Florida Construction Law

On Sept. 25, the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service issued a final rule that changed the reporting requirements for federal contractors and subcontractors who hire and employ veterans under provisions of the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. From ABC Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Children in New Orleans are learning about home building on a construction-themed playground that teaches them about architecture, problem-solving and design.  PlayBuild is a “construction-toy playground” on a vacant lot that school groups can reserve for educational play. Using oversized, interlocking blocks, magnetic tiles, and other “building products,” the grade school-age kids build miniature houses and other structures. They also attend classes on architecture and history.  In the year since introducing the portable playground, which the owners also take to some schools, farmers’ markets and neighborhood events, organizers have worked with about 1,000 children.  From www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

As the single-family home market struggles to recover, the demand for manufactured housing is booming. There are several reasons for the boom, according to real estate brokerage firm Marcus & Millichap. A lack of affordable housing, the demand for second homes among Baby Boomers, and a surging need for temporary housing in energy-boom areas in North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas have made manufactured homes hot properties.  As of May, new manufactured home placements were 4.4 percent higher than a year ago. About 70% of them were in the South.  From www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Nonresidential construction spending slipped in August, according to an Oct. 1 release from the U.S. Census Bureau. Nonresidential construction spending shrank 1.2 percent on a monthly basis in August, but has still managed to expand 6 percent on a year-over-year basis. Spending for the month totaled $603.7 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis. The government also revised the July spending figure down from $617.8 billion to $611.3 billion. "After a significant acceleration in spending in July, August's report depicts a steady but unspectacular recovery," said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. From ABC Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the only major league ballpark with a fixed roof, which helps give the stadium character. Supported by cables, the domed roof is the second-largest and has 6 acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass. From NRCA Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Increasing sales of cars, houses, oil and natural gas mean more factories are being built to manufacture components for those industries. The result: a mini-boom in factory construction.  A 12% increase in building and renovation of factories in the second quarter of this year is a turnaround after 16 years of steady declines in plant construction—largely because so much U.S. production relocated to countries where labor is cheaper.  Factory output rose 3.2% since January and 2.6% in all of 2013, according to the Census Bureau. Dan Meckstroth, chief economist of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, predicts continued, modest growth for at least two years. From www.constructiondive.com     Trenton H. Cotney     Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer     Trent Cotney, P.A.     407 N. Howard Avenue     Suite 100     Tampa, FL 33606      www.trentcotney.com

Slow-rising home values might be bad news for sellers, but homebuyers can find some good deals around the country as the slow-recovering economy stymies housing prices. On the other hand, the bidding wars that continue in some West Coast communities are lining property owners’ pockets, as buyers shell out huge sums for sometimes-ordinary homes. According to a Zillow analysis, the 10 top markets for home sellers, determined by short length of time on the market; infrequent price cuts; and a good chance that owners will get their asking price, are, in order: San Jose, CA; San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas-Fort Worth; Denver, Riverside, CA; Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville and Sacramento, CA. The top 10 buyers’ markets, determined by longer times on the market and the number of homes for sale whose asking prices have been cut, are: Providence, RI, Cleveland, OH, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Chicago, Pittsburg. From www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Constr

Tampa International Airport will receive the region's largest solar array, 66 times bigger than the solar installation at Legoland in Winter Haven, Fla. Tampa Electric is handling installation of 280,000 square feet of solar panels on top of the airport parking garage. The array will be able to generate 2 megawatts, which can power 250 homes. From NRCA Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

As part of its 40th anniversary, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is offering matching grants of $5,000 for the purchase of safety equipment. Site-specific evaluations by qualified safety professionals will provide recommendations on appropriate equipment. From NRCA Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Contractors who want to make a good impression on prospective home buyers and remodeling customers should try old-fashioned pictures and typefaces in their advertising, according to BUILDER magazine. “Grandpa graphics” have become popular in advertising across all industries, advertising agency head Dan Antonelli of Graphic D-Signs, a company that works with small- and mid-size construction companies, told BUILDER. "Retro" works for builders, he says, because it evokes the old-time feeling of honest companies that built their businesses on solid relationships, reliability, and personal interaction.  A throwback marketing style might not work for everyone, notes Antonelli. Depending on the location of the builder and the demographics of potential local customers, a more modern approach might be more appealing. From www.constructiondive.com     Trenton H. Cotney     Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer    Trent Cotney, P.A.    407 N. Howard Avenue    Suite 100

