Florida Construction Law

A Hammond-based roofing company recently picked up a slew of awards, including for a green roof it installed on the new library in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. The National Roofing Contractors Association gave Korellis Roofing Inc. its Gold Circle Award in the “Outstanding Workmanship” category for its work on the circular two-story library’s roof, which is covered with native grasses. Commercial roofing and waterproofing systems manufacturer Sarnafil additionally named the Chicago Public Library's green roof its Project of the Year. Korellis Roofing, one of the largest roofing contractors in Northwest Indiana, installed the roof last year on the glassy, $19.1 million library branch on Chicago’s near south side. 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

Seven key input prices rose in March on a monthly basis: 1.       Crude petroleum prices expanded 40.7 percent from February 2016, but are down 26 percent from March 2015. 2.       Unprocessed energy material prices were up 6.1 percent on a monthly basis, but fell 24.1 percent on a year ago basis. 3.       Prices for steel mill products increased 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, but are down 15.8 percent on a yearly basis. 4.       Nonferrous wire and cable prices expanded 2.2 percent on a monthly basis, but fell 5.9 percent on a yearly basis. 5.       Iron and steel prices rose 1.6 percent month-over-month, but have declined 14.7 percent year-over-year. 6.       Softwood lumber prices were up 2.8 percent for the month, but have fallen 1.6 percent from the same time last year. 7.       Concrete prod...

We've seen houses   built   into   grassy slopes, but this residence in Belgium, designed by local firm OYO Architecture ,   is   the grassy slope. Dubbed the "House Pibo," the geometric, partially submerged dwelling—which is, unexpectedly, wrapped in a rubber roofing material—features a planted roof that angles up and away from the street, rising two stories. Inside, spaces occupy a series of terraces and mezzanines, with common areas—like a sitting room and open-plan kitchen and dining room—arranged so that they are closest to the street (and natural light), with a warren of more private bedrooms and baths downstairs, or,   as Designboom reports , "half a floor below ground level." The interiors feature a natural material palette, too: wood flooring abounds, as do whitewashed walls that help keep things feeling bright and airy. From NRCA Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A.   407 N. Ho...

In early March, the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium, named in honor of legendary head coach U.S. Bank, is a dusty bowl of activity. The field where Teddy Bridgewater will try to lead the team back to the playoffs is covered in dirt. The concourses where fans will impatiently wait for beer are barren. The 66,200 purple seats where those same fans will plant their warm, dry asses—not to be taken for granted at a Midwest football game—are covered in giant sheets of plastic. This $1.1 billion behemoth is only four months away from its grand opening and there’s a lot of work to do. But on this uncharacteristically balmy late-winter day, it’s still got a ways to go. The stadium is an active construction site, which is why the writers touring it are playing dress up with protective glasses, yellow vests and hard hats. The headgear is shiny and purple with a Viking horn on either side, a stark contrast from the union stickers and deep scratches on the hats of the men and women working here...

Homeowners in Whitestown and Hendricks County say their builder didn't install roofs that could stand up to strong wind gusts. Both the Enclave at Winton Meadows and Walker Farms in Avon are Beazer Homes communities, and both sustained roof damage during Saturday's wind storm. But owners in both neighborhoods say it doesn't take a powerful storm to see shingles torn from roofs. At Kevin Bluitt's home in Avon, the roof of his 2-year-old home sustained damage over the weekend. "We're constantly dealing with roofing issues," Bluitt said. "I think it's a combination of poor construction of the roof and also the actual product. Both neighborhoods are located in what roofing contractors call "wind tunnels:" wide-open spaces with no wind breaks. For that reason, most say higher-quality shingles should have been used on homes. "We don't install these shingles out here that we replace from insurance," said Arrow C...

