Building Barometer - August 30, 2016

2017 Membership Directory

The Tampa Bay Builders Association is excited to announce its continued partnership with E&M Consulting to produce this year’s Membership Directory.  E&M will be contacting all of the members in the coming weeks about advertising opportunities in the Membership Directory.  This gives you the chance to promote your business or practice while supporting Tampa Bay Builders Association.  E&M will be managing the ad sales, creative design, and formatting.  They are extremely professional and produce a high quality publication, and we ask that you give E&M a moment of your time.  If you have any questions or would like to advertise, please contact Mike with E&M Consulting at 813-298-0446, 800-572-0011, or mike@emconsultinginc.com.  As always your support of Tampa Bay Builders Association’s products and services is greatly appreciated!

Staff Contact: Lauren

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TBBA Endorses 2016 Candidates

Hillsborough Property Appraiser - Bob Henriquez

Pasco Property Appraiser - Ted Schrader

Hillsborough County Commissioner - Sandy Murman

Pasco County Commissioner - Kathryn Starkey

Pasco County Commissioner - Jack Mariano

Pasco County Commissioner - Debbie Wells

Staff Contact: Jennifer

Building Barometer - August 23, 2016

Sales and Marketing Council (SMC) News ~  

As the summer draws to a close the Sales and Marketing Council (SMC) is gearing up for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Planning has started for the 2016-2017 year with the schedule already jam packed with proposed programming, events, and charity involvement. The SMC is comprised of several committees all of which had exciting updates at the most recent board of directors meeting. All SMC members are invited to attend board meetings held the first Thursday of every month. Here are some of the highlights:

Charity -  The charity committee is working to setup dates in the fall with Habitat for Humanity for SMC volunteers to assist with a home build. Earlier this year SMC also made a financial contribution towards GTAR’s Realtor Cares Foundation to support local families in the pipeline to purchase a home. 

Awards of Excellence – The call for entries will begin this week for the 2016 Awards of Excellence being held on November 17th at the Renaissance Marriott Hotel. The co-chairs, Tori Ewing and Mike Finley, are excited to lead this year’s event with several changes including new entry categories and upscale, black tie atmosphere.

Programs & Education – Nominations for future SMC leadership was kicked off last week at the lively Bowling for Candidates event. If you or someone you know are interested in getting more involved, please submit your nominations prior to September 1. The election will take place on September 8th at Ballots and Brews at the Coppertail Brewery.

Parade of Homes – The planning for the 2017 Parade of Homes is underway. If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact amy@tbba.net. The official parade dates will be March 11 – 26th with judging on March 10th.

For more information on the SMC and details on any of the aforementioned events please visit www.tampabaysmc.com

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TBBA Endorses 2016 Candidates

Hillsborough Property Appraiser - Bob Henriquez

Pasco Property Appraiser - Ted Schrader

Hillsborough County Commissioner - Sandy Murman

Pasco County Commissioner - Kathryn Starkey

Pasco County Commissioner - Jack Mariano

Pasco County Commission - Debbie Wells

Staff Contact: Jennifer

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Building Barometer - August 16, 2016

Going Vertical - Codes Committee Update 

At the August 1st Vertical Codes Committee meeting, County staff reported that the

inspection rollover percentage was 30 for building, 1 for electrical, 1 for plumbing

and gas and 1 for mechanical. Mike Rimoldi is working with staff to be proactive in

reassigning Building Inspectors to the busiest areas in an effort to address the 30%

rollover rate. Residential permit turnaround times are 25 working days at the South

County office, 23 working days at County Center and 39 working days for

commercial permits at County Center. 

The priority topic of discussion was the unacceptable levels of service being

experienced in both inspections and plan review.  Lucia Garsys, Assistant County

Administrator, is aware of our concerns and is being proactive in taking steps to

dramatically improve the levels of service within the next 30 days.   These steps

include an immediate reduction in permit fees for applicants utilizing private

providers for plan review and inspections, and a budget request for an additional 4

inspector and 5 plan review positions. These positions would be in addition to the

current 6 inspector and 1 permit clerk vacant positions.

