January 2022
Home Builder Sentiment Strong as 2021 Comes to a Close
Despite inflation concerns and ongoing production bottlenecks, home builder confidence edged higher for the fourth consecutive month on strong consumer demand and limited existing inventory. Builder sentiment in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point higher to 84 in December, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released in December. This ties the highest reading of the year that was posted in February. Derived from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for 35 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI gauges builder perceptions of current single-family home sales and sales expectations for the next six months as “good,” “fair” or “poor.” The survey also asks builders to rate traffic of prospec- tive buyers as “high to very high,” “average” or “low to very low.” Scores for each component are then used to calculate a seasonally adjusted index where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor. The HMI index gauging current sales conditions rose one point to 90 and the gauge charting traffic of prospective buyers also posted a one-point gain to 70. The component measuring sales expect- ations in the next six months held steady for the third consecutive month at 84. HMI tables can be found at nahb.org/hmi.
Fed Tightening May Bring Higher Rates The Federal Reserve on Dec. 15 signaled that it will be shifting from an accommodative monetary policy stance that has supported the economic rebound from the 2020 recession toward a tighter policy as a direct result of ongoing, elevated inflation data. This policy pivot means that mortgage interest rates are likely to rise in 2022. This will reduce housing affordability and again emphasizes the need for policymakers to fix the nation’s supply chains that are impeding more robust housing construction.
Take Advantage of IBS Pre-Show Education The NAHB International Builders’ Show® (IBS) provides access to critical professional development opportunities through education sessions and workshops. Attendees can get a head start on these educational tools through pre-show education. Ten NAHB Education courses and five Master Workshops are available on Sunday, Feb. 6, and Monday, Feb. 7. Participants may register for NAHB Education courses and Master Workshops for an additional fee. Register today. Sandra L. Thompson Nominated to Head FHFA President Biden in December nominated Sandra L. Thompson as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Thompson currently serves as acting director of the FHFA. She replaced Mark Calabria in June after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the FHFA director can be removed at will. Thompson previously served as deputy director of FHFA’s Division of Housing Mission and Goals since 2013. Prior to joining FHFA, Thompson worked at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for 23 years in a variety of leadership positions.
EPA Publishes Proposed WOTUS Rule The Federal Register in December published a proposed rule by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rescind the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) as finalized during the Trump administration. If finalized as proposed, the new rule will rescind the WOTUS definition NAHB supported under the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and replace it with a new WOTUS definition that includes elements of the 1986 definition and elements of the Supreme Court’s 2006 Rapanos decision.
Congress Pushes Commerce on Lumber At the behest of NAHB, 84 members of Congress sent a joint letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expressing urgent concern regarding the Commerce Department’s recent decision to double tariffs on softwood lumber products from Canada. The letter highlights the critical need for the United States and Canada to renew negotiations in an effort to come to an equitable solution that will satisfy all sides, including domestic industries and consumers, that need a reliable supply of softwood lumber.
NHE Offering Grants to Support Workforce Development
NAHB Provides Safety Videos Working in construction can be dangerous. Workers can be exposed to hazards such as falls, electrical shock, and harmful chemicals. Before your employees step on the jobsite, be sure they understand how to protect themselves while at work. NAHB has published a new safety video toolbox talk, Safety Basics, to help home builders familiarize their staff with the hazards of a residential construction site. While construction work can be inherently dangerous, understanding hazards and creating a safety plan to address them will help keep everyone safe on the jobsite. Visit NAHB's video toolbox page for a Spanish version of the safety basics video.
The National Housing Endowment (NHE) has set a bold goal for 2022 – to introduce 10,000 young people to career oppor- tunities in the residential skilled trades. NHE encourages state and local home builders assoc- iations to apply for the Career Connections grant program. The program is funded by the Skilled Labor Fund (SLF) and managed by NHE. The funding is designed to support career fairs, presentations, participation in school- organized career events, and other activ- ities that introduce students to careers in residential skilled trades. The fund will award grants up to $2,500. A committee will consider each application and will award funds based upon merit and funding availability. Applications are due Feb. 16, 2022, for career events taking place by Nov. 18, 2022. Grant recipients will be announced in March. Contact Mark Pursell, NHE President and CEO, with any questions.
DHS Expands H-2B Visas The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the forthcoming publication of a joint temporary final rule making available an additional 20,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year (FY) 2022. These additional visas will be set aside for U.S. employers seeking to employ additional workers on or before March 31, 2022. H-2B visas allow employers to hire foreign workers who come temporarily to the United States and perform temporary non-agricultural services or labor – including construction work – on a one-time, seasonal, peak-load or intermittent basis. Eligibility and filing requirements can be found on the H-2B Nonimmigrants webpage.
