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September 2008
HOME: Living in the Heart of Florida
Summer 2008
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Early voting starts today, and Election Day is only two weeks away. I feel compelled to take the time once again to remind you how important this election is for us locally. Certainly, the outcome of the national election will have an impact on each and every one of us, but nothing effects what happens in your wallet like what happens in the local races - especially this year.
I continue to recommend two candidates for the Marion County Commission who are advocates for the building industry, and will help turn around the local economy. Mike Amsden is running for the District 1 seat vacated by Andy Kesserling. Mike has already served the community well 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.
In Alachua County, we must do everything we can to unseat the three incumbents who have proven time and time again that they are not supporters of the building industry. They have all campaigned for new taxes or fees that have been a detriment to our community. All three have shown that they do not have the fiscal responsibility necessary to face what is before us. We have been taxed by these three on everything from gas, water, utilities and roads that have not been built. In a trying economic time, they are still approving more taxes and spending taxpayer dollars on studies they will never implement. Their opponents have all campaigned heavily on reducing government spending, eliminating wasteful programs, and bringin the changes that are necessary to get this community 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.
As I said last week, 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.
The BANCF Parade of Homes ended this weekend. The weather was fantastic, and the general feel seemed to be positive. Comments made by buyers had nothing to do with price, it was all about needing to sell their home first. We all know it is a domino effect, but the feedback and number of people willing to provide feedback was stronger than I had imagined it would be.
Finally, our condolences go out to the family of Svend Olsen, the owner of Tile Contractors Supply Co. Svend, a member of BANCF and MCBIA, passed away last Tuesday. Our thoughts are with his wife, Marie, sons, Erik and Peter, daughter, Inger Stuart and the rest of the family.
Jake's Corner
Building Trends Magazine
Our Premiere issue of Building Trends is in production. It will start mailing this week. We will post the first issue on line soon. Our cover story is on Lake City's Isaac Bratkovich and Isaac Construction. Jake Fuller dazzles once again with his cartoon. Our Association News covers events at BANCF, MCBIA and CCBA. Sales are open for 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.
Commercial Building Trends Magazine
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.
The October/November issue of HOME has been extremely well received. As was the case with previous issues, we are having trouble keeping them on the shelves. 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. 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. The launch party for this issue will be hosted by Glaeser Realty.
Winning Business of the Year has already seen the buzz increase. We are now in over 600 locations around town, clearly the largest in the area. Ou rmailing list has grown dramatically as well. If you would like advertising information, please click here. If you would like to find out about subscribing to HOME, please click here.
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Local News  |
Solar Tour Encourages Community to Conserve
Marshmallows roasting over a fire is nothing unusual. But on Saturday afternoon, children's faces ignited with delight as they roasted their marshmallows over a solar concentrator at UF's Energy Research and Education Park.As the children enjoyed the sticky treat, their parents inquired about solar energy. The marshmallow roasting was part of the Gainesville Solar Energy Tour that took place Saturday.
Creek Projects Hit Snags
Two major housing developments proposed for north Gainesville have once again met snags in the lengthy process of changing the city's Comprehensive Land-Use Plan. City commissioners approved extensions Thursday night for both Hatchet Creek and Plum Creek developments - placing the next hearings in early 2009. The extension was granted reluctantly to the New York-based developer proposing Hatchet Creek - an age-restricted retirement community surrounding the city-owned Ironwood Golf Course. Click Here>> Downtown CRA May be ExpandedHistoric Downtown Lake City is a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) that is being considered for expansion, according to the 2009 Downtown Action Plan. The current boundaries go beyond downtown, with north-south borders at Railroad Street and Baya Avenue. Hernando Avenue is the dominant eastern line. The eastern side extends easterly to Lake DeSoto between Hamilton and Justice streets. The main western border is Miller Terrace with extensions at certain blocks farther to the west, including Northwest Hendrix Way. Click Here>> GRU Unveils New Solar IncentivesGainesville Regional Utilities has attracted the eyes of environmentalists across the nation for a trail-blazing plan to encourage solar energy production by agreeing to buy the electricity above market value for 20 years. The plan - outlined to Gainesville city commissioners Monday - would be one of the first of its kind in North America. Click Here>>
Butler Property Study Totals $29,880
The Lake City Advisory Utility Board recommended the City Council pay a $29,880 bill from Bailey Bishop & Lane for a topographical study of the Butler tract.The city bought the 180-acre Butler tract on June 30 for $2.9 million as part of its reclaimed water project, which will connect to a new wastewater treatment plant on the property.
