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September 2008
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I began to share with you last week about the changes that will be taking place here. The most obvious part of that change can be seen above. The new names of our publications dedicated to the building industry in North Central Florida are Building Trends and Commercial Building Trends. But that is only the beginning of the changes. Over the next few issues, you will continue to see numerous changes, but I believe all of them will be seen as definitive upgrades. One of the other things I wrote here last week was how difficult it would be to separate from the partners and friends I have made during the last five years with Building Edge. However, one of the positive aspects of that separation is that total editorial control of these magazines now rests right here. So changes will be occurring, and, in many cases, those changes will be based on the input we receive from all of you. We have already heard some great ideas from the survey we did last week. For those of you who did not yet have a chance to respond to the survey, please click here, and take a few minutes to tell us what you think. As I have said countless times in the past, these magazines are for and about you. The building industry is one of the most important entities in North Central Florida. It is my goal to continue to shine a light on what is best about our industry, and hopefully expand on our readership so the general public hears about some of the great people that contribute to our local economy. Speaking of that, one of the best things about our industry is the great work done by area builders. That work is showcased twice a year at the Parade of Homes™. MCBIA's parade started this past weekend, and will continue next weekend as well. Twenty-eight homes are showcased this year. Early indications were that traffic was around what was expected to slightly better than expectations on Saturday and Sunday. To learn more about the Ocala's Parade, click here. We will have more information in the coming weeks about the BANCF Parade of Homes™, which will take place on the weekend of Oct. 11 and 12, and the CCBA Parade of Homes™, set for Nov. 1 and 2. As I said last week, we should all be working hard to elect Kevin Riordan to the Alachua County Commission District 1 seat. Mike Byerly continues to show with every action he takes that his primary goal is to stop any growth, and, as a result, shut down the building industry in Alachua County. That short-sighted thinking will cripple an already struggling economy. Kevin brings a common sense, business background, and it is critical we have that on this commission. To learn more about the other races on the ballot in Alachua County, go to the Supervisor of Elections site. There are two races in Marion County that warrant our attention as well. Republican Mike Amsden is running for the District 1 seat vacated by Andy Kesserling. Mike has served on the Ocala City Council and the city's Planning & Zoning Commission and Historic Preservation Advisory Board. Stan McClain, owner of McClain Construction Company, is running for re-election to the District 3 seat he has held since 2004. Both have proven to be supporters of the building industry, and we need to do everything we can to make sure Stan gets re-elected, and Mike joins him on the county commission. Stan ran for the County Commission District 3 seat. To learn more about these and other races, go to the website of the Marion County Supervisor of Elections. There are also several races of interest in Columbia County. While we are not making any specific endorsements, I encourage you to learn about the candidates, and participate on Election Day. You can start by going to the website for the Columbia County Supervisor of Elections. This past week, we lost a true leader. C.B. Daniel passed away Wednesday at the age of 69. C.B. has made significant contributions in Marion and Alachua Counties. Most know CB from his time as the President of First Union Bank or Florida National Bank before that, but he was just as much a leader in the philanthropic community as he was in the banking and business community. I don't normally link to obit's, but C.B.'s accomplishments deserve to be shared. You can click here to read the entire obit. A celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday at Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville. Our hearts and prayers go out o the Daniel family. Jake's Corner 
Our Fall issue, featuring the Fall Buyer's Guide, is online here. We received quite a few calls over the last few days about people receiving their copy, so you should have yours or will be getting it early this week. Again, we apologize for the delay.
Our October issue of Building Trends is in production. We are back in Lake City, featuring Isaac Bratkovich and Isaac Construction. The National Feature will be on Weathering the Elements, including our new product showcase and covering Pest Control, HVAC, House Wrap, Brick and Siding. This will be the first issue with the new name.
Sales are open for our November/December issue. We will be featuring Chris Luetgert and Luetgert Development. Chris is a third generation builder intimately involved in every project he works on. We are excited to share his story with you. With the changes going on, we have combined the November and December issues into one so we can make the changes necessary. You are going to love the images from this shoot.
Starting with the January 2009 issue, we return to our monthly format.
Commercial Building Trends Magazine
The Summer 2008 issue of Commercial Building Edge is online here. We featured Brian Crawford, owner of Concept Construction. Our National Feature is on Lighting. Brian has ties to many counties in North Central Florida, and is president of the Columbia County Builder's Association. We enjoyed featuring Brian and hope we did him justice with the cover story.
