Respectfully yours, Frank R. Coppola, III GCBA 2023 President
Greetings Fellow Gold Coast Builders Association Members and Potential Members, I’m fresh off a vacation in the Florida Keys! While on vacation I read a great book, titled The Last Train to Paradise, about Henry Flagler building his railroad more than a hundred years ago from Miami to Key West. You can still see remnants of some of his railroad bridges to this day, but if it wasn’t for the book, I would not have known a railroad ran all the way to Mile Marker Zero. The rail line was wiped away during the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The book told the story of the 2,500 men, the money, and the sheer energy it required to build this railroad. Despite every effort to lash everything down, one storm with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour washed away an entire railroad. The power of Mother Nature; a woman’s scorn for sure! The book brought to mind my tour of the West Coast of Florida last year after Hurricane Ian hit. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by how many people told stories about how they made small, seemingly innocuous decisions at the time, that ended up putting them in harm’s way. I was also personally shocked by how poorly prepared many veterans were for Hurricane Ian – including myself. All of this was sobering, to say the least. In response to this realization, one thing that my own company has initiated is to hold a Hurricane Preparedness meeting every single month. Our agenda is simple. What can we do THIS month to have the supplies we need, the people we need, and how do we improve our plan of action? EVERY month we hold this meeting, virtually, with all employees in all states. A key attendee to this monthly meeting is my son Mitchell’s dog, who he named Buc-ee (Yes, like the travel plaza). Mitchell rescued Buc-ee on Superbowl Sunday, finding him on Facebook. Immediately after his rescue we took him to the vet, who explained this emaciated dog (who weighed only 45 pounds then – he’s a healthy happy 67-pound dog now) had been on-the-road for months, and most likely was displaced from Hurricane Ian. Buc-ee definitely belonged to someone, as he knew “Sit” and loves, Loves, LOVES the sight of a leash. He had no chip, and we made every attempt to find his owner. He’s a healthy, happy doggie now, but I can’t help but think that there is an owner out there who lost him. I wonder how he got lost. Maybe his leash broke? I’m sure it was an accident, and I’m sure the owner didn’t PLAN on losing him. That’s my simple point. I know Henry Flagler never planned on having his life’s work blown away any more than Buc-ee’s previous owner planned on losing such a good boy. No one plans for an accident to happen. Be prepared to recognize that most likely YOU will be in a situation where a small, seemingly innocuous decision could lead to catastrophic results. Surround yourself with a team that is there to assist you with YOUR decision making. Think of it this way – when the next hurricane hits, you most likely will be so busy preparing the BIG things that you might not even realize you’re off your own proverbial leash. Make sure you have a plan in place to pay attention to the little things. Don’t depend on a “leash” or lash to keep you, your loved ones, or your business out of harm’s way. As Henry Flagler found out, without the right preparation, there’s no match for Mother Nature.
GCBA President’s MessagE JUNE 2023
GCBA 2023 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
GCBA 2023 Leadership List
Executive OFFICERS PRESIDENT Frank R. Coppola lll, Coppola Brothers 1ST VP Michael Nunziata, 13th Floor Homes 2ND VP Jon Long, Ryan Homes VP FINANCE Steve Karp, Karp PA ASSOCIATE VP Anthony Macaluso, Integrity Development Group 2nd Assoc. VP Ethan Nelson, NelStone Consulting and Repair, LLC IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Rafael Roca, D.R. Horton Homes Board of Directors Builder Members Mark Richards, Stock Custom Homes Mark Kruger, Hierromat Development Mark Welsh, Lennar Homes Herb Tremble, Master Contractor and Subcontractor Association of Florida Matt Ellish, Ellish Custom Homes Michelle Mockenhaupt, D.R. Horton Associate Members Mark Anderson, U.S. Bank Sam Yates, Yates & Associates Rick Baxter, Palm Beach Post Andy Wyman, Wyman Legal Solutions Director of Member Services: Andrea Flores Bookkeeping: Kathy Bass Design: Gregory J. Del Deo
CHECK WEBSITE FOR MOST CURRENT INFORMATION
If you are interested in serving on the Board and/or Becoming an Officer please contact GCBA at: 561-228-6137 or info@GCBAFlorida.com
Hurricane Preparedness Friday, June 16, 2023 Coffee & Conversation Friday, July 7, 2023 SEBC - South East Building Conference 7/19/2023 - 7/20/2023 Coffee & Conversation Friday, August 4, 2023 Coffee & Conversation Friday, September 1, 2023 PRISM AWARDS 2023 Tuesday, September 12, 2023 Coffee & Conversation Friday, October 6, 2023 GCBA's Annual Meeting & Elections Wednesday, October 18, 2023 Coffee & Conversation Friday, November 3, 2023 3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off 2023 Thursday, November 9, 2023 Coffee & Conversation Friday, December 1, 2023 Holiday HHHH (Hard-Hat Happy Hour) Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Check GCBA's Wednesday Mid-Week eMail for current Location & Registration Information.