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7,000+ Housing Development Inching Closer to Approvals
A massive proposed residential development in south Leesburg is working its way toward approval. It could be more than a year before final plans are drawn up and approved. City commissioners Monday considered new zoning and planning requests that could pave the way for the 7,000-unit Secret Promise development south of County Road 470 and west of County Road 33 on the city's extreme southern side. The city also considered a new zoning class that would accommodate plans at the development. Click Here>>
MCBIA Calendar of Events
Travelin' Light, Spare Parts and Second Nature....
featuring John McMullen, Jim Evans and Bob Butts will be performing:
Oct 25th Great OutdoorsRestaurant High Springs, FL. Nov 8th Private Party- Tail Gate Vandy vs UF Nov 15 Great Outdoors Restaurant High Springs, FL. Nov 21 The Perfect Gift - Street Party - Haile Plantation Nov 29 Great Outdoors Restaurant High Springs FL Dec 13 Great Outdoors Restaurant High Springs FL Dec 27 Great Outdoors Restaurant High Springs FL. to find out more, contact Jim Evans at (352) 266-6440 or email him at cpwjimevans@yahoo.com |
State News  |
Focus on Clean Energy, not Just on Renewables
America's energy challenge has two main goals: increase our energy security in a volatile world, and decrease the greenhouse gases pumped into the atmosphere. That explains the strong interest in renewable energy, which is both home-grown and emissions-free. But there are better and worse ways to go about encouraging additional clean energy, and as Floridians we all have a stake in the choices that will be made in Tallahassee over these issues.
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FHBA Endorses Constitutional Amendments 3 & 6
Understanding the importance of protecting homes against hurricanes, promoting energy efficiency, and taxing property at its current use instead of highest use, Florida's home builders stand in support of proposed constitutional Amendments 3 and 6. The 15,500-corporate members of the Florida Home Builders Association officially endorsed Amendments 3 and 6 during its recent fall Board of Directors meeting.
Click Here>> Renewable-Energy Rules: PSC Turns Mostly CloudyThe Florida Public Service Commission just doesn't seem to realize where it is located. A check of any Florida license plate should remind the members: "The Sunshine State." Therein is the irony of the commission's pending new rules for alternative sources for renewable energy. Last week, critics said the proposed renewable-energy rule would be one of the weakest in the nation. Click Here>> Mandatory IZ Creates Housing Shortages
In the strange world of local government politics, a belief in an alternative universe exists. In that universe, economics do not exist. Shortages created by government regulations, such as low income housing, can be eased only with more government regulations. And the skyrocketing cost of government regulation can be eased only with more costly government regulation. Such is the case in Tallahassee. Click Here>> Could Deseret Ranch Morph into a Metro Area Larger than Orlando?A ranch next door to Orlando fences in 453 square miles, a spread four times larger than the city -- and nearly 1 percent of Florida. The ranch also ranks as the nation's top cattle producer, cradles the region's future water supply and spans three counties. Yet relatively few people know Deseret Ranch by name or its notable owner, despite 58 years of operation. That's about to change. Click Here>> Fla. Offering $15 Million in Energy Grants
Gov. Charlie Crist is inviting public and private entities to submit renewable energy and energy-efficiency proposals for state grants. Florida plans to award $15 million in grants this year, and each grant will be worth up to $2.5 million each, Crist's office announced Monday. At least $8 million of the total will go to bioenergy projects. Click Here>> Progress Energy Florida Lowers 2009 Fuel Projections, Proposes Reduced Rate Increase for Customers
Progress Energy Florida today filed revised 2009 fuel projections with the Florida Public Service Commission. The revisions to the company's original filing will reduce the previously projected increases to a residential customer bill by $7.21 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh). The change is due to the drop in natural gas and oil prices and Progress Energy's proactive fuel cost-management strategies. Click Here>> Pinellas County Scraps Mandatory Housing OrdinanceThe Board of County Commissioners is going back to the drawing board to find solutions for affordable housing. The board voted 4-1 against a proposed ordinance that would have amended county code to establish a mandatory inclusionary housing program. Commissioner Ken Welch voted no. Commissioners Calvin Harris and John Morroni were absent. Click Here>> Bonita Springs May Waive Downtown Impact FeesNew businesses in downtown Bonita Springs may not have to pay impact fees. The Bonita Springs City Council discussed Wednesday the possibility of waiving them. Impact fees are assessments that new businesses pay so the city can build new roads, for example. The waived fees would possibly encourage redevelopment in the downtown area along Old 41 Road. Click Here>> PSC Lacks Key Data on EnergyFlorida's top utility regulators grappled Tuesday with the question of how much solar, wind and biofuels the state should use to produce future electric power and how much Florida electric customers should pay for the climate-friendly