The Fall 2008 issue of Commercial Building Trends, featuring Paradigm Properties is now open. Collier Enterprises and Paradigm Properties have been constructing student apartment housing for numerous years. When you receive your copy in November, please let me know what you think about the new logo. Kicking off 2009 with a bang, our Winter issue will feature Todd Duffy and ACA Construction Group, LLC. ACA Construction Group was founded in Marion County in 2001 when three of the oldest and well-respected commercial construction firms joined together. The name of the publication will be slightly different, but the integrity of this publication will never be compromised. HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida™The October/November issue of HOME will be arriving this week. Our cover story for this issue is the terrific coach of our Womens Soccer Team at UF, Becky Burleigh. Becky has this team off to a great start. This issue also includes the launch of our new chef's corner, fashion corner, travel corner and health and fitness corner. We also cover the 2008 Gainesville Chamber Business of the Year award reception. The advance copies arrived on Friday and I think this is clearly our best issue yet. The December/January issue of HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida is open now. I have been asked by our new managing editor not to share all of our secrets, but you are going to love the direction we have taken this magazine. We have repackaged some of our stories into clear sections to make it easier to refer back to the story you are interested in. If you would like advertising information, please click here. If you would like to find out about subscribing to HOME, please click here. |
Local News  |
Horse Park, Projects Set Hopes on Federal FundsAfter missing out on state money the last few years, the planned expansions of the Florida Horse Park and the North Central Florida Agriculture & Civic Center remain alive for a shot at federal funding. Marion County government's proposal to build infrastructure for a proposed 300-acre industrial park is also in the mix. The Institute for Human and Machine Cognition could also go after federal funds to go with the state and local money the Pensacola-based nonprofit research institute has received for a planned downtown Ocala facility. All four projects were included in a regional economic development strategy, which the Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council's executive board approved last Thursday. This is the first time Marion County projects have been in the strategy, County Commissioner Barbara Fitos said. Click Here>> Impact Fees will Rise as Planned
An attempt by two Alachua County commissioners to delay a planned increase in transportation impact fees was shot down Tuesday, with a majority of the commission believing the increase is needed. Commissioners Lee Pinkoson and Cynthia Chestnut sought the delay. They said the fees are an additional hurdle to development when builders are already struggling with the current housing slump and economic troubles. Click Here>> Meeting Organizes Support for County School Taxes Hike
Dozens of parents, teachers and others showed up at Williams Elementary School Tuesday night to find out what they can do to improve school funding and help get a property tax increase approved for public schools. Organizers of the meeting, including parent Robin Lewy, encouraged those in attendance to act now. "Our vision is to get information about school funding crisis out to people now," Lewy said. "Last year when we found out about this it was too late to affect what was happening." Click Here>> Rising Energy Costs Take $10M Bite Out of UFThe University of Florida is facing a 31 percent jump in energy costs on its main campus in January, which will cost the university about $10 million in this fiscal year alone. "This is just like a budget cut, and these costs aren't optional," said Ed Poppell, UF's vice president for business affairs. With other state universities in a similar situation, the Florida Board of Governors voted Thursday to ask state lawmakers for $24.3 million to help universities cover increased energy costs. The Legislature would need to approve the request. Click Here>> C.B. Daniel, City Leader and UF Grad, Dies at 69
Gainesville lost a longtime community leader Wednesday with the death of Charlton B. Daniel, known to one and all as C.B. Daniel's son Brad said his father died at Haven Hospice of complications from cancer. He was 69. Gainesville attorney and friend Jim Quincey said Wednesday that Daniel's legacy to the people of Gainesville would be hard to sum up in a few words. "There is hardly anything you can name that C.B. hasn't touched in this community," Quincey said. Click Here>> Lake Desoto Boardwalk Progress on TrackAn application from Lake City for a $200,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is moving along, according to City Manager Scott Reynolds. "We have a good shot at it," Reynolds said Wednesday night to the Recreation Committee, "and it is a good project." The FRDAP grant would pay for a boardwalk next to part of the Lake DeSoto shoreline. Click Here>> Belleview Switching to 4-Day WeekIn an effort to cut costs, the city of Belleview begins an experiment on Monday to operate city offices four days a week, 10 hours a day. City employees, with the exception of police officers and field employees from the public works department, will be off on Fridays. The city's new hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Additionally, the hours of operation for the city's Building Department, typically open half-days, will also be adjusted to a 7 a.m.-to-noon schedule Monday through Thursday. Click Here>> New Loften Building Praised For Energy-Friendly Design
