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Hot Issues

Congressional Visits Scheduled for April 30th
Early next week, HBA leaders travel to Washington, DC for the NAHB Spring Legislative Conference.  On Wednesday, April 30th, Association leadership will meet one-on-one with Central Florida’s Congressmen to advocate industry legislation including a Homebuyer Tax Credit, expansion of the Mortgage Revenue Bond Program, FHA Modernization, and GSE reform.

Legislative Visits Have Impact
Shortly after HBA leaders returned to Orlando from the State Capitol, the Senate Growth Management Bill was unveiled and included language addressing several of our local Association’s priorities.  This is clear evidence our local HBA leaders made a positive impact in their recent legislative visits. Please be sure to thank our members who made the trip to Tallahassee.

HBA Leaders Meet with Area Legislators
After traveling to Florida's Capitol in early April, Association leaders met one-on-one with Central Florida legislators to advocate industry legislation in the 2008 Legislative Session.  The top issues covered included Affordable Housing, Building Code/Energy Code, Growth Management/Impact Fees, Onsite and Springshed Protection, and Property Tax Reform.  The message Association leaders conveyed included:

Message to Legislators on Affordable Housing

With the Legislature in need of $3 billion to balance the budget, the Sadowski Act funds are being eyed as a target.  The available Sadowski Act funds should be used for their intended purpose, affordable housing.  This fund has already contributed $96 million to general revenue due to the effects of the cap.  Please use these funds solely for affordable housing.

Building Code/Energy Code Message to Legislators

The state needs to adopt the International Energy Conservation Code as an alternative to the existing Florida Energy Code.  However, mandates to increase the energy code must be accompanied by a true cost benefit analysis for the homeowner to benefit.

Growth Management/Impact Fees Message to Legislators

Changes need to be made to the Growth Management Act that address transportation concurrency, school concurrency and impact fees that will result in a less burdensome process.  Further changes to impact fees should include burden of proof and benefit tests.  In addition, new development must not be charged for the cost of existing facility deficits.

Onsite and Springshed Protection Message to Legislators

The homebuilding industry supports the provisions in Representative Bryan Nelson’s HB 975 relating to Onsite and Springshed Protection.  There should not be any expansion of complex costly performance-based septic tank treatment systems until a study is completed.

Property Tax Reform Message to Legislators

Property tax reform continues to be one of the Home Builders Association’s top issues.  We thank the House members for supporting legislation by Representative David Simmons and we strongly urge the Senate members to adopt this legislation.

 

Priority Legislation Moves Forward
The Florida Legislature has just completed week four of the 2008 Legislative Session and one of the Association’s seven priority issues- Onsite and Springshed Protection- has cleared an important legislative hurtle.  The House Environmental Protection Committee unanimously approved the important onsite wastewater treatment system bill HB 975.

To address efforts by state agencies to mandate the installation of expensive, untested, septic systems that could add up to $20,000 to the cost of new homes in areas like the Wekiva Basin, Apopka’s Rep. Bryan Nelson filed HB 975.  Supported by the HBA, this legislation would require the Florida Department of Health to conduct a study to evaluate sewage systems, provide regular inspections of these systems, and establish a grants program offsetting the cost of the systems to low-income property owners.

Background Information
These unproven systems result in unnecessary financial burdens on homeowners and most likely actually adversely affect Florida’s environment and water resources. The Association supports the continued use of conventional septic tank systems that provide an environmentally friendly and cost-effective sewage disposal method for homes that can’t be reasonably served by community sewer systems. In addition, the HBA also supports more cost-effective passive technologies to address the minimal nitrogen affects of conventional septic tank systems.

Let Us Vote Is Half Way There
On Monday, Let Us Vote turned in over 25,000 signed petitions, about half the number needed to get the elected school board chairman decision in front of voters on the August primary election ballot.  If successful, Orange County voters would decide whether or not to add an additional school board member that would be elected countywide and serve as Chairman.

Orange County Rolls Out The Green Carpet
On Tuesday, March 4th, the Orange County Commission approved a plan to streamline the permitting process for development projects, which incorporate recognized green building standards.  No specific threshold was established to receive the expedited service, as county officials desire flexibility in rewarding green builders and developers for what they are able to fit in.

