Florida Construction Law

Jensen v. Bailey , Case No. 2D10-939, filed November 30, 2011 (NOT FINAL): Trial court award of damages pursuant to Johnson v. Davis for code violations not disclosed to residential purchaser was overturned because of lack of evidence that sellers had actual knowledge of deficiencies. The court held that construction knowledge (“should have known”) was not sufficient to support such a claim.  (from RPPTL Construction Committee). 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

Amounts incurred for extra work due to overzealous inspection are recoverable provided that the contract does not provide otherwise.  See Neal & Co., Inc. v. U.S., 36 Fed. Cl. 600 (1996). Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified in Construction Law Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker, P.A. 100 S. Ashley Dr., Suite 1300 Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 229-3333 http://www.glennrasmussen.com

The measure of damages for an unjust enrichment claim in the construction context is the value of the improvements that enhanced the property.  Levine v. Fieni McFarlane, Inc ., 690 So.2d 712 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997).  Therefore, a contractor that sues an owner for unjust enrichment would be entitled to seek damages for the benefit conferred on the owner by way of the improvements provided by the contractor to the property. Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified in Construction Law Glenn Rasmussen Fogarty & Hooker, P.A. 100 S. Ashley Dr., Suite 1300 Tampa, FL 33602 (813) 229-3333 http://www.glennrasmussen.com