The Professional Academies Magnet at Loften has gotten national recognition for its new classroom building. The building was recognized recently by the U.S. Green Buildings Council "as a pioneering example of sustainable design," according to council president S. Richard Fedrizzi. The Loften building received silver certification from the council, one of only three school buildings in Florida to receive the certification. Click Here>> 'Availability Fees' Exist Around Other Parts of FloridaSome Lake City property owners dislike paying money for nothing. They are charged monthly fees of about $50 for the availability of water and sewer service, even when they do not use the service for years at a time. Vacant residences with accounts closed still generate monthly bills to property owners. City Manager Scott Reynolds said Southeastern Regional Community Assistance Program (RCAP) advised the city in 2006 that availability fees were common throughout the state. Click Here>> MCBIA Calendar of Events Click Here>> BANCF Calendar of Events Click Here>> USGBC Heart of Florida Chapter
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State News  |
Lee County Impact Fees Cut -- Slightly
School impact fees will drop almost 5 percent, but the more expensive road impact fees will stay mostly the same. Lee County commissioners made the decision Tuesday. The fees are based on two separate studies released late last month. One of the studies recommends the 4.5 percent dip in school impact fees to $4,116 for a single-family home. Impact fees are one-time charges on new construction for services and new facilities to benefit that area.
Click Here>>
North Port Freezes Impact Fees
Looking for any way to help the city's stagnant home building industry, North Port is freezing impact fees, postponing increases that would have added about $3,000 to the cost of a new home.
Beginning Dec. 24, the fees to pay for the effects of development on the community were slated to go up to $9,909 for most new houses, up from $6,883 that builders now pay the city. That increase will not take effect for at least another year while North Port monitors the dismal home building market.
Click Here>>
Plan for a Florida Water Czar Resurfaces at Conference
A controversial proposal to route water from one part of the state to another, scuttled after a huge uproar five years ago, may be revived as part of an Orlando gathering this week to plot the future of Florida's water supply. The two-day gathering of more than 100 utility officials, developers, bureaucrats, lobbyists, lawyers and environmental activists has been organized by the Century Commission on a Sustainable Florida, led by St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker.
Click Here>>
State Needs 'More Comprehensive' Data from County
The Florida Department of Community Affairs has sent back 17 applications for development approved during the County Commission's July land use hearing and said the cases need more work to comply with the state's growth management law. "I don't want to appear critical, but from what I've been able to ascertain, DCA doesn't think we've submit to them a comprehensive, complete enough package," County Commissioner Jim Payton said. "They feel if we sent them a more comprehensive package, we wouldn't get so many kicked back."
Click Here>>
FSU: Rising Sea Level may not be as Bad as Thought
New research by Florida State University suggests that a future sea level rise along Florida's coast might be lower than an international climate panel previously predicted. But before rushing out to buy that beachfront mansion, consider that even under the lowest and highly conservative estimates in the FSU study, some 10,000-plus acres of Miami-Dade County real estate worth nearly $5 billion would be awash by 2080. And the rest of county -- along with the entire state's low-lying coastline -- would face far more frequent and damaging inundation from hurricane storm surge.
Click Here>>
State Amendments the Focus of Chamber Forum
Amendment 5 is dead. But a push for property tax reform in Florida lives on. Last month, a circuit judge in Leon County threw out Amendment 5, saying the ballot language was misleading and inaccurate. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the ruling. Under the measure, school taxes would have been eliminated from property tax bills and paid for another way. Homeowners could have seen as much as a 40 percent cut in their property tax bills.
Click Here>>
Two Allstate Insurers to Cut Homeowners
Independent agents who write policies for Encompass Floridian Insurance and Encompass Floridian Indemnity were told this week that these two companies will no longer write homeowners insurance in Florida. However, the two companies will continue to write auto policies. These two insurers are units of Allstate Insurance, the Northbrook, Ill.,-based insurance giant. They are also among Allstate's 10 units operating in Florida that signed an agreement with insurance regulators last month resolving pending litigation and agreeing to write 100,000 new policies over the next three years.
