The Importance of Final Inspections

Transcription

1 Walter Jenkins Retires Walter Jenkins Retires FLORIDA KEYS CONTRACTOR S ASSOCIATION INSIDE THIS ISSUE: V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 4 J U N E, FKCA Dinner Dance 2 New Members 3 Forest Tek Trip New Electrical Inspector Inspection Requests Advertising Rates The Importance of Final Inspections At the last hearing of the Contractors Examining Board (CEB) held on May 22, 2007 three contractors were brought before the board for failing to get a final inspection. It is in the code. The permit holder is required to call for a final inspection. It is recommended that you also follow up and verify that the inspection was performed and that it passed. This is now a relatively simple matter with Monroe County and the City of Marathon as they both have websites with permit status. There are many reasons to get your finals, but, from a contractors point of view it is a liability issue. can t send your secretary to the CEB hearing in your place. Your FKCA with input from the CEB is working towards getting the various building departments to give the permit holder a 10 day or so notice that his permit is about to expire and has not yet had a final inspection. This would give the holder a chance to either extend the permit or get a final. In the case of an expired permit on work that was not covered up and that can be visually verified by the inspector we are asking that a fee be charged and a final inspection be performed. Next Meeting 7 Membership 7 Application Contact Us 8 One of the cases that came before the CEB involved work done by the homeowner after the contractor had completed his work. There was some illegal work done that the homeowner did without benefit of a permit. Since the contractor never called for his final, guess who got blamed for the illegal work? The contractor had to explain all this before the CEB, however, it could have all been avoided if he would have called for his final inspection. Contractors want to have proof that they performed their work up to code, completed it per plans, and had the building department inspect it. It is the building departments responsibility to protect the general public from substandard work and this is why we have permits and inspections. This is primarily a paperwork issue for the contractors office personnel, BUT the qualifier is responsible for all actions and you There is no point in taking up the CEB S time with minor paperwork errors such as this. What is important is that the work was done properly and has received an approved inspection. All parties want compliance with the rules. All contractors should implement a system for their final inspections. Print out a copy of the web page showing the passed final and put it in the customers file for every job. It is a whole lot easier and profitable to call and verify your finals than to let some get by without a final and have to pay an additional fee, spend additional time at the building department, repost the permit and have to explain to your customer why he doesn t have a final on his property. The more efficient we are the less the building department will have to do and that in turn will make the building department more efficient so that we can get our permits faster and be even more profit- Contractors Examining Board Meeting Report The report on results of the May 22, 2007 hearing will be in next month s newsletter. This is due to computer problems with the equipment that transposes the minutes of the hearing into a report that we use for the newsletter.

2 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 PAGE 2 FKCA Dinner Dance ***LAST REMINDER*** The 19 th Annual Florida Keys Contractors Association Fundraiser Dinner Dance and Cocktail party will be June 16, 2007 at the Sombrero Country Club. Dinner Jackets are required. Your tax deductible donation will be $85.00 per ticket There will be Fabulous Food, Live Entertainment by Cool Breeze, Door Prizes and Raffles. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 pm and Dinner will be served at 7:30 pm Tickets are still available through all directors and officers or Contact Brenda at or for further information. Hope to see you there!

