Chairman’s Update
Amplifying Our Voice During Trying Times
A.J. DEMOYA THE DEMOYA GROUP
Note: As this message is heading to press, our state and nation face another great challenge with social and race relations. A single action of an officer and the tragic death of George Floyd has ignited the flames in society and has led to nationwide protests and riots in major cities. My belief is that we need to restore pride in our country among the young and disenfranchised. We are all Americans first, and we need to unite as one America.
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his year has brought so many challenges for all of us. Our businesses have changed, our personal lives have changed, and the world we live in certainly has changed. The word “pivot” has been used so much that it has become a cliché way to describe how we made this pandemic challenge workable – both for our businesses and at home. Months of social distancing, virtual meetings/schooling, and an economic roller coaster forced us all to change normal routines and cope with something we have not experienced in our lifetimes. What most impressed me during this time was an incredible spirit of teamwork and knowledge sharing. Once again, our association established itself as an incredibly valuable resource, immediately scheduling webinars and posting checklists, SBA relief options, CDC and OSHA updates and more on www.ftba.com. Our state also made great teamwork strides when Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped representatives of so many industries – from printing to professional sports to education – to be part of his Re-Open Florida Task Force. I was fortunate to be part of the Task Force’s Tourism, Construction, Real Estate, Recreation, Retail and Transportation Industry Working Group as FTBA’s representative. What an experience. So many individuals within our industry provided information and ideas that I was able to contribute to the task force. It was a great opportunity to represent our industry and our state.
On our behalf, some of the constructionspecific challenges and recommendations to the Task Force were: 1. How do we keep our construction workforce working? With many private sector projects shut down or cancelled, contractors and their employees are facing extreme pressure. Our construction workforce was decimated during the recession 10 years ago, and many workers never returned to the industry. We cannot afford to lose those workers again, particularly with the state’s accelerating population growth. The Governor and FDOT understood this dilemma and have kept our industry working as essential businesses. 2. What can FDOT do to maintain employment for construction workers? FDOT implemented a workforce development program to encourage contractors to hire and train workers impacted by COVID-19. Moving forward, we recommend that FDOT use bid finance to accelerate projects in the five-year work program and issue short-term financing and debt (such as issuance of Garvee Bonds, Right-of-Way and Bridge Bonds). Florida can’t rely on the federal government and must act locally to keep our economy going. 3. How does the government promote work rather than unemployment? Tax savings and/or incentives must be provided for people to return to work and employers that continue to maintain their workforce.
This practice is much more economical for the government in the long run and better for society. Currently, a laid-off minimum wage worker earns $830 a week with state and federal unemployment programs. This wage is more than the starting pay for FHP officers and most teachers in Florida. We must promote that laid-off workers return to work. 4. How do we rebound quickly from COVID-19 and allow businesses get back to work without the risk of frivolous lawsuits? Florida should pass legislation that protects our businesses from frivolous COVID-19 lawsuits. Many employers are not comfortable bringing workers back – especially into large office buildings – not due to safety, because we are following proper protocols, but due to liability issues. There must be protections in place for businesses to resume operations and get our economy back to 100 percent. As an industry and an association, we are grateful that Gov. DeSantis accelerated timelines on roadbuilding projects throughout the state. I also am personally thankful for the work of so many fellow FTBA members and industry colleagues who worked together to keep us and our workforce safe, secure and thriving during these challenging times. As we move into the second half of 2020, we all must remember that everyone is working diligently to do the right thing. Not just for our industry, but for our state. WWW.FTBA.COM
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