ACEC Florida Update - October 2022

Message from the President

To the ACEC Florida Community,

This month – first and foremost – I hope all of you reading this stayed safe, unharmed, and un-damaged by Hurricane Ian that came ashore in Lee County a couple of weeks ago. My area in Tampa Bay escaped the worst of the damage, but many places in Southwest and Central Florida continue to be affected.

When disasters strike, people in our industry ask, what can we, as engineers do? Many have already made an impact over the past few weeks:

Over 1,000 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams were on the ground in southwest Florida days after the storm. These teams included structural specialists to confirm the soundness of damaged structures.

Drone teams from FSU and FAMU were dispatched to Cape Coral and Naples the day after the storm to quickly assess where the USAR teams were most needed.

FDOT dispatched 100 engineers to inspect bridges and over 1,300 workers to clear roadways.

Much will still need to be done to rebuild, and there may be an opportunity for the ACEC community to do more. Structural engineers will play a key role in helping ensure the safety of impacted structures, so we're encouraging structural engineers who want to assist in the storm-ravaged counties to register with the Disaster Contractors Network (DCN).

Founded in part by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the DCN connects homeowners seeking contractors and building professionals to licensed contractors and engineers providing those services. This is a free service that has been connecting homeowners to building professionals for nearly 20 years to help protect homeowners from fraudulent contractors and building schemes. If you're interested in offering these services, log onto DCNOnline.org, click the "Supplier" section, then select "Other Services." You'll want to list your structural engineering services in this section, including your license information, contact information, and counties where you provide your services.

The home repair work to come, however, is dwarfed by the overall damage from Hurricane Ian, which is projected to be in the tens of billions of dollars. Most Florida homeowners know firsthand that property insurance policies typically have large deductibles for windstorm damage and don't cover flood damage without a separate policy (the insurance industry knows that the most significant risks of loss in the state are high winds and flooding). In the counties that were evacuated prior to Ian, less than 20% of homes had flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program. That number rises to 47% for homes located inside the floodplain, but there are sure to be many left without coverage for the damage done to their properties by Ian. However, this is not the first disaster Florida has faced, and those with major insurance losses are instigators for change.

When Hurricane Andrew swept through South Florida in 1992, the damage it caused broke all records for insurance losses (estimated to be $26 billion) and resulted in what has been billed as the worst insurance crisis in Florida's history. In response, a commission was appointed to review and modernize Florida's building code system, which at the time was a complex patchwork of local codes and regulations administered and enforced by 400 local jurisdictions and state agencies. The changes recommended by the commission resulted in the first statewide minimum standard building code, the Florida Building Code (FBC), which first went into effect in 2002. Today the FBC remains enforced by local governments, is updated every three years by the Florida Building Commission, and is known as one of the strongest building codes in the country.

Not everything in Ian's path was decimated. Buildings designed to the FBC fared much better than the older buildings and mobile homes scattered throughout Florida. Punta Gorda, which is just north of Ft. Myers and at the mouth of the Peace River, fared better than many areas around it. This is not a coincidence, as much of Punta Gorda needed to be rebuilt to the newer building codes after Hurricane Charley hit hard in 2004.

A little further to the east, developments like Babcock Ranch (a community designed by ACEC Florida member firm Kimley Horn) not only survived the winds with its homes built to the FBC but did not flood or lose power or internet. Babcock Ranch was specifically designed to be resilient during storms like Ian. It is located 30 miles inland to avoid storm surges, all power lines are located underground, retaining ponds surround the development, and the streets are designed to flood, so the buildings don't. It's also powered by a 650,000-panel photovoltaic solar array over 870 acres so that the development keeps power if a local grid goes down.

So, what changes will we adopt in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian?

The most devastating damage was to the homes and infrastructure on the barrier islands of Sanibel, Pine Island, and Ft. Myers Beach, where roads, bridges, and water supply mains were washed out by storm surge. Looking at Sanibel Island, which has 6,500 residents and was described as "uninhabitable" by its mayor after Ian, the island averages only 3 feet above sea level and is not a stranger to major storm damage. A hurricane in 1921 split Sanibel and Captiva into two separate islands, and another in 1926 wiped out all agriculture on the islands. The City of Sanibel notes that in the last 150 years, 20 hurricanes have passed within 75 miles of Sanibel Island, "each of which posed a significant threat to property and lives on the island." That threat is only increasing as climate change makes tropical storms more frequent and severe.

As those who had their lives upended and property destroyed look to rebuild after Hurricane Ian, we have the opportunity to do it smarter with heavy consideration of the real environmental hazards we face by living in Florida. The FBC is the means to keep our buildings secure from the wind, but we need to be more intentional about designing to withstand or adapt to flooding from the lakes, rivers, and oceans surrounding us. If we can't or won't…maybe we shouldn't build there.

Yours truly,

Scott D. Martin, P.E., LEED AP / Principal

Project Director

Design-Build Market Leader

Walter P Moore

201 East Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 700

Tampa, Florida 33602-5823

813.275.8112 p / 727.642.6212 c

smartin@walterpmoore.com / www.walterpmoore.com

ACEC-FL Strategic Plan

Upcoming ACEC Florida Events

Region 2 Event: FDOT District 2 Innovations

When: October 27, 2022

Time: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Where: Depot Event Space

FDOT Project Management Conference

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event originally scheduled for November 7-8, 2022, has been postponed.

Information regarding new dates for the conference will be available soon.