Leadership List
CHECK WEBSITE FOR MOST CURRENT INFORMATION
2022 GCBA Officers and Directors OFFICERS PRESIDENT Rafael Roca, DR Horton 1ST VP Michael Nunziata, 13th Floor Homes 2ND VP Frank Coppola, Coppola Brothers LLC ASSOCIATE VP Tony Macaluso, Universal Engineering Sciences VP FINANCE Steve Karp, Melamed & Karp PA IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Fred Pfister, Toll Brothers DIRECTORS Mark Richards, Stock Custom Homes Herb Tremble, Master Contractors & Subcontractors Assoc. of FL. Karl Albertson, DR Horton Mark Welsh, Lennar Jon Long, Ryan Homes Steve Dassa, Mattamy Homes Ethan Nelson, UMI Stone Peggy West, Capitol Lighting PRO Rick Baxter, Localiq (Palm Beach Post) Mark Anderson, US Bank Executive Officer: KT Catlin Design: Gregory J. Del Deo
If you are interested in serving on the Board and/or Becoming an Office please contact KT at 561-228-6137 or KT@GCBAFlorida.com
January 24-26 FHBA Spring Leadership & Legislative Conference February 4 TCBA/GCBA Clay Shoot February 4 – 7 NAHB Meetings Orlando February 7-11 NAHB – IBS Orlando February 17 Hard Hat Happy Hour March 9 AWARDS Celebration & Introduction of Leadership March 16 GCBA Quarterly Board Meeting April 28 Hard Hat Happy Hour April - Monday Nights Real Estate Investment Boot Camp May 26 GCBA Golf Outing June 14 – 18 NAHB Spring leadership & Legislative Conference June 22 GCBA Board Meeting & Hard Hat Happy Hour August 3-4 SEBC Orlando August 25 Hard Hat Happy Hour September 21 GCBA Board Meeting September 29 PRISM October 20 GCBA Annual Meeting & Hard Hat Happy Hour October 24-27 NAHB Fall Boards November 18 2nd Annual Chili Cook Off December 13 9 Wine & Dine & Hard Hat Happy Hour
Calendar of Events Check GCBA's Monday eMail for current Location & Registration Information. Masks are recommended if vaccinated for all indoor events.
The NAHB/NAR Home Performance Counts: Virtual Green Home Tour Series continues on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. ET with a full home remodel in the Fort Worth, Texas area. Greening the existing housing stock is critical to reducing the environmental footprint of residential construction. Check out the high-performance remodeling journey of a mid-century modern home in North Texas with Heather Ferrier Laminack of Ferrier Custom Homes. See the process, from demo to finished product on how the home was updated to be efficient, healthy and comfortable while maintaining its mid-century character. Learn about the challenges and rewards of a green update to an existing home and how to realize the added value of those updates in the real estate market. A live Q&A will take place immediately after the tour with Laminack and Mike Garza, Global Real Estate Advisor, Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty, Fort Worth, Texas. These free 45-minute programs are planned quarterly for 2022. Register at nahb.org/greentour. Can’t make it on January 20? Registrants can also access the replay for this event and others in the series through NAHB's webinar replay library. The series is a product of Home Performance Counts, a joint educational initiative between NAHB and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Home Performance Counts is designed to help members of both associations work together and succeed in the rapidly growing marketplace for high-performance homes.
Green Tour Series Looks at Mid-Century Modern in Texas
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
BUILDERS Tim Bostrom Silver Companies Bob Peach Better Call Bob LLC Stephen Petrucci Bella Homes, LLC John Snellman Snellman Construction LLC ASSOCIATES Tom Corona SwellFi LLC Janis Ehlers The Ehlers Group Fiber Fast Homes Rafaella Ledo-Massey Neat House Plans Lorali DePaula Cambria, USA AFFILIATES John Desantis Mullinax Ford Elsie Ortiz Clive Daniel Home Avin Sundar FPL Energy Services If you sponsored one of these individuals please let KT or Robin know! We will be having year long contests and recognition for Recruiting & Retention!
Welcome to our Newest Members!
GCBA 2022 TOP RECRUITERS KT Catlin 2 S. Robert August 1 Rafael Roca 1 Kathy Macaluso 1 GCBA 2021 TOP RECRUITERS HV Tremble 28 KT Catlin 15 Fred Pfister 14 Rafael Roca 10 Michele Mockenhaupt 7 Alexander Akel 3 Mark Anderson 3 David Kanarek 2 Deborah Giarratana 2 Jason Roberts 2 Lisbeth Linert 2 Michael Nunziata 2 Teresa Hugo-Tigert 2 Amy Wieland-Carlson 1 Devin Perry 1 Eduardo Aleman 1 Ethan Nelson 1 Frank Coppola III 1 Frank Williams 1 Lisbert Linert 1 Maddie Williams 1 Marc Julien Homes 1 Marcia Wegman 1 Matthew Blum 1 Maya Chocron 1 Melissa Jewell 1 Peggy West 1 Rick Baxter 1 Ron Ellish 1 Steven Dassa 1 Suzanne Donohue 1 Tamra Ksiazek 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!
