Florida Construction Law

Back in early May, softball size hail pounded parts of south Lincoln, leaving many homeowners with lots of cleanup. But more so, many Lincolnites were turning to their insurance companies for a new roof. White Castle Roofing, a locally owned and operated company, says they've seen a major spike in business from the storm. "Our phones have been ringing off the hook we've got about 8 thousand phone calls since the storm and with only 11 sales guys we've been doing our best to get  to everybody and we're just working through it,” Dane Hansen, Owner, White Castle Roofing, said. White Castle has crews working all across the city to keep up with demand. "This year has different, its defiantly way busier, we've received so many phone calls we've been trying to get through as many of them as possible, we're way  backed up but in the scheme of things it's a normal year just really busy and we're getting through it,” Hansen said. White Cas

A family business, Rogers Roofing began serving homeowners’ needs in 1968. “My father, John S. Rogers, was a Chicago fireman. He started the business with three men and a truck and ran the business from our home,” says John M. Rogers, who worked alongside his dad learning the roofing trade first-hand. When he graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in economics, Rogers says he didn’t plan to be in the roofing business. “But I have a great career, working with wonderful people,” he says. Growing the business included locating to 4540 Wabash Avenue in 1991. Today Rogers Roofing employs a staff of 48 who handle sales and field work. “We specialize in roofing, siding, windows and gutters—everything on the outside of the house,” says Rogers. “We take a personal approach and understand the customers’ problems, then diagnose an acceptable solution. We take pride in that.” Rogers Roofing employees “become part of our family through financial growth, jo

URBANA, ILL.  When Dennis Roberts' car insurance started getting a bit too expensive, he did what a lot of consumers do and shopped around. Then he picked a new company and switched both his home and auto coverage, never expecting what it was going to cost him. A few weeks after he switched, his new insurer sent an inspector over to his home in Urbana to look at the roof, then notified him he needed a roof replacement, Roberts said. Refusing would mean cancellation of his new policy. But the roof on his home wasn't failing, he argued. While it's 18 years old, it was expected to last 25 years, and most of it is in good shape. "To me, it looked fine," Roberts said. A city alderman, Roberts started asking around to see if anything like this was happening to other people. He's heard from dozens of homeowners in Urbana who have had similar experiences with insurance companies demanding they replace their roofs, along with roofers who have been seein

The metal roof of this woodland house in the US state of  Arkansas  is pinched in the middle so its shape resembles a bowtie (+ slideshow). Aptly named Bowtie House, the home was designed by local firm  deMx Architecture  for an elderly couple who receive regular visits from their children and grandchildren. It is located in the Ozark Mountains, near the eastern edge of Fayetteville, on a heavily wooded 9.75-acre (3.95-hectare) site. The long, thin structure straddles the sloping terrain and is split over three levels. Its roof is lowest in the middle, then angles upward and outwards at both ends to create higher ceilings and larger windows. Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A.   407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

A well-known Nunavut fur designer is bringing a little bit of her North Atlantic homeland to her new store in Iqaluit.   "In celebration of 1000 years of trade between Vikings and Inuit here on South Baffin, I have put sod on my roof," said Rannva Erlingsdottir Simonsen. A cherished piece of history Erlingsdottir Simonsen is originally from the Faroe Islands, a remote archipelago situated in the heart of the North Atlantic's Gulf Stream, about halfway between Norway and Iceland — a self governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark.  The islands are well-known for their arresting landscape — steep sheer cliffs, high mountains, and sunken valleys make for unforgettable vistas.  But the islands are equally well-known for their unique architectural heritage, in particular, the cherished grass roofs that top both old and new buildings in every direction.   While green roofs have grown into a symbol for the region, they started out as an efficient and practical solut

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 2—The U.S. construction industry lost 6,000 net jobs in August according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released today by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). BLS also downwardly revised July’s estimate from 14,000 net new jobs to 11,000 net new jobs meaning that the construction industry has lost 25,000 net jobs since April after adding 68,000 through the first three months of 2016. The nonresidential sector lost 10,700 net jobs in August after adding 9,600 jobs in July (revised down from 11,500). Employment in the heavy and civil engineering sector fell for the fourth time in five months, declining by 6,500 jobs on net, an indication of still weak infrastructure investment. The construction industry’s unemployment rate rose to 5.1 percent in August, but is still 3.4 percentage points lower than it was at the beginning of 2016. “Today’s downbeat employment data came less than twenty-four hours after yesterday’s relativel

