FICAP officially endorses  Frank Bruno 

All who make their living by manufacturing, distributing, selling and promoting masonry products need to do what we can to elect Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno to the Florida Senate District 8. He will support our efforts to pass the Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education and Promotion Act during the 2013 Legislative Session. If you or any of your employees live in Florida Senate District 8, please encourage them to support Frank Bruno. Find out more about him by visiting his website.  

Florida Voters Have Long Ballots on Election Day

FICAP Produces Opportunity

I was relaxing on the beach the other day and saw a tangle of dried out seaweed. It was easy to shift things around, add a few stems, and create a bouquet that resembled flowers. The more focused I became on creating something, the more unfocused I became from the day's hassles. Sometimes, what looks like a mess is actually an opportunity waiting to blossom.

The Producer Board of FICAP met on September 18th and dumped what appeared to be hassles on the table. As discussions began taking place, ideas began building upon each other and plans emerged for new opportunities. That, my friends, is one of the strengths of FICAP.  

Just one of the many ideas to blossom from the discussions is for FICAP to go back to their roots; focusing not just on growing the business of FICAP, but on nurturing relationships within the industry. In 2013, Producer members of FICAP will host most of the monthly meetings at one of their facilities, which provides more intimate and personable settings. If you're not attending the meetings, then you are missing out. Period.   

FICAP Producers are also taking a closer look at the companies who support them by actively participating in association events and supporting the association financially. If you think your participation went unnoticed, you were wrong. Attendance, goal group participation, and financial support were each reviewed and will be monitored more closely. Participation matters and when there's a need, producers will look to those closely tied to the association for help first.

Our 2012 convention slogan remains true...FICAP Rocks! We hope to see you at our Fall BBQ on October 30th.

Planting the seeds for positive change to take root and blossom...

Michele Stropoli

Executive Director     

October 30 - 1st Annual Fall BBQ 

Thanks to the generosity of E.R. Jahna Industries, FICAP will host our first Annual Fall BBQ. The event begins at 3:00 p.m. and will be held at the Jahna Ranch in Davenport. We will enjoy a boat tour out to the dredge, clay shoot, and a steak dinner.  

There is no cost to join this event, but we MUST know if you plan to be there no later than Monday, October 22nd. Don't delay! Reserve your spot today.   

November 27 - Concrete and the Green Building Movement Educational Seminar 

3:00-7:30 p.m.
Presented by Lionel Lemay, Sr. Vice President, Sustainable Development for the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA)   

The green building movement continues to gain momentum as developers, government agencies, and designers build structures to minimize environmental impact. This seminar will provide attendees with state-of-the-art strategies, technologies and methodologies for sustainable concrete design and construction to maximize environmental performance. In addition, participants who complete the seminar will earn 3.5 Professional Development Hours.  Register here today.  

During the past ten years, Parliment Building Products has increased their product line, delivery fleet and warehouse space three fold. And it's no wonder: their support staff has over 400 years experience of combined building material sales! Congratulations to the Parliment family and thank you for your unwavering support of FICAP!  

FICAP Members are invited to share significant company milestones  

with our readers. Please forward the details to the FICAP office.  

NRMCA Promote Concrete Roads to Florida Officials

Recently, several representatives from various concrete companies who are also NRMCA members along with NRMCA Senior National Resource Director Amy Miller met with officials in a Florida county to discuss use of concrete as an option on all county sponsored road projects. Initially, the group suspected this process may... Read More 

In home construction, this summer has been one for the post-recession record books. During June, Sarasota County government issued 117 permits, the highest number since June 2006. Then in July, the average value for a newly permitted home... Read More   

Know When to Place Your Account for Collection  

According to the Commercial Collection Agency Association of the Commercial Law League of America (CLLA), the probability of full collection on a delinquent account drops dramatically with the length of delinquency. The probability of collection on an account that is delinquent for three months drops to 69.6%. After six months, 52.1% of delinquent accounts will never be collected, and after one year the probability of ever collecting a delinquent account drops to 22.8%.  