Ms. Garsys also stated that due to the difficulty in finding qualified and licensed

inspectors and plan reviewers, the County will be working with Hillsborough

Community College in developing a training/degree program in these areas.

The Building Fund balance was $3,037,111 at the end of June, and $2,617,809 at

the end of May. June’s permit volume and revenue increased 7% over the month of

May. 

Tom Legler, Chief Plumbing/Gas Inspector, discussed a new procedure that will

combine the tub set and 2nd plumbing rough-in inspections into a single inspection. 

This new procedure will be effective September 1st. 

Obviously, the percentages and time frames listed above are of great concern to our

building industry.  TBBA leadership is actively involved, as are Ms. Garsys and

other County representatives, in reversing these trends through whatever means

possible.  We welcome any and all participation in these endeavors.

Please contact Dave Ford at davef@hamiltonengineering.us to have new items

added to the agenda, or to be addressed prior to the next meeting. 

Staff Contact: Jennifer

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The TBBA Inshore fishing tournament presented by ODC and Heritage Drywall will be held on Sept. 16 with the shotgun start at the Magnuson Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL. A BBQ dockside party will follow the tournament with live music and exciting raffles.

Personal Boat - $600 (Includes 4 Angler Registrations)

Guided Boat - $1200 (Includes Boat, Guide, and 4 Angler Registrations)

REGISTER Here

Staff Contact: Amy

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Join us for Stew Gibbon's final President's Reception and to hear who the nominating committee has selected for the next set of TBBA leaders. No registration required.

August 24th, 2016

5:30 PM

The Tampa Club

Staff Contact: Lauren

Building Barometer - August 9, 2016

Turning Dirt - Codes Committee Update 

A draft guideline for soil and material testing final report has been prepared and distributed for review and comment. Please provide any comments to Everett Morrow eem@lesc.com by August 25. This will be discussed at the September 12th Horizontal Codes meeting and then Hillsborough County will issue a technical bulletin to make the guidelines a part of the technical manual. Click Here to Review Guidelines.

Joe Gross with Hillsborough County will be working with his staff to provide guidelines for arborist reports. The goal is to provide some standardization of information required in the report and possibly a standard format for tree surveys.

Diana Ramirez is over the Public Works review team for development projects. She will be reviewing comments and determining which projects need to be reviewed by Public Works. Public Works will be developing guidelines on when a Public Works review is required for development projects.

Currently there are two items that Hillsborough County is working on which will require an amendment to the LDC. The first is to allow more than 10,000 cubic yards of material to be removed from a site without a land excavation permit and the second is to clarify that no wetland setback is required when a wetland impact occurs. TBBA is working with Hillsborough County on the proposed changes. It is anticipated that the LDC changes will approved in mid-2017.

At the industry meeting on August 4, Public Works stated that medians in collector roads must be included as part of the right of way and cannot be a separate tract. If a separate tract is required, it must be discussed with Mike Williams in advance and noted on the construction plans. 

Staff Contact: Jennifer

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Register Here

Staff Contact: Lauren

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The TBBA Inshore fishing tournament presented by ODC and Heritage Drywall will be held on Sept. 16 with the shotgun start at the Magnuson Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL. A BBQ dockside party will follow the tournament with live music and exciting raffles.

Personal Boat - $600 (Includes 4 Angler Registrations)

Guided Boat - $1200 (Includes Boat, Guide, and 4 Angler Registrations)

REGISTER Here

Staff Contact: Amy

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Join us for Stew Gibbon's final President's Reception and to hear who the nominating committee has selected for the next set of TBBA leaders. No registration required.

August 24th, 2016

5:30 PM

The Tampa Club

Staff Contact: Lauren

Building Barometer - August 2, 2016

The Best of SEBC

provided by Grey Street Studios, Architectural Photography

The 2016 Southeast Building Conference (SEBC), July 27 - July 30, has come and gone in a flurry of exhibits, education and events! This year it was held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The venue was beautiful and spacious, conveniently keeping everything in one area. Our Grey Street team had a unique perspective, as an exhibitor, attendee and official photographer of the SEBC. We were overjoyed to see TBBA members participating in many facets (attendees, exhibitors, speakers, coordinators, volunteers). Everything from set up, and registration, to events and education, recaps and take-down was smooth.