From the sidewalk, the Whole Foods building on upper Market Street looks like any other sleek new development. But there’s a difference on the roof, where a lush garden provides an oasis. Now imagine gardens like that one, part of the 38 Dolores complex, on rooftops across the city, a collection of green spaces reaching into the air. San Francisco Supervisor  Scott Wiener  will introduce legislation Tuesday that aims to do just that. It builds on a law the  Board of Supervisors  passed in April that requires new residential and commercial buildings 10 stories or shorter to install electricity-generating solar panels or a solar heating system that covers 15 percent of the roof. Wiener, who introduced the law, said it was the first of its kind in the country. His new legislation would allow green roofs, also known as living roofs, to fulfill the solar requirement. Essentially, for every square foot intended for solar energy, there would have to be 2 square feet of green space — th

SELMA — How tough is your job? Could it possibly involve staying balanced on a tin roof high above a pavement in mid-August with the heat index slowly climbing into the triple digits? Or, how about walking across a high school roof that’s covered with wet tar slowly seeping into your work boots? James Carter and Donald Witcher are in their 60s and they’ve had experience with such things, so they are enjoying this holiday off from replacing roof shingles. They’ve proved time and again that they can hold their own with younger roofers who try to keep up with them, but often head for shade when the sun’s at its highest. Together, they have 45 years of experience on rooftops across Selma and surrounding communities. The two men work for Fancher Fabrication Inc. in Selma and spend their days replacing shingles, vents and other damaged sections of roofs. Many men that age might be looking forward to retirement, but not these two reliable roofers. “You got to get started as early as you can i

KPost Charities giving back to the industry KPost Company announced their 2016 scholarship program which is part of KPost Charities. An industry-leading commercial roofing and waterproofing contractor and one of the founding members of NRP, KPost provides award winning roofing throughout the Dallas Texas greater metropolitan. In the past 10 years, KPost has completed high roofing and waterproofing projects including the AT&T Stadium, the Perot Museum of Science and Nature, the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel and the Container Store Headquarters and Distribution Center. KPost Charities was established as a non-profit organization in 2014.   KPost Company has always believed that they should “pay it forward”.  They have raised monies for Susan B. Komen, Operation Kindness, Easter Seals, TX, collected stuffed animals for children in local area hospitals and awarded over $10,000 in scholarships. They are thrilled to announce that KPost Charities will again be awarding scho

What do Roofing Contractors Need to Know about Solar? Solar power is the most sought-after clean energy on the market, but its popularity means more competition among contractors. Is your business doing enough to reduce costs, save time, and complete more projects? With the solar industry projected to grow by $40 billion in the next four years, panel installation companies are about to experience a boom in business. Approximately one million homes in the United States alone rely on solar power, and as the cost of solar photovoltaic systems goes down, that number can only increase. But not all solar professionals are equal in this burgeoning industry. Roughly three-quarters of the residential and commercial contractors EagleView surveyed want to invest in new technology this year. What that figure doesn’t tell you, though, is that some contractors have distinct advantages over others that let them see more customers and, ultimately, win more bids. What do solar contractors nee

OSHA willful violations are categorized as “other than serious,” “serious,” “repeat,” and “willful.” A willful violation is the most serious of all workplace violations. A willful violation may be issued regardless of whether the workplace is otherwise safe, and a willful violation may be issued with or without a workplace accident.  Valdak Corp. v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Com’n , 73 F.3d 1466 (8th Cir. 1996).   The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the “Act”) does not specifically define a “willful” violation, but willful violations are found when an employer acts knowingly or voluntarily in disregard of the Act.  Dayton Tire v. Secretary of Labor , 671 F.3d 1249 (D.C. Cir. 2012). Furthermore, willful means that the employer consciously, intentionally, deliberately or voluntarily acted with plain indifference to employee safety or to the requirements of the Act.  Chao v. Greenleaf Motor Exp., Inc. , 262 Fed. Appx. 716 (6th Cir. 2008). While a willful act req

North American Roofing has based its corporate headquarters in Asheville since 1973, but company officials announced Thursday they're moving the headquarters to Tampa. As a result, Asheville will lose the approximately 100 administrative jobs the company created at its facility near Brevard Road. North American Roofing employs people all over the country to install commercial roofs for large clients such as Home Depot, GE, Lowe's, Public Storage, and Bed, Bath & Beyond. It's the fourth highest grossing roofing company in the country, according to Roofing Contractor trade publication, reporting $132 million in annual revenue. North American Roofing expects to create 180 jobs in Florida and invest $800,000 in its new office space, according to a press release from Enterprise Florida, an economic development group. Depending on the actual number of jobs it creates, North American Roofing could receive $900,000 from a Florida tax refund program — $720,000 from the state and