MEMBERS SAVINGS & REBATE PROGRAMS
Builders >5 Million Mark Antonellii Genco Real Estate, Construction & Development Corp mark@gencodevelops.com • 954-533-9592 Ricki Chwatt SYZYGY Global ricki@syzygyglobal.com Damon Savastano Toll Brothers Inc dsavastano@tollbrothers.com • 561-999-1877 Builder <5 Million Jose Caraballo BEM Custom Builders Jose@bemfl.com • 561-962-1990 Jerry Wilson Bespoke Design & Consulting jw@bespokei3.com • 561-512-6376 Associates Linda Becker Creative Stucco and Design Inc creativestucco@bellsouth.net • 954-752-3185 David Bernardino Ammunition david@ammunition.agency • 404-245-8092 Alan Capps AC Quality Electric al@acqualityelectric.com • 954-294-0101 Salvador Jurado Dade Truss Company, Inc. salvador@juradolaw.com • 305-592-8245 Gabriel Rodriguez CoAdvantage Inc. grodriguez@coadvantage.com • 682-404-4992 Zully Ruiz Zully Ruiz Enterprises Inc. zully@zullyruizcompanies.com 305-216-2909 Gustavo Sabater CoAdvantage Inc. gsabater@coadvantage.com • 561-308-8173
A BIG Welcome to our NEWEST Members!
GCBA 2023 TOP RECRUITERS Michele Mockenhaupt – 6 Frank Coppola – 4 Andrea Flores – 1 Marc Kruger – 1 GCBA SPIKE CLUB Members reach the GCBA Spike Club once you recruit 5 or more members in the current year. GCBA Spike Club Members will be recognized at Board Meetings & more!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
GCBA MEMBERSHIP NEWS JUNE 2023
Contact Us - FHBA Private Insurance Exchange Phone: (800) 282-8626 Fax: (904) 212-2058 Address: FHBA Member Benefits 10739 Deerwood Park Blvd. Suite 200-B Jacksonville, FL 32256
LEGAL ROUNDUP
IS YOUR GENERAL LIABILITY POLICY COVERING EVERYTHING YOU DO? NOT NECESSARILY!
Andy Wyman, Esq. is the founder of Wyman Legal Solutions in Boca Raton, Florida, and holds a Martindale-Hubbell rating of “AV-Preeminent” – the highest such rating for legal ability and ethical standards. An avid golfer, Andy resides in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife and two children. You can learn more about Andy at https://wymanlegalsolutions.com/about-us/. Email Andy atandy@WymanLegalSolutions.comwith any thoughts you would like to share concerning this article.
As a contractor, do you also provide any design or engineering services in addition to your construction activities? If so, then you need professional liability coverage, because your general liability policy will not cover your design, engineering, or consulting services. If your construction business offers design services, such as architectural or engineering expertise, professional liability coverage is crucial. It protects against claims alleging errors, omissions, or negligence in the design that result in financial losses, property damage, or bodily injury. Construction businesses that provide consulting services, such as project management or construction advisory services, should have professional liability coverage. It helps protect against claims arising from inaccurate advice, flawed recommendations, or failure to meet professional standards. Also, in design-build projects where your construction business is responsible for both the design and construction phases, professional liability coverage becomes even more important. It covers risks associated with both design errors and construction-related issues. Professional liability coverage is designed to address the unique risks associated with professional services, which often require specialized knowledge and expertise. It helps safeguard your construction business against claims of professional negligence, errors, or omissions that can lead to costly lawsuits, reputational damage, and financial losses. The need for professional liability coverage should be evaluated based on the specific services your construction business provides and the potential risks associated with those services.
Newsletter Changes… and MORE!