GAF, a Parsippany-based roofing manufacturer, has closed on its acquisition of a Danish maker of high-end roofing and waterproofing products for approximately $1.14 billion, it announced Monday. GAF said in a news release that it has acquired Icopal from Investcorp Ltd. for approximately 1 billion euros. The acquisition will allow for GAF to grow its roofing business “on both sides of the Atlantic,” the release said. Jim Schnepper, executive vice president of sales at GAF, will become CEO and president of Icopal, GAF’s European operating division. Tom Anderson, senior vice president of planning and supply chain management at GAL, will become chief operating officer.  “GAF and Icopal are an excellent cultural fit, given our shared focus on manufacturing excellence, strong customer service, and innovation,” Bob Tafaro, CEO and president of GAF. “Icopal and its leading roofing and waterproofing brands have a bright future within the GAF family, and we look forward to working ...

Roadrunner Food Bank is turning sunshine into electricity and saved electricity costs into food. A project underway to install a new roof and solar array atop Roadrunner’s enormous warehouse near Singer and Office NE is ultimately expected to result in $2 million in electrical savings over the minimum 25-year life expectancy of the system. That savings translate to 10 million additional meals for hungry people in communities around New Mexico, said Roadrunner spokeswoman Sonya Warwick.  The project is being made possible by grants, as well as significant discounts from National Roofing Co. and Affordable Solar Installation, both based in Albuquerque. Food bank facts Roadrunner Food Bank is the largest food bank in New Mexico. Its mission is to feed the hungry, seed partnerships and ultimately end hunger in New Mexico. • It distributes food to 70,000 people a week through its network of 400 hunger-relief partners. • Last year, it distributed 30 million pounds of food...

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 5—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) applauded  a decision  to stop an unprecedented expansion of the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act onto a private construction project that was issued today by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. ABC filed an amicus brief in the case arguing against forcing contractors to pay inaccurate government-determined wage and benefits rates on the CityCenterDC project in Washington, D.C. “The decision is expected to save the District an estimated $20 million in costs that would have been incurred had the court ruled the project was subject to the archaic Davis-Bacon Act,” said ABC Vice President of Regulatory, Labor and State Affairs Ben Brubeck. “More importantly, the court’s rejection of the Obama administration’s increasingly overreaching Department of Labor will benefit the public, developers and construction industry by reinforcing the 85-year precedent that privately-funded projects, including p...

In 2009, President Obama signed   Executive Order 13502 , which encourages federal agencies to mandate   project labor agreements  (PLAs) on large-scale federal construction projects exceeding $25 million in total cost on a case-by-case basis. Many merit shop advocates of fair and open competition predicted it would lead to billions of dollars’ worth of federal construction contracts being awarded to unionized contractors and their all-union workforces—without true competition from qualified merit shop contractors. Industry experts feared the executive order would result in taxpayers needlessly paying   nearly 20 percent more per federal contract procured with a PLA requirement . Faced with finite building budgets, it would generate less building and create fewer jobs for the experienced men and women employed by   merit shop contractors who deliver projects safely, on time and on budget every day to the federal government . Stakeholders turned to Assoc...

QINGDAO, China, April 6 (UPI) --   Engineers and materials scientists have made solar panels increasingly efficient, but the technology still requires the cooperation of the weather. Currently, slow-moving rain fronts spell bad news for solar power generation -- but not for a new prototype solar cell developed by a team of Chinese scientists. By coating a solar cell in a thin layer of graphene,   researchers have empowered   the technology to turn raindrops into electricity. Graphene is prized by materials scientists for its wide variety of benefits, one of them being conductivity. The one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms allows a plethora of electrons to move freely across its surface. In water solutions, graphene binds positively charged ions with its electrons -- a process known as the Lewis acid-base interaction. Because raindrops contain salts, which dissociate into ions, precipitation and graphene make an ideal electricity-producing pair. The rain's positivel...

The   David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts   has unveiled the conceptual phase of its master plan for the waterfront — a plan that could create an iconic gathering spot for Tampa. The Straz Center is preparing a request for proposals for a feasibility study. President and CEO   Judy Lisi   said the goal is to have the feasibility study — which could identify funding sources — wrapped up by the end of the year. The redevelopment is slated to cost $65 million to $100 million, funded through public and private sources.   The conceptual plan includes the following: ·                   The creation of a Grand Terrace that "flows" to the riverfront ·                   Expansion of the Patel Conservatory ·             ...