Refunds will be available once the new dates have been selected. If you would like a refund at that time, please send your request via email to Madison Whittington-Baschoff at mwhittington-baschoff@fleng.org.

Click here to see all events on the calendar.

Other News from ACEC Florida

Please Join ACEC Florida for the 2023

Engineering Excellence Awards Banquet

Friday, February 17, 2023

6:00 - 9:30 pm

Hyatt Regency Orlando, 9801 International Drive

Formal Attire - Black Tie Optional

Pricing

Single ticket - $250

Table of 8 - $1,800

Buy Tickets

EEA Sponsorships Are

Still Available

Sponsor the 2023 Engineering Excellence Awards at the formal, black-tie banquet on Friday, February 17, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.

Sponsorship Levels*:

Diamond - $6,000

Platinum - $4,500

Gold - $3,000

Silver - $2,000

*See brochure for details on sponsorship benefits.

2023 Directory Advertising Deadline Extended

We have extended the deadline to advertise in the FES and ACEC Florida 2023 Annual Directories to

TODAY, Friday, October 14, 2022!

Prime locations such as the inside front covers and inside back covers are still available!

Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your company to over two thousand Florida-based engineers and firms!

Contract & Artwork Due: Friday, October 14, 2022

Download a printable 2023 Advertising Contract by clicking here.

Purchase Ad

Disaster Contractors Network

ACEC Florida is proud to be doing its part helping our neighbors in Southwest Florida recover and rebuild after Hurricane Ian. Structural engineers will play a key role in helping ensure the safety of impacted structures, and that’s why we’re encouraging structural engineers who want to help in the storm-ravaged counties to register with the Disaster Contractors Network (DCN).

Founded in part by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the DCN connects homeowners seeking contractors and building professionals to licensed contractors and engineers providing those services.

This is a free service, it’s been connecting homeowners to building professionals for nearly 20 years, and it helps protect homeowners from fraudulent contractors and building schemes.

If you’re interested, log onto DCNOnline.org, click the “Supplier” section, then select “Other Services.” You’ll want to list your structural engineering services in this section, include your license information, contact information, and counties you provide your services in.

Thank you for doing your part to help Florida recover.

Larry Madrid passed away in June 2021. An active member for over 12 years, Larry served on the Transportation Committee and served as Chair of the GMEC Committee. The GMEC Executive Committee has named the GMEC Award after Larry to honor his legacy and impact on the profession of engineering.

The Larry Madrid GMEC Award Recipient for 2023 will be recognized at the 2023 GMEC Conference. Please join us April 5-7, 2023, at the Rosen Plaza Orlando. More details to follow.

Nomination Deadline: February 24, 2023

2023 Larry Madrid GMEC Award Criteria

Click here to read the Florida Board of Professional Engineers

2022 October Quarterly Connection.

Legislative News

Please Join Our Weekly Legislative Update Calls

FES and ACEC Florida invite our members to participate in weekly Legislative Update calls via Microsoft Teams that will be held each Friday morning during the 2023 Legislative Session beginning March 10th, 2023, and concluding

May 12th, 2023.

The general bills update calls begin at 8:30 am, and the environmental bills update calls begin at 9:30 am.

Microsoft Teams*

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 227 121 867 635

Passcode: ADqdEp

Or call in (audio only)

+1 850-583-5442,,832132922# United States, Tallahassee

Phone Conference ID: 832 132 922#

*Please note this is the same link that will be used throughout the series.

We appreciate your interest in engaging on these issues!

Questions? Email Laura Heiselman at lheiselman@fleng.org.

Invest in the Engineering Profession

In order to be competitive in an increasingly uncertain climate, it is critical that the members of FES and ACEC Florida participate in the political process through meaningful PAC engagement. Donors enjoy a host of benefits throughout the year including access to special events, donor acknowledgment gifts and recognition.

Ways to Give - Those interested in supporting our efforts to advance the goals of engineers and engineering firms may do so in the following ways:

Supports candidates for STATE office who support the needs and goals of engineers and engineering firms.

Contributions are disseminated at the discretion of the PAC Board, FES and ACEC Florida

Supports candidates for STATE office who support the needs and goals of engineers and engineering firms.

Donors direct how their funds are disseminated

Supports candidates for FEDERAL office who support the needs and goals of engineers and engineering firms.

These funds are managed and disseminated by the ACEC/PAC out of Washington, D.C.

How do I participate? FES|ACEC Florida is a unique organization in that we have members who are both individual engineers as well as members that are engineering firms. With that in mind, a dual-track approach has been implemented, each having its own levels of investments with corresponding benefits.

If you are interested in FEPAC or CELC, please contact Laura Heiselman, Director of Government and Political Affairs at lheiselman@fleng.org or 850.980.1238.

Donate Now

ACEC Florida CCNA Letter Campaign

ACEC Florida directs an educational letter campaign to educate public entities regarding the Consultant's Competitive Negotiation Act (CCNA). This campaign is driven by ACEC Florida members who anonymously send Request for Proposal (RFP) to headquarters. This method ensures that the government agency does not know which firm filed the complaint. ACEC Florida staff in return corresponds with government officials in an effort to educate them on the CCNA law and encourages them to amend their RFP process. This has been a successful program and we encourage all members to participate.

If you see an RFP that may be violating the CCNA law, please email Allen Douglas. If a member firm or licensed engineer within a member firm knowingly violates CCNA, ACEC Florida believes you may be in violation of Chapter 61G15, rules and regulations.