MEMBERS SAVINGS & REBATE PROGRAMS
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mEMBERSHIP NEWS
Pre-session Prelude The Florida Legislature will convene Tuesday, January 11, in Tallahassee to kick off the 2022 Legislative Session. As tradition has it, much of the news from the Capitol this week will focus on details from speeches delivered by the Governor, Speaker of the House, and Senate President. While you’ll see plenty press coverage on issues related to COVID, the budget, and redistricting, your FHBA team remains laser focused on a host of issues pertinent to the building industry. Among those, the following legislation will be a top priority over the next 60 days. Please note, if you are interested in watching legislators discuss any of the bills listed below, you are able to access a live stream of meetings by visiting www.flsenate.gov on the day of the meetings. SB 736 by Sen. Travis Hutson / HB 583 by Rep. Clay Yarborough Construction Defects/Statute of Repose These bills aim to return the construction defects statute back to its original intent, keeping claims out of the court by providing transparency about the alleged defect, encouraging actual repair, and reducing the statue of response so that maintenance issues are not alleged as defects. SB 736 will be heard by the Senate Community Affairs CommitteeWednesday, January 12 at 9:30 a.m. SB 856 by Sen. Jason Brodeur / HB 309 by Rep. Elizabeth Fetterhoff Allowing Private Providers Inspections of Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems These bills address the delay in Septic Tank inspections being incurred in some areas of the state by allowing the use of appropriately qualified individuals to act as private inspectors, similar to the parameters of private building inspectors. The Local Health Department will be allowed to audit a portion of the work done by private inspectors to ensure consistency and appropriateness. SB 856 will be heard by the SenateAppropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General GovernmentWednesday, January 12 at 4:30 p.m. SB 626 by Sen. Tom Wright / HB 659 by Rep. Joe Harding Building Code Timing This bill accomplishes two goals. First, it seeks to put some distance (3 months) between finalizing the Fire Code and its effective date. The three-month delay allows everyone to understand, review and design around the new code. Secondly, the bill ensures that energy software is approved at least three months prior to the building code implementation date. SB 706 by Sen. Keith Perry / HB 851 by Rep. Stan McClain School Concurrency In certain areas of the State like Hillsborough County, a de facto building moratorium exists. Although the builders provide all the offsets to compensate for the building and development impacts, the County refuses to allow new educational facilities to be build. This bill ensures that when builders and developers satisfy the offsets for the impacts and demands created by the development, building will move forward despite a disagreement between the School Board and County. Additional Funding of 23 Positions for DEP to Process 404 Permits:The state of Florida assumed the 404 Permitting process in December of 2020. Processing of those permits has been slower than expected with personnel challenges and more permit applications than anyone could conceive. In order to help alleviate that backlog, the Department of Environmental Protection is seeking funding for an additional 23 positions. The FHBA supports this funding request. This is just a small sample of the myriad of bills your FHBA team will be working on throughout session. Looking for a way to get involved? Be sure to finalize your plans to attend the 2022 FHBA Spring Legislative Conference January 24-26. Attendees at this conference will walk the halls of Florida’s Capitol, meeting with Legislators directly to discuss the important issues that affect your business.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR CONFERENCE
CLICK HERE TO JOIN ZOOM MEETING
GA Zoom calls resume on Thursdays at 4PM starting 1/13
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On-Demand Opportunities NAHB offers on-demand education through online courses and modules that are priced right and fit easily into your busy schedule. The on-demand course, Business Management for Building Professionals provides practical tips and tools for managing a business successfully. Learn critical elements from planning to evaluating progress. This course will give you a solid foundation for managing small- to medium – sized building/remodeling and service companies.
BuilderBooks Join our mission to help children everywhere Dream it. Be it. Built it. It’s up to us to build the next generation of skilled workers by education children about the exciting careers in home building. The House That She Built an inspirational book that educates young readers about the people and skills that go into building a home. One by one, they learn about the architect, framer, roofer and many more as they contribute their individual skills needed to complete the collective project—a new home. With illustrations that connect and empower and words that build upon each other with each page, this book will leave all kids excited about their own skills and interested in learning new ones. Supported by 84 Lumber and Andersen Windows and Doors. Proceeds benefit workforce development initiatives.
BizTools Do you want to gain a competitive edge? Check out NAHB’s Business Tools for members-only tips and management strategies to build your company, boost your marketing, and gain business know-how. These resources can also help you understand accounting practices and help identify and correct issues related to financial and accounting operations of managing a home building business.
Happy New Year! 2022 is filled with many opportunities to expand your knowledge, advance your career and build your skills.What better way to start the year than with IBS where you can access sessions that will cover the most important and innovative topics spanning the entire home building industry. Start learning today!
Live Online Courses NAHB Education has planned for another year of dynamic professional development opportunities. Offered in webinar format over consecutive days, online courses are an easy way to earn continuing education credits from NAHB and other organizations or complete your designation. Mark your calendar for these live online courses scheduled in March. Registration opens soon: Social Media Marketing for your Business (March 1, 8, 15) Construction Contracts and Law (March 3, 10, 17) Risk Management (March 22, 29) Diversification (March 24, 31)