GAF, a Parsippany-based roofing manufacturer, has closed on its acquisition of a Danish maker of high-end roofing and waterproofing products for approximately $1.14 billion, it announced Monday. GAF said in a news release that it has acquired Icopal from Investcorp Ltd. for approximately 1 billion euros. The acquisition will allow for GAF to grow its roofing business “on both sides of the Atlantic,” the release said. Jim Schnepper, executive vice president of sales at GAF, will become CEO and president of Icopal, GAF’s European operating division. Tom Anderson, senior vice president of planning and supply chain management at GAL, will become chief operating officer. Related to GAF GAF buying European roofing products maker for $1.1B “GAF and Icopal are an excellent cultural fit, given our shared focus on manufacturing excellence, strong customer service, and innovation,” Bob Tafaro, CEO and president of GAF. “Icopal and its leading roofing and waterproofing brands have a b...

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy has announced the 2016 Climate Leadership Award recipients who will be honored for their leadership in helping fight climate change. Ingersoll Rand, Davidson, North Carolina, will be presented with an Organizational Leadership Award for phasing out HCFCs and other refrigerants. Ingersoll Rand has more than 40,000 employees and more than 60 manufacturing sites around the world with brands including Trane and Thermo King. Among its accomplishments, the company has set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal of 35 percent from 2013 by 2020 for global operations. The company has further committed to reduce the climate impact related to the refrigerants used in its products by 50 percent by 2020 and incorporate lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant alternatives across the product portfolio by 2030. From Achrnews Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney,...

Disabled U.S. Army veteran Harris Nelms, 57, still has difficulty comprehending how the kindness of strangers put a new roof on his house, installed new air conditioning, repaired damage from water intrusion and finished it all off with a flagpole and fresh landscaping. Last August, a 5-by-7-foot section over Nelms’ bedroom fell in, and the damage worsened with each rainstorm. Nelms sought repair bids. All came in higher than he could afford: $4,500 to $10,500. For months he slept with only a sheet of plastic between his bed and the weather and stars outside his Colony Cove home. Nelms shared his plight with a social worker at the Bradenton Community-Based Outpatient Clinic, who remembered Braden River Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12055 members had expressed interest in helping down-on-their luck vets. George Johnston, the Braden River post chaplain and past commander, said several VFW posts began trying to raise money to help Nelms. One Braden River VFW membe...

The Dodge Momentum Index rose 2.4 percent to 126.4 in January from 123.4 in December 2015, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The index is up 1.7 percent compared with January 2015. The Dodge Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. In January, the commercial component of the Dodge Momentum Index rose 1.6 percent, and the institutional segment of the index increased 3.3 percent.  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

Total construction spending increased to $1.141 trillion in January, which was 1.5 percent higher than the revised December 2015 estimate of $1.124 trillion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The January figure is 10.4 percent higher than the January 2015 estimate of $1.033 trillion. In January, private construction rose 0.5 percent, reflecting no change for residential construction and a 1 percent increase in nonresidential construction. Public construction projects in January increased 4.5 percent.   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

Through NRCA's partnership with National General Benefits Solutions, NRCA offers the NRCA National Health Care Program. The program has been expanded to offer two provider networks to each member company with more than 30 participants. Employees of these companies will be able to choose at enrollment whether to be covered by Aetna or Cigna. This will give members and their employees enhanced buying power by being able to choose the program with the best local network, coverage options and, importantly, premium options. In addition, the program now will offer more robust dental, life and disability insurance options. NRCA member companies with more than 10 participating employees are eligible. To date, 70 NRCA members and the NRCA staff have joined the program. 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

·          Construction material prices fell another 0.6% between  January  and February and 3.7% year-over-year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Tuesday. ·          February was the eighth-consecutive month of declines in construction industry inputs in the Producer Price Index. ·          Only three of 11 input prices increased between January and February: prepared asphalt, tar roofing and siding products; concrete products; and natural gas. The remaining eight inputs saw price declines last month. ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu attributed the continued decline in commodity and material prices to "w eak global growth and the prospects of a strengthening U.S. dollar." He predicted that construction material prices — includin...