technology. But the five members of the Public Service Commission concluded they don't have the information or the direction from the Legislature to answer those questions by the Feb. 1 deadline. Click Here>> Citizens Insurance Change Could Hike CostsAn administrative change is forcing homeowners with windstorm policies from Florida's state-run insurer to reapply for coverage starting in February, but the switch is causing confusion for many and could raise costs for some. Citizens Property Insurance is now sending notices to approximately 350,000 of its windstorm-only policyholders throughout the state about the upcoming change. This first notice, explaining the changes, is going out about six months before their renewal dates. Homeowners whose policies renew in February and March should have gotten their first communication from Citizens. A second should arrive four months before renewal. Click Here>> Crist Announces $1.4 Billion in Accelerated Road ConstructionContinuing his focus on strengthening Florida's economy, Governor Charlie Crist and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Stephanie C. Kopelousos has announced the acceleration of more than 179 projects, totaling $1.4 billion in road construction funding. The projects include road resurfacing, lane additions, bridge rehabilitation and safety enhancements to the state's transportation system. The projects will employ 39,000 people and generate $7.84 billion in economic benefits, a $5.60 return on each state dollar invested. Click Here>> 18.6% Cut Ordered for Workers Comp RatesIn a welcome sign for businesses, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty Wednesday ordered an 18.6 percent drop in workers compensation rates effective Jan. 1. In announcing the decrease, McCarty rejected a rate filing proposed by National Council on Compensation Insurers, which had sought a 14.1 percent decrease. Boca Raton-based NCCI sets rates for the more than 200 workers compensation carriers operating in Florida. Click Here>> Foreclosure Relief on the Way for FloridaRelief is on the way for some Floridians in foreclosure or at risk for it. Bank of America is to provide $1 billion for Floridians who are recipients of Countrywide Home Loans considered troubled or risky. Bank of America, which acquired Countrywide last year, is expecting about 58,000 Floridians to be eligible for its home retention program that begins Dec. 1. Click Here>> Tampa's Building Permit Fees to IncreaseStarting next year, the cost of building in the city is going to get more expensive. On Thursday, the city council approved a new fee structure that, beginning Jan. 1, will increase the cost of building permits for residential and commercial construction. Click Here>> |
National News  |
Lenders Finally See Light on ForeclosuresWhen a lender threatens to foreclose on a delinquent homeowner, that lender is literally gambling. The risk is that no cash bidders will show up at the foreclosure auction, and that the lender will end up owning the house. From the lender's point of view, maybe that's not a bad thing. Perhaps the borrower will voluntarily vacate the premises, and maybe the house will still be in good condition. And it would be nice if the house could be marketed quickly and inexpensively, then sold to a buyer, hopefully at a profit. Click Here>> Bailout Package Offers Incentives to Install Systems
When solar consultant Van Parseghian worked his sales booth at the Costco in Poway the first weekend of October, he wasn't ready for the crowd that formed. He booked 27 in-home consultations - about three times the norm. Parseghian, an employee of REC Solar Inc. of San Luis Obispo, said many shoppers signed up when he told them about the $700 billion bailout plan that Congress approved that Friday. Click Here>>
Building Flawed American Dreams
A grandson of Mexican immigrants and a former mayor of this town, Henry G. Cisneros has spent years trying to make the dream of homeownership come true for low-income families. As the Clinton administration's top housing official in the mid-1990s, Mr. Cisneros loosened mortgage restrictions so first-time buyers could qualify for loans they could never get before. Then, capitalizing on a housing expansion he helped unleash, he joined the boards of a major builder, KB Home, and the largest mortgage lender in the nation, Countrywide Financial - two companies that rode the housing boom, drawing criticism along the way for abusive business practices. Click Here>> San Jose Sets Green Standards for New BuildingsBarely a year after adopting its Green Vision policy, the city of San Jose has approved environmentally friendly building standards to reduce energy and water consumption in new residential, commercial and industrial construction projects. Under the new green building policy, checklists based on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or Build It Green's GreenPoint standards are to be used for all new buildings regardless of type or size. The checklists are considered guidelines for educational purposes, according to the city. Click Here>> Seeing Things in a New Light with OLED TechnologyOn a bank of the Mohawk River, a windowless industrial building of corrugated steel hides something that could make floor lamps, bedside lamps, wall sconces and nearly every other household lamp obsolete. It's a machine that prints lights. The size of a tractor-trailer, it coats an 8-inch-wide plastic film with chemicals, then seals them with a layer of metal foil. Apply electric current to the resulting sheet, and it lights up with a blue-white glow. Click