As you are reading this issue of your GCBA NEWS To Build On newsletter, you likely have noticed some changes. Starting with the cover of our monthly publication, your GCBA Communications Committee (Comms) has placed more focus on our Members. Our newsletter is now more functional and multi-media. You can click on articles that have hyper-links to websites, visit our GCBA Builders Spotlight Podcasts; view videos; and, of course, read the articles. Newsletter content has changed as well. While the change in content may not be as noticeable, the emphasis is on Members and the Services that, individually and combined, make our Gold Coast Builders Association one of the most unique organizations in Florida. And certainly, one of the most dedicated builders’ associations. And growing! The changes you are seeing in our newsletter and in other things like our weekly e-mail blast are being tweaked and fine-tuned by a very dedicated Comms Committee with very hard-working members making the GCBA more professional and responsive to the needs of our Members while meeting the goals and objectives of both the National Association of Home Builders and the Florida Association of Home Builders. The work, so far, has not been easy nor without a lot of trial and error to simply make things better. The Comms Committee meets virtually once a month with each person on the committee contributing ideas, input, and in many cases, hours of work on a variety of GCBA items we are trying to improve, discover, or reimagine to be more professional. Some of the items we strive to continue improving: Ongoing Communications support to all GCBA Committees and Board More efficient and shorter mid-weekly e-mail blasts More pertinent newsletter content Editorial calendar for newsletter Professional newsletter design and timely articles Website updates Annual Calendar for Coffee & Communications Coffee & Communications now a monthly podcast GCBA Business Spotlight Podcasts in production Support for GCBA Administrative Staff A lot has been accomplished. However, our work is not done. We will continue to give you periodic updates here in our new and improving newsletter. As always, we encourage you to thank and provide positive input to our volunteer Comms Committee Members so together we can make the GCBA good, better, best…we’ll never let it rest until the good is better and the better is best! Comms Committee: Chair, Sam Yates, Yates & Associates Public Relations; Andrea Flores, GCBA staff; Robin Huebner, Communications Committee Assistant/Liasson GCBA Staff; Stefanie Mogull, 13th Street Homes; Chelsea Swanson, Nation’s Roof; Lauryn Calvert, LocaliQ/USA TODAY; Michelle Mockenhaupt, DR Horton; Rick Baxter, LocaliQ/USA TODAY; Heather Arciero, Arciero Drone Services; Scott Hughes, CSCI; Gregory Del Deo, Graphic Design.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE UPDATE
REGISTER HERE
NAHB has named Jim Tobin as the association’s new president and chief executive officer. Tobin, executive vice president and chief lobbyist at NAHB, will succeed outgoing-CEO Jerry Howard, who is leaving NAHB after more than 30 years. Tobin assumed the post effective June 1. Tobin joined NAHB in 1998. In his role as EVP, government affairs and chief lobbyist he directed the federal, state and local lobbying, as well as political activities for NAHB. He also guided the activities of the association’s political action committee, BUILD-PAC, and grassroots network. Before becoming NAHB’s chief lobbyist, Tobin was NAHB’s vice president for federal relations. Prior to NAHB, he was senior legislative assistant to former U.S. Representative Frank Riggs (Calif.) and former U.S. Representative Gary Franks (Conn.). Tobin will be based at NAHB’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he will lead NAHB’s more than 200 staff. The CEO is also part of NAHB’s national leadership team, which includes the Senior Officers of the Board, who are elected annually by the Leadership Council.
Lack of Resale Inventory Boosts April New Home Sales
Tobin Takes the Helm as New CEO of NAHB
Stabilizing mortgage rates and a lack of resale inventory provided a boost for new home sales in April, even as builders battle rising costs from shortages of transformers and other building materials and a presistent lack of construction workers. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in April increased 4.1% to a 683,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate from a downwardly revised reading in March, according to newly released data from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the highest level since March 2022. A new home sale occurs when a sales contract is signed or a deposit is accepted. The home can be in any stage of construction: not yet started, under construction or completed. In addition to adjusting for seasonal effects, the April reading of 683,000 units is the number of homes that would sell if this pace continued for the next 12 months. New single-family home inventory increased 0.2% in April and remained elevated at a 7.6 months’ supply at the current building pace. A measure near a 6 months’ supply is considered balanced. However, the lack of existing home inventory for resale means that overall inventory for the single-family market remains tight. The median new home sale price fell in April to $420,800 and was down 8% compared to a year ago. The report showed growth in the lower price ranges, with 9,000 sales in the $200,000-$299,999 price range in April 2023, compared to just 4,000 sales a year prior. The $300,000- $399,999 price bracket grew by 14,000 sales in that same time frame. Regionally, on a year-to-date basis, new home sales fell in all regions, down 19.2% in the Northeast, 9.8% in the Midwest, 0.7% in the South and 27.5% in the West.