City of Kissimmee Will Host Public Input Meeting Regarding Proposed C.R.A.O. Design Manual

The City of Kissimmee Development Services Planning Division will host a public input meeting regarding the proposed City of Kissimmee Design Manual for the Community Redevelopment Agency Overlay (C.R.A.O.) District. The meeting will be held on Monday, March 3 in the Commission Chambers of Kissimmee City Hall located at 101 N. Church Street in Kissimmee.

Design professionals, such as engineers, architects, planners, etc., are encouraged to attend from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Business owners, residents and real estate brokers are encouraged to attend from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Osceola Discards School Impact Fee Study

Osceola County Public Schools has decided to discard a school impact fee study recently done by Henderson, Young and Associates.  After reviewing the Association’s concerns regarding the study’s data, the School District’s Assistant Superintendent explained, “we believe it's best not to implement it at this point mainly because the data is old and trends have changed."

 

The updated School Impact Fee ordinance will move forward without a fee increase, although some revisions are expected such as moving collection of the fee from CO to permitting

BUILD-PAC Suspends Contributions to Congressional Candidates
On February 12th, the National Association of Home Builders’ Political Action Committee, BUILD-PAC, and its 150-member Board of Trustees representing all 50 states, agreed to cease all approvals and disbursements of BUILD-PAC contributions to federal congressional candidates and their PACs until further notice. 

The President of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Brian Catalde, said, “This extraordinary action was taken because the NAHB BUILD-PAC Board of Trustees felt that over the past six months Congress and the Administration have not adequately addressed the underlying economic issues that would help to stabilize the housing sector and keep the economy moving forward. Housing and related industries account for more than 16 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.  More needs to be done to jump-start housing and ensure the economy does not fall into a recession. This action will remain in effect until further notice.”

Hometown Democracy Derailed
On February 1st, we won a major victorywhen the Division of Elections announced that the Hometown Democracy Amendment had not qualified for the 2008 ballot, falling short by 65,000 signatures.  By rallying our membership and raising the necessary funds, the HBA and other coalition organizations successfully derailed Hometown Democracy in 2008, avoiding a massively expensive presidential election year battle.  In addition, we have helped build a formidable campaign organization that will go on to defeat the amendment in 2010.

School Board Says Yes to FISH Capacity
At their January 28th work session, the Orange County School Board decided to go with the Stakeholders Committee recommendation to use FISH* capacity, not to exceed core, as the method of measuring school capacity for concurrency purposes. In addition, board members were very amiable to the Association’s request to provide the data and underlying assumptions upon which the school concurrency process is based, once it has been complied by OCPS staff. Association leaders applauded these actions by the school board.

* NOTE: The Florida Inventory of School House (FISH) Capacity is the official statewide measure of capacity and is considered by many as more objective and less prone to manipulation.

Voters Say Yes to Amendment 1
The passage of Amendment 1 will do the following:

• Allow homesteaders to transfer up to $500,000 of their Save Our Homes benefit to another home,
• Increase the homestead exemption for residential property that applies to all tax levies except schools,
• Create a new $25,000 tax exemption on tangible personal property for businesses, which mostly means office equipment, and
• Limit future assessment increases on non-homesteaded property to 10 percent, excluding school taxes.
  

New Orange County School Impact Fee Rate Effective January 28, 2008
In two weeks, the revised Orange County School Impact Fee rate takes effect. The $4,829 fee increase (from $7,000 to $11,829 for SFR) will be applied to any building permit issued on or after January 28, 2008. Please note that the last business day for the old School Impact Fee rate will be Friday, January 25th.

Brainstorming with Congressman Mica
At a January roundtable discussion, HBA leaders spent well over an hour with Congressman John Mica brainstorming on how the federal government could help reinvigorate the housing industry. Ideas discussed included FHA modernization, allowing GSEs into the jumbo market, and new homebuyer tax credits. Congressman Mica promised to do his best to make sure housing and homebuilding are addressed in any economic stimulus package Congress moves forward.

New Law Improves Energy Efficiency
The Energy Independence and Security Act, recently signed into law by President Bush, will affect the home building industry with its inclusion of renewable energy and green building provisions. According to a summary of the bill provided by Energy Priorities magazine, the legislation improves the efficiency requirements of consumer appliances such as dishwashers, clothes washers, and refrigerators, and requires the implementation of energy-efficient lighting.

Title X of the Act details the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Worker Training Program developed to create a workforce of "green collar" laborers skilled in the installation and maintenance of solar equipment. Funding to support research for advanced energy technologies, including marine renewable energy, geothermal energy, and hydrogen energy will be made available.