The Convention Hall held about 200 exhibitors, sharing the latest in products and services, from insulation, garage doors and bathtubs, to radon testing, photography and renderings. The Exhibit Hall was alive with a Demonstration Stage where you could watch programs like Hardwood Flooring for Florida or learn about the latest building products. There was also a Main Stage with experts on topics like Zillow or New Home Construction Trends. The Social Media lounge was a helpful conference addition where you could literally re-charge. With dedicated hall hours, a Thursday Expo Hall Happy Hour and a Friday Cheeseburger Lunch, the Expo floor traffic was steady and lively.

Take an easy escalator ride upstairs, and there was the the grand Education Hall, with meetings so convenient and close, it was easy to zip between sessions. There were topics for any interest in the home building industry including building codes, regulation, trends and management. Legislators, State Representatives and members of Governmental Affairs groups gathered to review and discuss affairs in their regions. And last but not least, the Sales & Marketing and Rockin' Sales Day programs brought local and national speakers to teach, inspire and motivate!

The After Dinner Beach Bash was a hit in the lush main Atrium of the Gaylord. It was complete with a live band, drinks and desserts all backdropped by a Florida landscape and waterfall. It was a great environment for members to connect, reconnect and celebrate.

Friday evening saw the return of the Aurora Awards and the Excel Awards. Attendees of the Aurora Awards were in their elegant attire, gathering to find out who this year's winners would be. The Excel Awards shared the best Sales and Marketing achievements of the Southeast. TBBA is proud to have many winners among it's members.

Congratulations to the FHBA for a successful event. Congratulations to the TBBA members for their achievements, dedication and participation. As a TBBA member we were proud to see so many members involved!

Tap into all the fun by looking up the #SEBCville hashtag on Facebook and/or visit the FHBA (Florida Home Builders Association) Facebook page.

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The TBBA Inshore fishing tournament presented by ODC and Heritage Drywall will be held on Sept. 16 with the shotgun start at the Magnuson Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL. A BBQ dockside party will follow the tournament with live music and exciting raffles.

Personal Boat - $600 (Includes 4 Angler Registrations)

Guided Boat - $1200 (Includes Boat, Guide, and 4 Angler Registrations)

REGISTER Here

Staff Contact: Amy

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Using an Assignment of Insurance Benefits to Obtain Payment

Jason Lambert, Construction Litigation and Appellate Attorney at Zinzow Law

            The construction industry and the insurance industry are tightly connected. Contractors carry insurance; they require subcontractors to do the same; and many contracts mandate minimum insurance coverage by owners, architects, contractors, and subcontractors. But a significant number of projects are paid for using insurance proceeds as well. From sinkhole remediation to disaster/water recovery to certain negligent construction practices, the contractor performing the repair work is often being paid using a property owner’s insurance proceeds.

           

            One of the more common problems contractors run into in these situations is how to ensure the property owners use the proceeds to pay them. Once a payment problem arises, the contractor likely has lien rights than can be used to encourage payment, but wouldn’t it be preferable to avoid that process altogether before the project even starts? One way to do this is through a preemptory assignment of insurance benefits.

            An assignment of insurance benefits is an agreement between the contractor and the property owner by which the property owner agrees to give the contractor the property owner’s rights to any benefits or payments under the relevant policy. Many times these agreements also authorize the direct payment of insurance proceeds to the contractor. Sounds great, right? So let’s discuss how this works in the real world. Read More

If you would like to submit an article for the eBarometer please contact Amy for more information.


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TBBA Endorses 2016 Candidates

Hillsborough Property Appraiser - Bob Henriquez

Pasco Property Appraiser - Ted Schrader

Hillsborough County Commissioner - Sandy Murman

Pasco County Commissioner - Kathryn Starkey

Pasco County Commissioner - Jack Mariano

Pasco County Commission - Debbie Wells

Staff Contact: Jennifer

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The 2017 Parade of Homes planning is underway! 

