Message from the President
To the ACEC Florida Community,

Happy 2023! I hope you all had a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday break for at least a little time over the past few weeks. As we begin the new year and our business commitments come back into the forefront of our minds, it’s time for us to re-focus on the priorities our companies and organizations plan to concentrate on this year. 

For ACEC Florida, January means springtime in Tallahassee and the imminent start of the new legislative session. Several issues we’re tracking this session include:

  • Strengthening the existing buildings inspection program passed into law as Senate Bill 4-D last year.

  • Possible changes to the law around liability protections for engineers.

  • Working with FDOT to pass legislation allowing the use of progressive (phased) design-build for project procurement.

In addition to these issues, there are sure to be others that ACEC Florida will be ready to address and defend when necessary. If you’re interested in any of these issues or the legislative process in general, please consider joining us in Tallahassee for the Professional Engineers Legislative Days on March 21 and 22, 2023. You’ll have the opportunity to meet several of our key partners in the legislature and explain to your local legislators why these issues matter to engineers. I barely knew who the state senator for my district was until I visited Senator Darryl Rouson in his Tallahassee office as part of PE Legislative Days. I’m now very aware of who my local representatives are and whom to contact when the issues I care about are at stake. This will be an excellent opportunity to become more aware of the lawmaking process and the players involved.

As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, ACEC Florida is working with FES and our other partner engineering organizations to publish the new Engineering Florida quarterly magazine beginning in Q1 2023. This will be a fantastic opportunity for all our members to see what our partner organizations are focused on and for the public to gain insight into the important engineering issues facing our state. 

Another focus area for 2023 will be updating our membership database and looking for ways to connect with leaders within ACEC Florida member firms beyond the lone firm Principal assigned as the voting representative for each firm. Having a single point of contact works well for many of our single-owner and smaller-sized firm members but often not for the larger firms with offices across the state or the nation. Does your firm have several offices across the state with multiple leaders looking to contribute to your company’s betterment? I encourage you to nominate them to one of the ACEC Florida committees that fits best with your firm’s practice and help them to get involved. Our organization is the most effective when we all participate!
2023 is sure to throw more at us than we expect at the year’s start. I hope you have your goals planned for this year and are as ready to tackle them as I am!

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
Upcoming FES/ACEC Florida Events
FDOTConnect
Training Labs
 
January 26, 2023
 
February 15-16, 2023
 
February 17, 2023
Hyatt Regency Orlando
 
March 10, 2023
DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando
For a complete listing of event details, please visit our Community Calendar.
FES /ACEC Florida News
FES & ACEC Florida Invite You To The State of Florida Land Development & Home Building & the Outlook for 2023
The ACEC Florida Land Development Committee invites FES and ACEC Florida members to attend the January meeting with guest speaker Steve Kempton, PE, Florida Area President for Taylor Morrison, who will be speaking on the state of Florida land development, home building, and the outlook for 2023.
 
Steve Kempton joined Taylor Morrison in 2007 and oversees the company’s Florida markets, including Fort Myers, Naples, Jacksonville, Orlando, Sarasota, Port St. Lucie, and Tampa. In April 2015, he served as the Florida Regional President, where he managed more than 50 communities, before becoming the Florida Area President in 2018. 

When: January 18, 2023
Time: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Microsoft Teams
 
Join on your computer or mobile app
Or call in (audio only)
Phone Conference ID: 915 947 237#
 
Questions? Contact Laura Heiselman, Director of Government & Political Affairs, at lheiselman@fleng.org.
2023 FDOT|ACEC Florida PM Conference
Rescheduled to April 10-11, 2023

Network with industry leaders and your peers at the inaugural FDOT|ACEC Florida Project Management Conference,at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, on April 10-11, 2023.

Sponsorships are available.

Sponsorship Deadline: March 3, 2023
2023 GMEC Vendor Registration is Now Open

FES|ACEC-FL is hosting the 2023 GMEC Conference, April 5-7, 2023, at the Rosen Plaza Orlando. The theme of this year's conference is "Emergency Response Projects." Meet with top geotechnical engineering executives by sponsoring or exhibiting at the conference!
 
As a sponsor or an exhibitor, your company has the opportunity to meet with potential clients and gain valuable recognition before and throughout the conference.
 
Vendor Registration Deadline: March 10, 2023
Engineering Florida Podcast 

Stay tuned...a new podcast is coming soon that will introduce Florida to some interesting people and topics that highlight the engineering industry and all the positive contributions engineers make in our state!
FELI Class of 2023 Donates to First Responders Over the Holidays
 
The FELI Class of 2023 donated $6,000 to one of their class projects, Operation BBQ Relief, to help during the holiday season. Operation BBQ Relief delivers the healing power of BBQ in times of need, feeding first responders and communities affected by natural disasters along with year-round efforts to fight hunger through The Always Serving Project® and Camp OBR™ programs.
 