Here>> Fed to Infuse Banks with Bailout CashThe Treasury Department and Federal Reserve will announce a new, comprehensive financial rescue package Tuesday morning that includes guaranteeing loans between banks and taking direct stakes in troubled banks. These plans include using about $250 billion from the $700 billion financial rescue plan recently passed by Congress to provide a capital infusion, via buying equity stakes, to about nine struggling financial firms, according to officials familiar with the plan. Click Here>> Work is a Pleasure in Tomorrow's OfficeWork stations with a built-in treadmill and portable meeting rooms are just some of the developments that may become commonplace in the offices of the future. Workplace technology has changed dramatically in recent years and the offices we work in are finally set to catch up. The advent of laptops, wi-fi and BlackBerries means that high-tech workers are no longer tethered to their desks, and the office of the future will be designed to let workers roam. Click Here>> Housing Jobs Key to State and Local Economic RecoveryJob losses and declining tax revenues resulting from the deep housing slump and the decline in property values require state and local governments to consider innovative ideas to help put the housing market back on track, according to Sandy Dunn, Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Point Pleasant, W.Va. Click Here>> | |
Commercial News  |
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USGBC's Strategic Plan Adds New StandardThe United States Green Building Council's newly released 2009-2013 Strategic Plan doesn't just establish the organization's priorities for the foreseeable future. It also adds as a brand-new touchstone -- fostering social equity -- that the organization will take into consideration when evaluating the success and integrity of its own work, and the works of others. The USGBC's board of directors adopted the plan at its July board meeting following a yearlong research process, the most comprehensive and inclusive in its 15-year history. Click Here>> Green Building on Upswing Despite Down Market: Report
Building green is a market advantage in tough times and eco-friendly construction continues to grow even in the current economy, according to a new report. The report on residential building by McGraw-Hill Construction and the National Association of Home Builders National Green Building Program follows a similarly optimistic report on green building worldwide last month by McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics. Click Here>> How Green Retrofitting is Beneficial
Seventy-three percent of respondents to green real estate consultant Charles Lockwood and Deloitte's survey conducted in 2007 reported that they achieved cost reductions as a result of green retrofits. Sixteen organizations that underwent a LEED-certified green building retrofit participated in the survey. Most of the survey respondents paid a cost premium of 10 percent or less for their green retrofits. Survey respondents reported other benefits. Click Here>> Contractors Urge House Democrats to Include Infrastructure Investment in Recovery PlanThe Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), the nation's largest commercial construction trade association, today urged House Democrats to develop an economic recovery plan that includes provisions that will boost construction activity during an Economic Forum with leading economists. Click Here>> 19-Story Montage Tower Next Up Near Lake EolaGround was broken recently for The Montage, downtown Orlando's latest high-rise apartment complex. The developer, Lane Florida LLC, expects to complete the 19-story tower at 101 Lake Ave. in the spring of 2010, a timetable for construction that should allow enough time for the economy to rebound. Situated one block south of Lake Eola, The Montage is the first of three rental towers that Lane Florida plans for the site. Click Here>> OSHA Issues Proposed Rule on Crane SafetyThe U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Oct. 9 published a proposed rule that will update the existing 40-year-old crane regulations by requiring employers to follow a multiple-step process to establish a safe environment where employees can operate cranes. The first step in the proposed rule would require employers to analyze the ground at the site and determine if it is stable enough to support the weight of the equipment and the loads that would need to be lifted. Click Here>> Construction Input Prices Rise Slightly in SeptemberThe price of construction inputs in September 2008 rose 0.5 percent compared to August 2008, according to the October 15 producer price index (PPI) report by the U.S. Department of Labor. This rise represents a 13.1 percent increase compared to September 2007. "The ongoing deflation in materials prices is beginning to help shift the development environment for the better," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. Click Here>> AGC Launches Education Excellence AwardsThe Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) today launched the AGC Education Excellence Awards (EEA) at the 2nd Annual Training & Development Conference. The new program will recognize the most innovative and collaborative training and development programs sponsored by AGC Chapters and contractor members during the 2008 and 2009 calendar years. Click Here>> Upcoming Events Florida's Workers' Compensation Workshop Click Here>> AGC of Greater Florida Calendar of Events Click Here>>
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