A drop in volatile aircraft orders sent overall U.S. orders for durable goods into a nosedive last month, with the 18.2% decline in sharp contrast to July's 22.5% gain. However, rising domestic demand continues to lift the manufacturing sector. Separately, the latest employment indicator remained positive, with initial claims for jobless benefits rising less than expected and staying below 300,000 last week. From NRCA Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Doing some research before roof repairs will help in selecting a reputable contractor, writes Gloria Butler. This includes asking to see certificates of insurance and insisting on a detailed  written estimate. Also, the National Roofing Contractors Association can help find professional contractors, she writes. From NRCA Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

It is said that demographics is destiny. Perhaps no segment of the nation's nonresidential construction sector provides as powerful support for this statement as education. At least some of the recent decline in education-related construction is attributable to shifts in student population. America's population is punctuated by two large generations: the baby boomers and their children often referred to as Generation Y, millennials or the baby boom echo (ages 14-34). From ABC Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics/Department of Labor Sept. 11 report, construction fatalities decreased slightly in 2013, and fatalities in the industry have dropped 36 percent since 2006. There were 796 workplace deaths in the private construction industry in 2013 and 806 in 2012. That translates into a 2013 fatality rate of 9.4 per 100,000 workers, down from 9.5 in 2012. From ABC Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Foreclosures on U.S. properties spiked slightly for the second month in a row in August, according to data specialist RealtyTrac.  Nearly 117,000 properties had received their foreclosure notices, or were scheduled for auction or repossession by their owners’ mortgage lenders. Still, foreclosure activity last month was 9% lower than it was a year ago.  The greatest number of foreclosures occurred in Florida, followed by Nevada, Maryland, New Jersey, and Georgia.  From:  www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Fewer first-time home buyers are investing in real estate, a trend that could hinder the housing recovery.  The share of buyers in their mid- to late-20s dropped to 34.1% last year from 40.6% in 2007, according to the Census Bureau.  The reasons young would-be buyers are holding off on purchasing their first homes, analysts say: Hard-hit by the recession, unemployment is high and wages are low for this age group. It’s also tougher for buyers of any age to qualify for mortgages—even without the student loan debt that young consumers are carrying. And a lack of affordable housing has priced many of them out of the market, at least for now.  From:  www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration last week strengthened a rule requiring construction firms and other businesses to notify the government when an employee is killed on the job or injured badly enough to require hospitalization.  The revised rule requires companies with more than 10 employees to report work-related fatalities to OSHA within eight hours and in-patient hospitalizations, amputations or losses of an eye within 24 hours.  Previously, reports were required only for in-patient hospitalizations involving three or more employees.  From:  www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Housing prices are dropping, the Case-Shiller house price index reported this week.  The housing data provider had previously reported that the growth in home prices had slowed. This is the first time it reported a decline.  Because Case-Shiller has changed its schedule for reporting housing prices from quarterly to monthly, some analysts say the new outlook is more accurate.  From:  www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the preliminary top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2014 at the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo in San Diego . The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014. Following is the preliminary list of top 10 violations: Fall protection—6,143 violations Hazard communication—5,161 violations Scaffolding—4,029 violations Respiratory protection—3,223 violations Lockout/tagout—2,704 violations Powered industrial trucks—2,662 violations Electrical: wiring methods—2,490 violations Ladders—2,448 violations Machine guarding—2,200 violations Electrical: general requirements—2,056 violations From:  www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

Construction started last week on the country’s first “digital history wall” at the El Paso Museum of History.  The $3 million, 3-D TouchCity Digital Wall will be part of a 2,500-square-foot glass addition to the museum’s main entrance. Located on the outside of the wall, the display will measure 36 feet long by 5 feet tall, and will feature four giant plasma screens depicting the city’s history in images and interactive video.  Visitors will be able to upload images to the wall from their computers, tablets and mobile phones, and send postcards and emails from the wall to anywhere in the world. From:  www.constructiondive.com Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com