The tentative 2017 Parade of Homes dates are March 11 - 26. With judging taking place on March 10. 

The Request for Proposals was sent for the 2017 Showcase Home Builder. Full RFP

Committee meetings will begin in the fall, please email Amy if you are interested in participating.

Staff Contact: Amy

Building Barometer - July 19, 2016

Vertical Codes Committee Meeting - July 11

County staff reported that the inspection rollover percentage was 28 for building, 2 for electrical, 1 for plumbing and gas and 1 for mechanical. Mike Rimoldi is working with staff to be proactive in
reassigning Building Inspectors to the busiest areas in an effort to address the 28% rollover rate. Residential permit turnaround times are 17 working days at the South County office, 24 working days at County Center and 35 working days for commercial permits at County Center. There were 458 single family permit applications received in June.  In addition, there were 542 residential building
permits issued, 81%, or 439, which were single family. Permitting, plan review and inspection staffs are working overtime, many 7 days a week. 

Adam Gormly and Mike are considering hosting a series of sessions with the various construction trades to discuss inspector assignments/rollover percentage improvements, red tag trends, new code issues, builder inspection scheduling and other issues as identified.  These sessions will be very helpful for all parties, and it is hopeful that participation will be widespread.

Current vacant staff positions include 1 electrical Inspector, 1 Permit Clerk and 5 Building Inspectors, 2 of which are limited duration. There were 4 previous applicants for the limited duration positions which were unlicensed and unqualified at the minimum level, and 2 building inspectors that recently resigned. 

The Building Fund balance was $2,617,809 at the end of May, and $2,255,393 at the end of April. 

Mike discussed the increasing problem of incorrect installation of irrigation systems.  Currently, these installations are being monitored by the County’s Extension Services Office.  There is currently no inspection required for these installations, and we certainly do not want the County placed in a position of having to provide enforcement. Builders need to be aware of this growing issue.

Tom Legler, Chief Plumbing/Gas Inspector, discussed a new procedure that will combine the tub set and 2nd plumbing rough-in inspections into a single inspection.  Mike and Tom will determine shortly when this new procedure will be effective. 

Obviously, the percentages and time frames listed above are of great concern to our building industry.  TBBA leadership is actively involved, as are general members, in working with County representatives to reverse these trends through whatever means possible.  We welcome any and all participation in these endeavors.

Please contact Dave Ford at davef@hamiltonengineering.us to have new items added to the agenda, or to be addressed prior to the next meeting. 

Staff Contact: Jennifer

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Lunch & Learn - August 4th

Many boomers will decide to move or remodel existing homes to be more energy efficient, livable and marketable. Hear current trends, data and research from AARP and learn more on the housing needs of the 50+ home buyer.

Thursday, August 4 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Location: Ferman Chevrolet, 9751 E Adamo Dr, Tampa

Presenter: Laura Cantwell, Associate State Director, AARP

FREE for RC members code: RCMEMBER |$10 for TBBA

members, lunch provided.

Register Here

Staff Contact: Lauren

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The 2017 Parade of Homes planning is underway! 

The tentative 2017 Parade of Homes dates are March 11 - 26. With judging taking place on March 10. We heard your feedback and have extended the parade to include 3 full weekends again.

The Request for Proposals was sent for the 2017 Showcase Home Builder. Full RFP

Committee meetings will begin in the fall, please email Amy if you are interested in participating.

Staff Contact: Amy

Building Barometer - July 12, 2016

A fair fee for a reasonable level of service - 

As a builder, you may be experiencing a deterioration in the level of service you receive for building permit and inspections. We have spent countless hours working with our partners in the regulatory community to address these problems on your behalf. Your permitting fees are the primary source of revenue for these services and you should be able to rely on consistent service and a reasonable timeframe for these services.

We have not identified any spikes in activity that would cause such a deterioration so my intuition tells me its staff fatigue. As we return to a more normal market, the building departments have been slow to increase their resources, relying on outsourcing and overtime – both great short term solutions but are not sustainable. 

We have meetings with both building officials this month and encourage you to attend so that you can help provide solutions to this shared problem. 