For more information on Operation BBQ Relief, click here.
ACEC Florida Awards
Take advantage of the opportunity to gain recognition for your firm and other individuals important to your business. ACEC Florida encourages your nominations for the following awards programs:

Larry Madrid GMEC Award
Deadline for Submission: February 24, 2023

ACEC Young Professional of the Year Award
Deadline for Submission: Florida Deadline - April 21, 2023

A.W. Gilchrist Award
Deadline for submission: April 28, 2023

Professional Development Award
Deadline for submission: April 28, 2023

ACEC Community Service Award
Deadline for Submission: Florida Deadline - June 2, 2023
2023 ACEC Florida
Outstanding Project Awards

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida) annually recognizes outstanding achievements by its member firms in accomplishing Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) studies and projects with the Outstanding Project Awards (OPA).
 
Firms are nominated for awards in seven project award categories including:
Outstanding Major Project
 
Outstanding Design-Build or CM at Risk Project
 
Outstanding Roadway Project
 
Outstanding Bridge Project
 
Outstanding PD&E / Planning Project
 
Outstanding Environmental Project
 
Outstanding Special Project
 
To be considered for an outstanding project award, transportation projects must have been included in FDOT’s 5-Year Work Program and must have been completed between January 1 and December 31, 2022.
 
Completed nomination forms and fees are due by March 10, 2023.
Legislative News
2023 Professional Engineers Legislative Days
 
Registration is now open for the 2023 Professional Engineers Legislative Days.
 This is the foremost legislative event for Florida's engineering industry. It offers professional engineers the opportunity to promote and defend key issues at the Capitol. During this event, you will have a chance to meet your Legislators, visit the Capitol, and network with your fellow engineers.
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.
Gallentine Wins Fitbit
Supporting ACEC/PAC

Congratulations to Tracey Gallentine, Business Development Director, for McKim & Creed, for winning a “Fitbit Sense 2” as a part of ACEC Florida's last chance sweepstakes to help the ACEC/PAC reach its 2022 goal.

Lobbyists play a crucial role in shaping legislation, as do our elected legislators, which is where the ACEC/PAC comes in. Please consider donating during in 2023 to support candidates who understand the engineering profession.
ACEC National
2021-2022 ACEC Annual Report
Other News
CEI & Contractor Open House
 
Join Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency and the Office of Economic Vitality for an Open House on January 19, 2023, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm, to learn more about a $70M roadway/bridge project in Leon County, Florida, where CEI and Construction Services for early 2023 will be solicited.
 
 
You can learn more about the project at their website, BlueprintIA.org, or the project website, NEGateway.com.
Hires & Promotions
Baez Joins Hanson’s Orlando Regional Office as Mechanical Designer

Maria Baez, mechanical designer, recently joined Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Orlando regional office. She will assist with designing mechanical and plumbing systems for a variety of facilities.

Baez has 10 years of experience in computer-aided design, most recently as a freelancer for projects in the mechanical, electrical, architectural and civil fields. She received an associate degree in building construction technology from Valencia College and is a member of the International Code Council.
COWI Third Avenue Bridge Project Makes the "Top 10 Bridges" List by Roads and Bridges Magazine

With improvements such as replacing the deck, cap beams and spandrel columns and major repairs to the piers and arches, the historic Third Avenue Bridge located in downtown Minneapolis, spanning the Mississippi River has been named one of the Top 10 Bridge projects by the Roads & Bridges magazine.

The construction engineering work began in 2019 including re-decking and rehabilitation while preserving the beloved bridge’s historic design elements according to the National Historic Preservation Act.

The Third Avenue Bridge – originally named the St. Anthony Falls Bridge - opened in 1918 and has since provided a critical river crossing for vehicles, horse-carriages, bicycles, and pedestrians.
Gonzalez Appointed to FBPE by Governor

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed James Gonzalez to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE). Gonzalez, an attorney, is a co-founder of Cobb & Gonzalez P.A.

In 2015, he was commissioned as a reservist in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He currently serves as the licensing co-chair for the Real Property and Construction Law Section of The Florida Bar.

Gonzalez received a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of South Florida and a master’s degree and law degree from Villanova University.
Send us news to post here of your firms' hires, promotions, or any other firm news. Email Stacey Butler at sbutler@fleng.org.