FHBA conference: The Florida Home Builders Association's Legislative Conference is April 7-8. The conference is in Tallahassee and includes a legislative reception at the Governor's Club (Monday evening, April 7) and an FHBA board of directors meeting (Tuesday, April 8).
Specialty license plate: The FHBA license plate bill was filed to create an FHBA specialty license plate. The bill has been filed in the House (HB 833 by Rep. Daniel Davis) and the Senate (SB 714 by Sen. Aaron Bean). If approved by the Legislature, the license plate would increase awareness of the building community and raise funds for FHBA and its local affiliates.
New building inspection head: Mayor Alvin Brown has named Tom Goldsbury to head Jacksonville's Building Inspection Division. Goldsbury was the chief of that division from 1998 until the fall 2011, when he was among a wave of managers who lost their jobs in an administrative move to cut costs.
Codes and standards: The NEFBA Codes and Standard Committee met Feb. 20 to discuss upcoming changes to the building codes in Northeast Florida. Several building officials attended, including Duval County Building Inspection Division Chief Tom Goldsbury, St. Johns County building official Howard White and Clay County Building Division Director David Conner.
Government affairs: NEFBA's Government Affairs Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m., Friday, March 21, at the NEFBA office, 103 Century 21 Drive, Suite 100, Jacksonville.
Neighborhood blight: The City of Jacksonville's committee on neighborhood blight has approved plans for a Tire and Snipe-Sign roundup Saturday, April 5. The city would offer a bounty of $2 per tire and 50 cents per illegal sign. NEFBA is working with City Council member Denise Lee's office and the committee on neighborhood blight to ensure the volunteers are educated about the difference between a legal sign and a nuisance sign. The collection site volunteers are being asked to set aside legal signs from trash signs so they can be recovered by their owners.
Mobility Plan: Council member Bill Bishop has sponsored legislation that would allow a landowner or developer to construct and dedicate an entire transportation improvement project not identified in the 2030 Mobility Plan as a prioritized transportation project that will improve existing mobility efficiencies for the affected mobility zone and receive credit for said project.
Duval County issues: Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
New building official: Michael Griffin has been named the building official over the Nassau County Building Department. Griffin was previously the building and zoning director for Atlantic Beach, a position he held since 2008.
NAU personal guarantee: After a meeting between NEFBA members and Commissioner Pat Edwards, county officials are looking into alternatives to the personal guarantee to new service contracts with the Nassau Amelia Utility. NEFBA expressed a desire to see the guarantee, which overrides incorporation protection, replaced with a more traditional method of insuring payment, i.e. deposits.
USDA rural development loan extension: Implementations of new USDA rural development loans maps were delayed until after the 2020 Census thanks to the recently passed Federal Farm Bill. NEFBA members had expressed concerns to U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw's office about the new maps, which would render much of east Nassau County, including Yulee, ineligible for the loans.
Builders Council: Corey Hacker, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
State-of-the-county briefing: Clay County Manager Stephanie Kopelousos delivered a state-of-the-county update to the Clay Builders Council during its February breakfast meeting. She praised the local building community, pointing out a 2.5 percent increase in property value and 6.6 percent job growth in the county. Kopelousos encouraged Clay Builders Council members to participate in an upcoming transportation workshop to help the county set a plan of action for funding future transportation projects.
Builders Council: Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Concurrency workshop: Members of the NEFBA Government Affairs Committee and the St. Johns Builders Council attended the fourth in a series of special meetings to discuss transportation concurrency on Feb. 7. The meeting was hosted by St. Johns County commissioners to help improve commercial concurrency laws. Prior to the meeting, Government Affairs Chair Greg Matovina, with the input of other committee members, sent a letter to John Metcalf, chairman of the workshop, detailing NEFBA's position on the proposed changes and offering several options on how to improve concurrency within the county.
Builders Council: Leona Brown, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Remodelers Council and Wood Council: Jessie Spradley, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355
Sales & Marketing Council, Young Guns and E-Council: Palmer Kuder, [email protected] and (904) 725-4355