3 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 PAGE 3 New Members Welcome We welcome all new members into our organization by acknowledging them in our newsletter with a brief description of what services and products they offer. This month we welcome Atlantic Davits and Boatlifts, Keys Construction Services, Inc. and Florida Keys Truss, Inc. Atlantic Davits and Boatlifts Partners Jim and John took over the business in 2006 with the objective of continuing the Atlantic Davits fine reputation for quality products, and expanding the scope of repair and maintenance services offered to Keys residents and contractors. Since acquiring the business, Jim and John have expanded maintenance services to all of the keys. John's wife Julia will soon be opening a showroom called the Dock Shop showcasing premium dock accessories for residents and contractors. The Dock Shop will be the Keys distributor of a number of high-end, innovative products including dock lighting, power stations, ladders, fish cleaning stations and bumpers. The Dock Shop at Overseas Highway will open Friday, June 8 th with a pre-grand Opening for contractors at 6:30pm please join them for a sneak preview and refreshments. The grand opening for the public will be June 9, 2007 at 9:00 am. Keys Construction Services, Inc. We are a General Contractor specializing in single family residences throughout the Florida Keys. Keys Construction Services was established in 2002 and is locally owned and operated. Florida Keys Truss, Inc. Kathy C. Eastman, President, Florida Keys Truss, Inc. has lived in Marathon for 37 years. Florida Keys Truss began services in the 1950 s. Kathy was the General Manager of the Florida Keys Truss for 22 years and bought the business in Dec., General Manager/Designer: Joe Holiman Administrative Assistant: Stacy L. Holiman Type of Business: Manufacturer of wood floor and roof trusses, even the most difficult jobs. Area Served: anywhere in the Florida Keys What is Unique about our Business: We are the only truss company in the Florida Keys; we are located in the Middle Keys and easily accessible from Key Largo to Key West. We do everything from the designing and engineering of your floor and roof trusses to a complete package including the layout and hold downs with Simpson Strong- Tie products, which makes it easier for you on the installation of the trusses. We use the highest quality lumber; ranging from select structural to #1 dense for chords and webs. We are always here to assist you in person along the way, whether you re a contractor or an owner builder, from start to finish. We stand behind our trusses and service with 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We have recently lowered our prices but not our quality to help our local community. We welcome all new members with a brief description of services and products offered. Forest Tek Trip The 12th Annual Forest Tek Lumber Customer Appreciation Trip recently took place in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The Paradisus Palma Real Resort was a fabulous 5 day retreat! Accommodations and excursions were once again First Class! A special thanks to Bruce, Allen, and the Forest Tek Gang for another extraordinary experience. We look forward to next year! Special Note: Our President, Rudy Krause, was temporarily missing in the Dominican Republic. A special thanks to Nicky Lee of David Lee Roofing for asking "WHERE'S RUDY?".

4 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 PAGE 4 New Electrical Inspector Per a conversation with Joe Paskalik, Monroe County Building Official on May 11, 2007, in approximately 2 to 3 weeks Monroe County should have a new Electrical Inspector for the Lower Keys. This is great news, since there hasn t been a full time Electrical Inspector in the Lower Keys since Walt Jenkins retired. Currently the Lower Keys has been having electrical inspections only 2-3 days a week, using Upper Keys inspectors and Joe Paskalik himself filling in. The new inspector should make daily electrical inspections available again in the Lower Keys. Inspection Requests Effective May 21, 2007 all inspection requests, through the Monroe County Building Department must be made prior to 7:00 am for the inspection to be scheduled for that day. Any requests received after 7:00 am will be inspected the following day.

5 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 PAGE 5 Who needs a GFI breaker, I've got rubber insoles!

6 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 PAGE 6 Advertising in the FKCA Hotline is available to all members Business card size Ad - $14.59 per month ¼ page ad - $25.00 per month ½ page ad - $47.92 per month

7 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 PAGE 7 Next Meeting The next members meeting will be Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 12:00 pm in Key Colony Beach at the Cabana Breezes Restaurant, 401 East Ocean Drive. Bob Welch, Building Official for the City of Marathon has been rescheduled to be our guest speaker for July after having to cancel in April. Andrew Trivette, acting Growth Management Division Director will also be a guest speaker at the July meeting

8 Florida Keys Contractor s Association For information, please contact the FKCA at: P.O. Box Marathon Shores, FL Tel We re on the web at: Our Board of Directors President Mr. Rudy G. Krause, Vice President Mr. Murray Shatt, Secretary Mr. John Esslinger, Treasurer Ms. Mickee Brown, Directors Mr. Bob Hilson, Mr. Glenn Hewlett, Mr. Bruce McClenithan, Mr. Jeff Ryder, Life Directors Mr. James Aultman, Mr. Dale Baker, Mr. William J.C. Devitt, Mr. David Tuttle, FKCA P.O. Box Marathon Shores, FL