Florida Construction Law

This article looks at the latest products and studies on concrete. Among the topics covered are rapid-drying concrete, smog-eating roof tiles, poured wall construction, and mixes that use cement alternatives such as hemp to create stronger, more eco-friendly concrete. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Extremely cold weather can cause build up of ice dams on roofs with poor attic insulation and ventilation, according to this article. The design of the roof, along with the building's construction, contribute to the accumulation of ice dams, but other factors come into play, said Joan Crowe, director of technical services for the National Roofing Contractors Association. Extreme caution is recommended when trying to remove the ice, Crowe advised. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The capacity of roofs to withstand high winds needs to be determined to ensure that the structure itself or its parts do not get damaged during storms, according to this article. This can be done through wind uplift tests, either negative pressure or bonded uplift, to gauge a roof's resilience. These tests can be helpful for roofs situated in hurricane-prone areas and can help avoid structural failures caused by high winds, this article says. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The work to deflate the Teflon-coated, fiberglass roof of the Minneapolis Metrodome took only 35 minutes to be completed. The task entailed officials of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, longtime employees and construction crews switching off fans that held up the roof, and opening relief vents and 10 exterior doors of the stadium. Demolition of the arena will begin today, while the sunken, fabric roof will be recycled by Frattalone Companies of St. Paul, Minn. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Western multinational companies are looking to save on energy costs and have found that  going green helps, according to this article that looks at steps being taken in Asia in particular. For instance, Intel, which has a $1 billion plant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, built green, including solar arrays, even though there were no green-building standards in the country. It has found that its plant energy retrofits and commitment to sustainable building have saved $111 million since 2008. In addition to cost savings, building to green standards "has a lot to do with risk mitigation," according to an executive at the World Green Building Council. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Safety measures involving the use of fall-protection equipment and risk analysis could help reduce fatalities when working at heights at construction sites, according to this article. This piece provides six tips to prevent falls, such as the use of a personal arrest system and adequate training to utilize the equipment and recognize fall hazards. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

A new trade group known as the "Roof Tile Association" in the U.K. has been formed after the Clay Roof Tile Council and the Concrete Tile Manufacturers Association decided to merge, according to these articles. The group seeks to gather the knowledge and experience of its members to enhance the standards on pitched roofing construction, the Builders Merchants Journal reports. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Installation of roofs and canopies are included in the new $260 million college stadium at Baylor University in Texas and for the existing Sun Devil Stadium at Arizona State University to shade spectators from heat, according to this article. Domes or roofs are rarely found at college foo tball stadiums because they can add tens of millions of dollars to the cost of construction. In Las Vegas, the UNLV board is studying the addition of a roof at its new stadium with the fabric technology under consideration for the canopy at Arizona State. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.com

McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos., New York, has reported construction starts increased five percent in December 2013. Total construction starts during 2013 were up six percent compared with ten percent in 2012. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The U.S. health care law will have no effect on how well businesses do in the future or how many workers they hire, according to most of the economists responding to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics. The Affordable Care Act hasn't had any effect on expectations or planning for this year, about 75% of the economists said. About 21% anticipated a negative effect and 5% said the law would be positive. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The U.S. health care law will have no effect on how well businesses do in the future or how many workers they hire, according to most of the economists responding to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics. The Affordable Care Act hasn't had any effect on expectations or planning for this year, about 75% of the economists said. About 21% anticipated a negative effect and 5% said the law would be positive. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a standard interpretation memo advising manufacturers and importers to use laboratory testing and published results to properly identify the combustible dust hazards of their products under the new hazard-communication standard. The memo suggests ASTM testing methods. The directive will take effect by June 2015. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Efforts to overhaul the tax code in Congress could be hindered by negotiations over extending a series of tax breaks, according to this article. Republican lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee say they want to rewrite the tax code first before turning to extenders, but Senate Democrats say they want the tax breaks revived to provide certainty for businesses. The disagreement on extenders poses an obstacle for tax reform, but there is still enough time for an overhaul before the end of the year, said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. (From NRCA)   Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

National construction employment decreased by 16,000 jobs in December, according to a Jan. 10 report by the U.S. Department of Labor. Nonresidential construction registered the bulk of job losses, contributing 88.1 percent of total construction industry job loss and losing 14,100 positions on a monthly basis. The national construction unemployment rate grew to 11.4 percent on a non-seasonally adjusted basis compared to 8.6 percent in November and 13.5 percent one year ago. (From ABC)   Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Nonresidential construction spending grew 0.6 on a monthly and yearly basis in November 2013, according to the Jan. 2 release by the U.S. Census Bureau. In November, spending totaled $583.436 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis.  "Construction activity bounced back in November, due in part to the end of the federal government shutdown and an accompanying return to normalcy," said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. "Nonresidential construction spending was up 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to September, which makes a better comparison because October was so unusual.  "The recent acceleration in economic activity sets the stage for a much better 2014, both for the broader economy and the nonresidential construction industry," said Basu. "We can expect nonresidential construction spending to expand during the first half of the year." (From ABC) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certif

Efforts to overhaul the tax code in Congress could be hindered by negotiations over extending a series of tax breaks, according to this article. Republican lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee say they want to rewrite the tax code first before turning to extenders, but Senate Democrats say they want the tax breaks revived to provide certainty for businesses. The disagreement on extenders poses an obstacle for tax reform, but there is still enough time for an overhaul before the end of the year, said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has extended the public comment period for the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica for an additional 15 days to Feb. 11. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

The flat roof at the Temple Israel building in Vestal, N.Y., collapsed without any indications of problems during yearly structural inspections, said Mark Dedrick, code enforcement officer for the town. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, but town officials are considering ice buildup as the culprit. The flat roof has pipes and strainers to drain excess water, but it lacks emergency outlets and systems that are used nowadays to avert the possibility of a collapse, Dedrick said. (From NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m

Retirement is an important issue for all workers, regardless of what stage you’re at in your career. The average American spends 20 years in retirement, but fewer than half have calculated how much money they’ll need to support themselves. The Employee Benefits Security Administration has resources for workers of all ages to estimate retirement expenses and chart a course for their future. The earlier you start saving, the more time your money has to grow. (NRCA) Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1211 N Franklin St Tampa, FL 33602 www.trentcotney.co m