DeSantis appoints 7 individuals to Construction Industry Licensing Board

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed seven individuals to the Construction Industry Licensing Board, he said in an Aug. 13 statement. In detail, here are details about the appointees: Ted Feaster Feaster, of Ocala, is a licensed general contractor and owner of Feasterco Construction, a company he started in 1986.... Continue reading

Commercial construction management firm Firmo Construction says it is expanding from its Sarasota headquarters to southwest Florida, with a new office in downtown Fort Myers. “With the expansion of our team to more than double its size and an increase of projects over the past year, as well as the... Continue reading

Margaritaville Beach Resort Fort Myers Beach celebrated its groundbreaking on Aug. 13 Put on by the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce and Fort Myers Beach Friends of the Arts, the celebration included the DeAngelis Diamond project team, developers, local and regional business, political leaders, and Margaritaville supporters, the construction... Continue reading

Artificial Intelligence construction technology start-up Togal.ai says it will enter the marketplace in September. “Following months of beta testing and sampling by more than two dozen general contractors and trade partners, Togal offers software that revolutionizes the estimating process in construction,” the company said in an Aug. 16 statement. “We... Continue reading

NorthMarq says it has co-ordinated a $34.23 million construction loan and secured an additional $10.6 million in preferred equity for a 288-unit multifamily project in Charlotte. Swiftwater Apartments is a Class-A suburban, garden-style apartment community scheduled to be delivered in mid-2023. The site plan approval issued last year indicates the... Continue reading

Amazon says it will bring a new 630,000 sq. ft. robotic fulfillment center to Leon County, based on a $200 million investment. “Amazon’s project is a once-in-a-generation economic development opportunity for the entire community,” Leon County Commission Chairman Rick Minor said. “Amazon’s investment in Florida’s Capital County will be transformative.... Continue reading

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) reports that its Construction Backlog Indicator remained unchanged at 8.5 months in July, according to an ABC member survey conducted July 20-Aug. 2, up 0.7 months from July 2020. ABC’s Construction Confidence Index readings for sales, profit margins and staffing levels all fell modestly in... Continue reading

Florida Construction News staff writer With bipartisan support, and over the objections of former President Donald Trump, the US Senate has passed a long-awaited and sweeping, $1 trillion infrastructure bill. The legislation that cleared the Senate on Aug. 10 now needs to be approved by the House of Representatives. About... Continue reading

Allegiant Travel Company says construction will resume this month on its $510-million Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor resort in southwestern Florida. The company suspended the project’s construction in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its outsized impact on the travel and hospitality industries. Published reports indicate the project’s general... Continue reading

Demand for different types of construction continued to diverge in June as residential construction increased for the month and the year while nonresidential construction spending fell again, according to a new analysis of federal construction spending data the Associated General Contractors of America released on Aug. 2. Officials noted the... Continue reading