Florida Construction Law

To celebrate National Roofing Week in July, NRCA is holding a Children's Art Contest to promote the importance of having a roof and the value of a professional roofing contractor. The contest is open to children in grades 1-8 who are relatives of NRCA contractor members or employees. Submissions will be divided into three groups based on grade, and the winner from each group will have his or her artwork featured on all 2015 National Roofing Week material and additional promotional material to be displayed at industry events throughout the year. 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

Home buyers will pay more for a property with rooftop solar panels, a study sponsored by the Department of Energy has found. Buyers will pay about $15,000 more for a home with an average solar photovoltaic system. The report also noted that more than half a million homes had solar systems as of mid-2014, a trend that is growing due to reduced costs. 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

A group of students from the University of Florida are building a livable solar-powered home that is part of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The house will feature 21 rooftop solar panels and will cost $200,000 to build. 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 input prices dipped 2 percent in January 2015 and have now failed to rise for six consecutive months, according to the Feb. 18 producer price index release from the U.S. Department of Labor. On a year-over-year basis, construction input prices are down 3.6 percent. In addition, nonresidential construction input prices fell 2.1 percent on a monthly basis and 4.6 percent on a yearly basis. From ABC Newsline Trenton H. Cotney Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer Trent Cotney, P.A. 407 N. Howard Avenue Suite 100 Tampa, FL 33606 www.trentcotney.com

This case presents another application of the Slavin doctrine to an engineering company.  Plaintiff’s father was killed in a traffic accident caused by a patently defective design of a new intersection traffic signal.  The design engineer was sued as were other defendants, and the jury followed the judge’s instructions and found that, although there was a defect in the design, the defect was patent and the design was accepted by FDOT. This finding exonerated the design subcontractor from liability to the plaintiff. The Court stated the following concerning the issue of “acceptance:” “Acceptance is the term applied for shifting the responsibility to correct patent defects to the party in control. In essence, acceptance will move along the timeline of a construction project, passing to each entity maintaining control of the work. This application makes perfect sense. Once an entity completes its work, and that work is accepted, the burden of correcting patent defects shift...

The use of high-efficiency concentrating solar cells on rooftops may be within reach, a Penn State research team says. The team used "a disruptive nanoscale solar concentration technology" to overcome size issues. If large-scale manufacturing is achieved, it may mean overall cost reductions for solar systems. 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

NRCA's National Roofing Week will be held July 5-11 to increase recognition of the significance of roofs to every home and business in the U.S.; promote the good deeds of the roofing industry; and emphasize the value of professional roofing contractors. NRCA contractor members are encouraged to promote the importance of having a roof to children by asking them to participate in NRCA's 2015 Children's Art Contest. In addition, NRCA will host a community service day during NRCA's Midyear Meetings in Chicago, where members will volunteer their services for a roof system repair in the Chicago area. 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