Warming Climates May Impact Energy Design of Buildings

New climate zone data for American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 169, Climatic Data for Building Design Standards is now available for public comment. The climate data is based on the previous 30 years of weather records and reflect... Read More 

Greening of Building Sector to Deliver Trillions in Savings

...[Edward Mazria, founder and CEO of Architecture 2030] says the main driver of the new projections is the hike in building energy standards. "It's policies, it's building codes, it's better building design and more efficient technologies. We're building to a better standard," he said. The group wants the report to provide policymakers and builders a reason... Read More 

Top 10 Residential Green Building Trends to Watch in 2012

The green building market is expected to be worth $135 billion in the next three years, with non-residential activity set to triple. But residential opportunities are growing as well. Here's a list of some top trends that will help accelerate growth in the residential market, as compiled by the Earth .... Read More   

House Passes Revamped Fly Ash Bill  

Worker's compensation rates are on the Rise and the National Council of Compensation Insurance is changing Primary-Excess Split Point in Experience Rating Methodology which could have a dramatic impact on experience modifiers. Are you in control of this necessary business expense and could a possible experience mod increase keep you from getting work? Read More

Polk County home permits on the rise  

Since the beginning of the year, builders have taken out 693 home permits, up 14 percent from the same time in 2011. Last year was the slowest year in records dating back to 1994, the Lakeland Ledger said. "While many builders believe that the outlook for housing is considerably brighter than... Read More   

Tampa Bay home sales tick up; prices remain flat

Tampa Bay home sales continued to grow while prices generally stayed flat, another rocky step toward recovery for the local housing market. Total sales last month jumped 13 percent since August 2011 to nearly 3,000 homes across Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties, according to... Read More  

Orlando group to build affordable, all-made-in-US home

Wisps of steam waft upward from coffee mugs, and renderings of a home are propped up, on an outdoor table at Christo's Cafe on College Park's Edgewater Drive one recent Wednesday morning. Seated around the table are seven men and one woman talking about Little League baseball, rainstorms and the common cause that unites them at least once a week: With backgrounds in construction.... Read More    

Home price bounce will help boost economy

The ongoing rise in home prices, up for the sixth month in a row in July according to a widely followed index, is bringing some badly-needed support for an ailing U.S. economy. The road back to economic health, though, is going to be a long one.  U.S. single-family home prices... Read More

Florida ramps up to become a major exporter    

Plans for a new highway tunnel and a refurbished rail link, a $2 billion makeover of the Port of Miami, are the centerpiece of an ambitious bid to overhaul Florida's economy, according to a report by Bloomberg News. The investment could position the state, long reliant on real estate and tourism, for renewed growth. The objective, for Florida... Read More

Governments Hiring Most Since Economic Collapse  

For the first time since the start of the economic downturn, state and local governments created more jobs than they lost last month, according to a recent Gallup survey. State and local government employees were more likely to... Read More  

Q: My company has just signed up to receive payments electronically from a large tract builder. We must check a box on a Partial Lien Release form before their system will deposit the funds into our bank account. After we receive the funds, they want us to go back into the builder's system and check a box on a Final Lien Release form. Can the builder or a potential owner rely on releases that are not actually signed by an authorized person in our company?

A: There are no appellate cases dealing with on line forms, but I suspect they would hold up.  As long as your customer is not likely to bounce a check, I am okay with checking the Partial Lien Release Box. But I would ask for the initial box to state that the Partial Release is Conditional.  After receipt of the funds, you could go back into the builder's system and check a box on a another form that states the release is a Partial Release or a Final Release, if final payment has been made.   

Neal A. Sivyer
Sivyer Barlow & Watson, P.A.  

If you have a question, please submit it to the FICAP office
and we will publish the answer in our next newsletter.

More employees are suing employers  

In the last three to four years, HR lawsuits have been on the rise, and unfortunately, there does not seem to be any end in sight. The U.S. Department of Labor reports the number of lawsuits related to the Fair Labor Standards Act, alone, increased 35 percent in three years. And this is only one small area that...  Read More  

Where do you find good job candidates? Orlando Business Journal's survey says...  

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Florida teen builds 'brain' to detect breast cancer 

An artificial "brain" built by a 17-year-old whiz kid from Florida is able to accurately assess tissue samples for signs of breast cancer, providing more confidence to a minimally invasive procedure. The cloud-based neural network took top prize in this year's Google Science Fair...Breast cancer affects one in eight women worldwide... Read More