Hillsborough Vertical Codes – July 11th – 2pm @ TBBA
Pasco Roundtable – July 13th @ 2pm in New Port Richey Gov’t Center


Staff Contact: Jennifer

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The Trend Toward Green - 

A market report and case study submitted by Mitsubishi Cooling & Heating

This year the U.S. Green Building Council has attempted to understand why builders and homeowners have sustainability in mind. The top reasons driving this upswing in green building include strong market demand, cost savings for the end user, health, codes and property values. It could be easier, of course, to have just one reason. If the answer were cost savings for the end user, all decisions could be made with that concept in mind. 

Even without a single reason the market is going green, many builders share a sense of environmental responsibility and green is becoming a best practice. It helps that green building goes hand-in-hand with advanced technology. This is an era in which homeowners look to control costs and live more thoughtfully and conveniently. The result is that builders are tasked with providing homes that meet all of the market’s previous demands and are also contemporary and high-tech.

Fortunately, builders have tools at their disposal to solve this challenge. Some manufacturers offer apps, products, even entire mechanical systems that help builders create homes they can stand by, and homes people want. Read More

To submit an Innovation in your field contact Amy. 

 Building Barometer - July 5, 2016

Kevin Robles Testifies before US Senate Committee

TBBA's own Kevin Robles, CEO of Domain Homes, testified on June 30, 2016 before the US Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Hearing. Robles who is a past president of TBBA provided the committee insight on the effects recent flood insurance regulations were having on small business owners. 

“Any negative change to the market, such as flood insurance rate increases, could have long-term unintended consequences to Florida’s economy,” Robles said.

“I am a small business owner and at least a quarter of my customer base is active or retired military. I am constantly reminded of the need to keep housing prices affordable. In Florida, for every $1,000 increase in home prices, more than 8,000 households are priced out of the market,” he said.

Robles added that in Florida where there are large Special Hazard Flood Areas, it is extremely difficult to avoid building in or near a floodplain, so inaccurate floodplain maps are very problematic for builders. It can take months and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to change the flood maps or elevate a property. 

Read NAHB Press Release
Roble's Full Testimony

Staff Contact: Jennifer

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OPEN RFPs

"Marketing Partner" for the Awards of Excellence

TBBA's Sales and Marketing Council is seeking a "Marketing Partnership" for the 2016 Awards of Excellence. The services would be provided in-kind in exchange for a lucrative sponsorship opportunity.  Learn More

RFPs COMING THIS FALL

2017 Parade of Homes - Showcase Home

"Marketing Partner" for the Parade of Homes

Staff Contact: Amy

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The Construction Litigation Shortcut - 
Jason Lambert, Construction Litigation and Appellate Attorney at Zinzow Law

We’ve all been there (I say all because I was a contractor before I ever thought of becoming a lawyer). You complete a job, submit the invoice, and wait for payment. And wait. Eventually the homeowner or contractor tells you they are not going to pay you the balance due until you come out and fix some minor, punch-list-worthy issue. If you balk, you may get paid nothing. If you make the fix, you may open up Pandora’s box of never-ending repairs. The person holding the money never feels pressure to at least pay you something, because what are you going to do? Sue them rather than make the repair?

Yes. Because you may not actually have to go through an entire lawsuit to get paid the undisputed amounts you are owed. Section 713.346, Florida Statutes, provides an expedited process to determine, and require payment of, undisputed contract sums where a person or entity has received money to pay for construction services but has not yet paid for those construction services. Wait—before your eyes glaze over—here is what that means in plain English.

Assume a homeowner hires you to do work and she has a bank providing the construction financing or maybe an insurance company paying for the work. Your contract with the homeowner is for $10,000.00. You complete the work and the homeowner receives the $10,000.00 from the bank or insurance company but does not pay you anything. Maybe the homeowner claims that your work is incomplete or that in finishing your work, you damaged some other part of her home. Maybe that incomplete work or damage is only worth about $1,000.00, but the homeowner is withholding the full $10,000.00 as leverage to force you to complete that work (and maybe more).  Continue Reading


If you would like to submit an article for the eBarometer please contact Amy for more information.