With the MCBIA Parade of Homes™ taking place the last weekend of September and the first weekend of this month, followed by the start of the BANCF Parade of Homes™ this past weekend, this certainly is a good time to reflect on the industry, as well as the upcoming election. As I have said many times here, I am an optimist. I believe in the building industry, and I believe it will bounce back.  In visiting with builders, realtors, bankers and customers at homes this weekend, I believe that the anxiety is very real but there are positives.  Traffic seemed to be higher than expected at numerous homes.  At different homes, it was said that it felt almost like it was the Spring Parade.
 
But there is no way to hide the fact that even in an area like North Central Florida, where the economy is usually insulated from the significant changes we can see on a national scale, the industry has seen dramatic fluctuations.
 
During the heady days for 2004 and 2005, there were more than 1,000 permits pulled for single-family, detached homes in Alachua County. That compares to 475 for 2007, and we can safely assume the numbers will not be better for 2008. The same is true in Marion County, where, during 2006, residential building permits peaked at 6,026. Last year, that number dropped to 2,129, and is expected to be even lower this year.
 
I know these numbers are not a surprise, but with construction - which is such an important part of the local economy - off as much as it is, you would think local government would do what it can to help or at least react. We have chronicled here and in the pages of our magazines many times how most local counties are looking at ways to stimulate the building industry and their own local economy. Of course, there is that exception here in Alachua County, where the majority of elected officials seem to want to do everything they can to bring the economy to a grinding halt.
 
However, there is another issue to consider when you look at local government acting in a responsible fashion with your money. While we would never advocate for people to lose their jobs, if there is less work to do, it would seem that there should be less people doing the work. Marion County responded to its circumstances during the last year by trimming the size of its staff to 32 filled positions, down nearly two-thirds from its peak of 93 positions. The county even sold off 19 vehicles that were used by some of those employees. Other counties around the state have had to do the same thing. Lake County announced earlier this week that it was laying off 14 employees from its building division, bringing its total number of layoffs to 40 since April 2007.
 
That begs the question in Alachua County. While raising impact fees, gas taxes and other building fees, what has the county done to try to limit costs in its Growth Management Department? Besides any loss due to attrition, we have heard about no cutbacks - whether they be in layoffs or some other form of saving.  Again,  I am not advocating for termination.  I question however the logic in trying to eliminate (or at the very least significantly hamper) new growth, why is the county building department still at the same capacity?  Couldn't some of that money be used better? 
 
That seems to bring us to another reason why it is important that we cannot let things remain the same as we head down to the last few weeks before Election Day. I have made it clear that is it my belief that the three incumbents up for re-election to the Alachua County Commission have proven that they lack the necessary fiscal responsibility that we need at this moment. We have three candidates running on a campaign of reducing government spending, eliminating bad programs that are costing the taxpayers money and bringing about the change necessary to get back on track.  I encourage you vote for Kevin Riordan in District 1, Lloyd Bailey in District 3 and Ward Scott in District 5. To learn more about these and other Alachua County races go online to the Supervisor of Elections.
 
I am also encouraging you to vote in Marion County in a way that will help the economy and the building industry. 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. We need to do everything we can to make sure Stan gets re-elected, and have Mike join him on the county commission.  To learn more about these and other races, go to the website of the Marion County Supervisor of Elections. Additionally, this link will provide you with summaries of candidates in all the Marion County races.
 
I am not offering any endorsements in Columbia County, although there are several races of interest. While I am not making any specific endorsements, I encourage you to learn about the candidates, and participate on Election Day. To learn more go to the Supervisor of Elections website.
 

Jake's Corner 

 

 

 

 

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.  

 
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