March 2021
Association News
First off, we are happy to have opened registration for the 2021 Florida Asphalt Convention. This year we will be in Naples. Aside from the first complete, in-person meeting of the Florida Asphalt Industry, we will be hearing from great speakers and recognizing the best projects of the last year. There will also be time set aside for networking and relaxation. The Summer Convention is only open to our Members and certain guests. If you have any questions or are interested in attending and are not a member, please contact our office.
This March is the largest Asphalt FDOT letting we have seen in over a year. This trend will hopefully continue for a while. The FDOT is planning on increasing funding for resurfacing from $774MM in 20-21 to $997MM and $1.2BN in 21-22 and 22-23 respectively. We believe this needed to keep Florida's high ways in good order. There has been plenty of research done analyzing the efficacy of FDOT spending, and it's generally accepted that the State generates anywhere from $4 to $8 per one dollar spent on transportation.
The Pavement Award Application process has ended. This year we received 59 total pavements for consideration, which is the most in the Association's history. The projects are now being rated by the FDOT. Winners will be announced at the 2021 Florida Asphalt Convention.
It's also scholarship season. Last year our program distributed $17,000 to incoming college students. These scholarships are based on merit and interest in the Asphalt Industry and are open to anyone getting ready to attend college or trade school. So feel free to forward this to any future road builder you may know. Applications are due April 1st, but if these students are anything like I was back then, I would tell them the due date is a few days earlier than it really is.
Key Dates
News You Can Use
With President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus bill now making its way to the Senate, analysts from investment giant Goldman Sachs laid out their expectations for his forthcoming infrastructure spending initiative—the second phase of his ambitious plan to revitalize the American economy.
Source: Forbes
Mixing waste rubber from scrap tires into asphalt binder is one way to make pavement more environmentally friendly. Researchers are working to make asphalt concrete and road paving more sustainable.
Source: Chemical & Engineering News
As industrial took off in 2020, so did new construction in Florida markets. In many of those areas, completions have reached historic levels. In the second half of 2020, large-scale speculative construction projects or expansions at existing industrial parks were announced in multiple Florida markets, according to Cushman and Wakefield’s “Florida Industrial Construction” report.
Source: GlobeSt.com
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.9% on a monthly basis in January 2021 but is down 5% since January 2020, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $799.1 billion for the month. Source: Construction Dive
Bulk message marketing is growing, including SMS message that has opening rates of 98 percent. They’re almost always read, and if you use the right copy they can drive response in a way that other media can only dream of.
Source: TNW
Governor Ron DeSantis delivered his annual State of the State address Tuesday morning during the first day of the state’s 2021 legislative session in Tallahassee. Click above to read his full speech.
Source: CBS Miami
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Member News

Nielson, Hoover & Company and other ACAF, Inc. members exhibited and attended the recent FTBA Construction Conference. Thank you to FTBA for organizing the event!

Photo credit: Nielson, Hoover & Company

CWR Contracting is working hard on the SR 10 (US 90) improvement project in Walton County, FL. The contract is with the Florida Department of Transportation and will see improvements such as the construction of a signal with mast arms at the intersection of SR 285 and SR 10, milling and resurfacing of SR 10 through the intersection, and more.

Photo credit: FDOT