Florida Construction Law

According to a survey of ABC members, 75 percent of respondents’ companies are experiencing a shortage of willing and qualified craft professionals. These results support the findings of the Construction Labor Market Analyzers’ 20/20 Foresight Report, which shows there will be a nationwide shortage of nearly 2 million skilled craft workers by 2017. The worker shortage is likely the result of the nearly 30 percent of the construction workforce lost at the peak of the recession combined with an aging workforce, an insufficient pipeline of new workers and lost workers that moved on to other industries. ABC and its 70 chapters have been working hard to close that gap through a combined effort of training, promoting construction as a viable career path and working with federal legislators to increase access to temporary workers. ABC also supports U.S. immigration policy reform that facilitates a sustainable workforce. ABC and its members are encouraging members of the U.S. House...

  According to a survey of ABC members, 75 percent of respondents’ companies are experiencing a shortage of willing and qualified craft professionals. These results support the findings of the Construction Labor Market Analyzers’ 20/20 Foresight Report, which shows there will be a nationwide shortage of nearly 2 million skilled craft workers by 2017. The worker shortage is likely the result of the nearly 30 percent of the construction workforce lost at the peak of the recession combined with an aging workforce, an insufficient pipeline of new workers and lost workers that moved on to other industries. ABC and its 70 chapters have been working hard to close that gap through a combined effort of training, promoting construction as a viable career path and working with federal legislators to increase access to temporary workers. ABC also supports U.S. immigration policy reform that facilitates a sustainable workforce. ABC and its members are encouraging members of the U.S. ...

ABC and members of the newly formed Construction Industry Safety Coalition, a group of national construction industry trade associations, expressed concern over a proposal from OSHA addressing crystalline silica exposure in the construction industry. On Aug. 23, OSHA proposed drastically lowering the existing permissible exposure limit (PEL) for silica, prescribed control methods that contradict existing safety practice, and mandated new recordkeeping and training requirements. Independent studies have estimated compliance with similar provisions to cost $1 billion to $2 billion per year. “OSHA still has not explained how a lowered PEL will be effective at reducing the number of silica-related illnesses, particularly when the agency has admitted its failure to properly enforce the existing standard,” said ABC Vice President of Government Affairs Geoff Burr. “The agency clearly missed an opportunity to take a cost-effective approach while still improving compliance and worker safet...

"ABC continues to believe 2014 will represent a year of more vigorous recovery; however, 2013 has proven to be a bit disappointing."   —ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. While overall national construction employment remained unchanged in August, nonresidential construction lost 3,300 jobs, according to the Sept. 6 employment report by the U.S. Department of Labor. Construction industry employment has grown 3 percent, adding 168,000 jobs, since the same time last year. Nonresidential construction accounted for 42 percent of that growth—making August a deviation from what generally has been a positive nonresidential construction employment trend. Although the national construction unemployment rate held steady at 9.1 percent on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, it is down from 11.3 percent in August 2012, representing an expansion from 8.17 million workers 12 months ago to 8.32 million workers in August 2013. Much of this growth is due to the uptick in residential building...

ABC GENERAL CONTRACTOR’S TABLETOP EXHIBIT 350 People are already registered! DATE: Thursday –June 7th, 2012 WHEN: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.(Hors d’oeuvres Will Be Served) The Doubletree Hotel ( 4500 West Cypress Street , Tampa ) FREE to ABC Members / $20 for Non-Members Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 1207 N Franklin St, Ste 222 Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 579-3278 www.trentcotney.com

I will be presenting two seminars to Associated Builders & Contractors Gulf Coast members tomorrow starting at 8:00 a.m. at ABC's offices.  The topics will be "Construction Licensing" and "The OSHA Inspection and Citation Process."  The seminars are free to members, and attendees will receive 2 hours of CILB continuing education credit. For more information, please contact ABC at (813) 879-8064 or go to www.abcflgulf.org. Trenton H. Cotney Board Certified in Construction Law Trent Cotney, P.A. 1207 N Franklin St, Ste 222 Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 579-3278 www.trentcotney.com

I will be speaking today at Associated Builders and Contractors' Multiplying Leaders Conference and Expo.   The first seminar starts at 11:00 a.m. and is entitled "Collecting Payments on Construction Projects" followed by "Construction Contract Provisions" at 1:00 p.m.  The seminars will take place at ABC's offices at 2008 N. Himes Ave., Tampa, FL.  Attendees will receive one hour CILB c.e. credit for each course. Trenton H. Cotney Board Certified in Construction Law Trent Cotney, P.A. 1207 N Franklin St, Ste 222 Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 579-3278 www.trentcotney.com

I will be presenting a one hour seminar on Florida construction lien law for ABC at their Tampa office at 8:00 a.m.  Attendees will receive one hour of CILB continuing education credit. Trenton H. Cotney Board Certified in Construction Law Trent Cotney, P.A. 1207 N Franklin St, Ste 222 Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 579-3278 www.trentcotney.com