Click Here>>
Old-Roof Replacement Policy Needed, Citizens Tells Forum
Some homes just aren't insurable, officials of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. told an audience of about 30 at the state-sponsored insurer's first-ever community forum in Palm Beach County. Citizens representatives defended their new policy excluding homes from coverage if they have shingle roofs more than 25 years old.
Click Here>>
Court: Growth Statement Vague
The Florida Supreme Court says the state's revised statement on how much a proposed growth management amendment might cost taxpayers is still vague and misleading. In an advisory opinion to the attorney general, the court said Thursday the Financial Impact Estimating Conference statement must be redrafted again because the language from state economists 'suffers from the same flaw' the court ruled last year as misleading.
Click Here>>
Construction Industry Slams WPB Building Department
It employs thousands of people and brings hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. But in one local city the construction industry is in trouble. And it has little to do with the economy and more to do with the city's building department according to industry experts. Ruth Chris's Steakhouse, Panera Bread...opened months later than expected. Other business, at least one slated for city place here decided to scrap plans to open all together. People in the construction industry say the city's director of building serivces is the reason why... and they say it's time for him to go.
Click Here>>
Lee County, Cape Coral Consider Impact Fee Increases
Two recent studies find Lee County and Cape Coral should raise road impact fees despite a near shutdown in new construction, which generates those fees. Lee County commissioners could vote today on a plan to increase road impact fees. Cape Coral's City Council could vote early next month on a similar plan.
Click Here>>
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National News  |
Accord on Rescue Plan
Congressional leaders said shortly after midnight that they had reached a tentative deal over the White House's proposed $700 billion bailout of the financial system. Members of both parties and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson were aiming to craft final legislation by Sunday evening - in time for the start of financial markets around the world. "We've been working very hard on this and we've made great progress toward a deal that will work and will be effective in the marketplace and effective for all Americans," Paulson said. Click Here>> J.D. Power Survey Shows Buyers SatisfiedWhile the overall housing industry is experiencing a slump, new home buyer satisfaction spiked in 2008. According to the "2008 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction StudySM" by J.D. Power and Associates, "many home builders are succeeding in significantly improving overall customer satisfaction in 2008, compared with 2007." Customers cited knowledgeable sales staffs and strong customer service as top reasons for their satisfaction with their home builder. Home buyers were also pleased with the quality of workmanship and materials, great values and on-time delivery dates. Click Here>> Solar Industry Clears Hurdle with Tax Credit
Arizona's fledgling solar industry got a big boost Tuesday after the Senate broke a months-long logjam and passed a $17 billion energy-tax package that will make it easier for businesses and residents to take advantage of the sun's power. If approved by the House, the bill would extend for eight years a soon-to-expire subsidy that provides any business that installs or builds a solar-energy system a 30 percent rebate of the cost in the form of a tax credit. It would also provide a one- to two-year extension of certain tax credits for wind, refined coal and other forms of renewable-energy investments. Click Here>> Do Appliances Live Up To Energy Star Program's Claims?Consumers squeezed by rising prices for gasoline and just about everything else now have something more to worry about: Are those costly new appliances they are considering buying really as energy-efficient as the manufacturer and the federal government say they are? The results of a Consumer Reports investigation published in the magazine's October issue indicate that the federal Energy Star program's "lax standards" and outdated testing protocols could be putting appliances on the energy-efficient list that do not qualify. Click Here>> Fire-Sprinkler Mandate Supported for New Homes
The International Code Council, which sets the residential building code used in 46 states at the state or local level, voted Sunday to make fire sprinklers mandatory in new one- and two-family homes and townhouses starting on Jan. 1, 2011. Seventy-three percent of the 1,752 voting members in attendance at the council's conference in Minneapolis voted in favor of the proposal, which required a two-thirds majority to pass. The sprinkler mandate will appear in the 2009 International Residential Code. Click Here>> End to Ban on Offshore Drilling Gets OK in HouseA 26-year ban on offshore oil and gas drilling crumbled Wednesday when the U.S. House agreed to allow drilling as near as 3 miles off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The Senate is expected to approve the plan, part of a stopgap measure to keep the government running after the current federal budget year ends next week. The House vote was 370-58. The eastern Gulf of Mexico along Florida's western coast remains off-limits under a separate drilling ban that the House left untouched. Click Here>> Waft of Patience is Felt in the Offshore Winds