Hundreds of Builders Association members from throughout Florida recently took part in an online briefing about Florida’s tough new immigration law that is scheduled to become enforceable on July 1, 2023.
Transporting illegal aliens in Florida could lead to felony Human Smuggling charges. The crime of human smuggling A person commits a third degree felony when he or she knowingly and willfully transports into Florida an individual whom the person knows or reasonably should know has entered the U.S. in violation of the law and has not been inspected by the Federal Government since their unlawful entry Enhances the crime of human smuggling when smuggling a minor, more than five people, or when the defendant has a prior conviction for human smuggling Adds human smuggling to the list of crimes that allow for prosecution under the Florida RICO Act at § 895.02 We will be announcing a special Coffee and Conversation virtual event in the very near future with Immigration Attorney Christopher Gaston to share the latest information on Florida’s new Immigration Laws and answer your questions.
Parts of the new law requires hospitals and medical care facilities to obtain legal status of patients when giving treatment and maintain a data file; requires employers to more strictly E-Verify, and allows law enforcement agencies to detain and arrest illegals if they are discovered in any lawful, routine traffic stop while the workers are in company vehicles and are possibly being smuggled in to Florida for employment.
IMMIGRATION CONCERNS?
Don’t Let a Bad Decision Be Your Last
Register now to attend our Hurricane Seminar on June 16 at Manatee Lagoon.
Sound familiar? Yes, GCBA is taking a very active stand to encourage each and every one of our members to attend the upcoming Hurricane Preparedness Seminar on June 16th at Manatee Lagoon. The information shared and lessons learned could very well save your life and guarantee the future of your business. If you have read our President’s Message, you’ll note his comments about the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. With powerful, sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, the Great Hurricane devastated the Florida Keys and left only debris for the railroad that Henry Flagler built across the ocean to Key West. That hurricane was very similar to Hurricane Ian which smashed into and washed away our southwestern Florida coast. Hurricane Ian was a powerful Category 5 Atlantic hurricane, the third-costliest weather disaster on record, the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, and the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Michael in 2018. Ian caused widespread damage across western Cuba, Florida, and the Carolinas. Ian was the ninth named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season. Ian was the first Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic since Lorenzo in 2019, and the fifth since 2016 to reach that strength before making landfall in the U.S. Re-read the above paragraph and ask yourself if you are ready for another Ian or Great Hurricane. Don’t let a bad decision be your last.
HURRICANE SEMINAR REMINDER
Don’t Go Smishing!
COFFEE & CONVERSATION GUEST
Soon, we will be announcing the date for an upcoming GCBA Coffee & Conversation on a topic that is increasingly the topic you do NOT want to be discussing with your employees. It is Smishing. Smishing is the latest cyber bait that hackers are using to tempt us into taking a nibble. It’s essentially an old cyberscam gift wrapped inside a new box but why does this new attack vector in the war on cybersecurity feel more personal than before? It’s because most of us have heard of phishing attacks by now. When they work, they usually involve a link sent via email to an unsuspecting user. The user is fooled into thinking the email is a legitimate correspondence from a company or colleague that they need to investigate. Within that message, a link promising to take them directly to the issue or prize or warning at hand is presented. If they’re lucky, the link doesn’t try to install malware directly onto their computer but instead, presents them with a login to an online store that they most likely have frequented before such as Amazon.com or Apple.com. Now, we find ourselves staring into the face of the latest cyberattack called Smishing. You may have heard of whale phishing, spear phishing, vishing and even pharming, but smishing gets its “sm” prefix from the SMS in text messages because that is exactly how it is delivered. Like emails, some of these smishing texts are annoying spam, relatively harmless but how can you tell the harmless ones from the truly malevolent ones? You can’t, at least not without clicking on it which you should NEVER do. So, what should you do? If you do not recognize the name or number of the incoming text, DO NOT RESPOND. As much as you might have the desire to know “Who is this?” you should ignore or delete any unknown messages. If you respond, they know they have a live one on their smishing line and will only increase the frequency of messages and probably put you on a list with other active responders to target more in the future. Want to know more about Smishing? How to protect your business and personal computers and phones from hackers? Check our GCBA website for updates on our monthly Coffee & Conversation as we feature special guest Scott Schoeber.
Addressing Affordability Through Zoning Reform Code and zoning reform can help increase the supply of new homes and address the nation’s housing affordability crisis. A new resource from NAHB, the “Model Housing and Land Development Code Guide,” includes information about how updating housing and land development code can have real impacts on the costs and availability of housing. NAHB members in communities considering these changes can share this document with local officials.
