildings points for innovations in development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. "Discovery Communications . . . will serve as a showcase for high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy buildings," Rick Fedrizzi, the council's chief executive, said in a statement.
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Brokers Forecast Commercial Space Demand Will Stay Robust
Orlando's commercial real-estate sector carried the load in 2007 in terms of deals, construction and job growth, as residential sales and construction slumped. Now commercial is slowing as well. But a panel of leading Central Florida real-estate brokers said Wednesday the local market for offices, apartments, retail and industrial space remains robust by historical standards and clearly is healthier than those in other parts of Florida, including Miami and Tampa. "Orlando has held up reasonably well," said Kenneth P. Riggs Jr., chief executive officer of Real Estate Research Corp. and moderator of the 2008 Outlook Commercial Real Estate Conference, which was sponsored by the Central Florida Commercial Association of Realtor and attended by more than 250 people at the Holiday Inn on International Drive.
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U.S. Construction Union Membership and Industry Density Increase Dramatically in 2007
Membership in America's Building Trades Unions increased by almost 100,000 members in 2007, reflecting the first overall increase in membership in close to a decade, according to data released by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. In parallel fashion, union density in the U.S. construction industry increased by roughly 8 percent from 2006. "This increase in membership and union market share is a direct result of the aggressive marketing, organizing and recruitment efforts undertaken by our affiliated unions," said Mark H. Ayers, President of the Building & Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO. "And this is just the beginning." The growth in membership comes at a time when end-users, contractors and non-union skilled craftsmen are increasingly responding to the fact that America's building trades unions offer a true value by virtue of the fact that our membership comprises the safest, most professional, the most highly skilled, and the most respected workforce in the world, and that we have become a reliable partner as a source for skilled training for the construction industry.
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AGC Plans National Convention
The AGC national convention is scheduled for March 10-14 in Las Vegas. Dubbed "Profit Through Participation," this year's convention is expected to be the most exciting and comprehensive gathering in the organization's history. The 2008 annual convention will be held in conjunction with CONEXPO-CONAGG - one of the largest construction-related trade shows in the country.
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AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events
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Residential February 2008
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