The Long Island Power Authority's announcement on Tuesday that it will study whether it is feasible to build a large wind farm 10 miles off the south shore of Queens left some industry watchers scratching their heads. Just a year ago, the authority, chastened, withdrew plans to build an $811 million offshore wind farm three and a half miles from Jones Beach. The project was scuttled after cost estimates skyrocketed and residents raised environmental and aesthetic concerns. FPL Energy of Florida, which won the bid for that project, does not seem particularly interested in getting involved again. Lewis Hay III, the chief executive of the FPL Group, said in an interview on Wednesday that offshore wind farms are not ready for prime time. (FPL stands for Florida Power & Light.) Click Here>> SEC Chair Admits Flaws in Oversight
The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a longtime proponent of deregulation, acknowledged on Friday that failures in a voluntary supervision program for Wall Street's largest investment banks had contributed to the global financial crisis, and he abruptly shut the program down. The SEC's oversight responsibilities will largely shift to the Federal Reserve. Click Here>> | |
Commercial News  |
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Saga of 31st Street Construction Continues
There's the gazebo on Ocala's downtown square, the rolling horse farms along U.S. 27, glass-bottom boat tours at Silver Springs and, of course, construction on 31st Street. In mid-September, crews from Steven Counts Inc. started widening the stretch between U.S. 441 and Southeast 19th Avenue to four lanes. The new inside travel lanes are under construction in what was part of the grassy median. A narrower landscaped median will remain after construction. Road work has been the norm on 31st Street during the last eight years.
Click Here>>AGC of America Website Recognized by Web Marketing Association
The Associated General Contractors of America is the proud recipient of the Web Marketing Association's WebAward for outstanding achievement in web site development in the category of Associations Standard of Excellence. AGC's new Web site was launched earlier this year, featuring a brand new look, simple navigation, bold images and a wealth of well-organized information. Click Here>> Florida Department of Transportation adds Autodesk's AutoCAD Civil 3D for Road and Highway Design
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) announced that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will implement AutoCAD Civil 3D software, part of the Autodesk building information modeling (BIM) product portfolio, to develop roadway designs. FDOT's implementation of AutoCAD Civil 3D enables its engineers to access and integrate existing data from across the Department, including both design and geospatial information, into coordinated 3D transportation models. FDOT requires highly sophisticated roadway design software capable of integrating design data from multiple sources. AutoCAD Civil 3D should meet FDOT's expectations in providing additional ways for their consultants and customers to develop and exchange design data. Click Here>> ConsensusDOCS Establishes the New Consensus Standard in Construction Contracts as it Marks First Year of Publication
September 28, 2008 marks the one-year anniversary of ConsensusDOCS™, which has become the first consensus standard contracts written by and for the construction industry. ConsensusDOCS invited the entire construction industry together to draft consensus standard contract documents. More than 3,000 unique office locations with upwards of 50 people per location are currently using ConsensusDOCS on projects. Moreover, there is a steady stream of 75 to 100 users joining the program each month."I've reviewed more ConsensusDOCS subcontracts in the last year than I've seen other standard form subcontracts in my entire career," commented David R. Hendrick, Esq. of Hendrick Phillips Salzman & Flatt PC in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to producing a comprehensive library of contracts that address all project delivery methods, ConsensusDOCS introduced the first standard tri-party or integrated project delivery contract, which has taken the industry by storm. Click Here>> ABC Opposes Increased Penalties for Protective Equipment Violations
ABC Sept. 18 filed comments with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) expressing concerns regarding a proposed rule that would allow employers to be held liable on a per-employee basis for failing to provide the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and training to workers. ABC noted in its comments that it supported the spirit behind the rule, but could not support the rule because it failed to define the circumstance in which an employer would be subjected to the per-employee penalties. ABC pointed out that the rule, as currently written, could be interpreted to mean that all PPE and training violations would be subjected to per-employee penalties although OSHA insists that it would only apply to flagrant violations. Click Here>> Upcoming Events Florida's Workers' Compensation Workshop Click Here>>
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