Big Win in SCOTUS Decision on WOTUS In a major victory for NAHB, builders, developers and property owners, the Supreme Court on May 25 issued a unanimous decision in Sackett v. EPA that will force the Biden administration to overhaul its “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) rule and ultimately provide builders and developers more certainty in the federal permitting process. NAHB had filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Sackett case, arguing that it does not make sense for isolated wetlands, isolated ponds or human- made ditches on private property to be subject to federal jurisdiction.
HUD Proposes Tougher Energy Codes In a move that will raise housing costs, HUD, FHA and the USDA are proposing to increase the stringency of energy codes for new construction of HUD- and USDA-insured housing. The Biden administration is proposing that homes built under some federally financed programs leap- frog several code iterations and adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
FHFA Rescinds Certain Proposed Upfront Fees In January, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced a new fee for borrowers with debt-to-income (DTI) ratios at or greater than 40 percent on loans acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The housing industry strongly opposed this DTI ratio-based fee. The fee would be difficult for lenders to implement and confuse borrowers with potential pricing changes throughout the loan application process. The fee was scheduled to take effect on Aug. 1. In response to the concerns, FHFA on May 10 announced it rescinded this loan fee on borrowers with a DTI ratio greater than 40 percent.
Concerns about Flood Insurance Prices More than 50 House lawmakers have sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell about concerns over the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP’s) new Risk Rating 2.0 mechanism that has pushed up premiums for millions of Americans. NAHB has been advocating on Capitol Hill about the lack of transparency in setting flood insurance rate increases. Lawmakers have responded, and are sharing these concerns with FEMA.
Mark your calendars for an exclusive event at the Southeast Building Conference next month! On Wednesday, July 19, seize the this opportunity to dine with influential Florida legislators and esteemed leaders in the building industry. The FHBA PAC Good Government Lunch grants you a seat at the table alongside lawmakers who champion the home building and construction sector. Prepare to be inspired as you listen to Florida Attorney General, Ashley Moody and engage with notable legislators including Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Sen. Clay Yarborough, Sen. Debbie Mayfield, Rep. Stan McCain, Rep. Dana Trabulsy, and Rep. John Snyder. Don't miss out on this extraordinary chance to connect with leading legislators and show your support for Florida's building industry. A variety of seating options are available!
Join Prominent Legislators and Support Florida's Building Industry at the Southeast Building Conference Good Government Lunch
Highest Paid Occupations
NAHB Introduces New Index for Multifamily Activity
To help business owners protect their organizations, NAHB offers 27 contracts written specifically for home builders and remodelers that cover a wide range of construction industry activities. NAHB Contracts has long been a go-to resource for home builders looking to save time and money in the development of their critical contracts. Nearly all the contracts have been significantly modified to expressly address the potential impacts from pandemics and epidemics. New language also gives contract parties the flexibility to amend the time for performance due to labor and material shortages.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) redesigned its Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) in the first quarter of 2023 to make it easier to interpret and more similar to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for single-family housing. The MMS produces two separate indices: the Multifamily Production Index (MPI) and the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI). In the first quarter of 2023, the MPI had a reading of 50 while the MOI reading was 82. The MPI measures builder and developer sentiment about current production conditions in the apartment and condo market on a scale of 0 to 100. The index and all its components are scaled so that a number above 50 indicates that more respondents report conditions are good than report conditions are poor. The MOI measures the multifamily housing industry's perception of occupancies in existing apartments on a scale of 0 to 100. The index and all its components are also scaled so that a number above 50 indicates more respondents report that occupancy is good than report it is poor.
Half of payroll workers in construction earn more than $54,540 and the top 25% make at least $77,030, according to NAHB analysis of the latest data from BLS’s Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). The OEWS publishes wages for more than 406 occupations in construction. Out of these, only 58 are construction trades. Among construction trades, elevator installers and repairers top the median wages list, with half of them earning more than $100,480 a year and the top 25% making at least $123,020. Rock splitters/ quarry are next on the list, followed by first-line supervisors.
Use Updated Contracts from NAHB
Register To Attend The 45th Annual Southeast Building Conference
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Registration is open for the Southeast Building Conference, taking place July 19-20 at the Orange County Convention Center! This year marks the 45th anniversary of the regions top industry event, and it's sure to live up to our reputation of bringing together the largest gathering of industry leaders and suppliers, quality education sessions, and fun networking with fellow members of the industry. You don't want to miss the summer's top event for Florida's Home Building Industry. Use the code "SEBC23" for a FREE Expo Hall Only Pass!