BH 735 – Update Lee County

Good Afternoon,

The FMCA has received confirmation “1” Specialty Marine Contractor license has been extended to 6/30/23 by the Lee County License Division. We have inquired if the extension applies to all of the Specialty Marine Contractors or just the “1”. If it does not apply to all, we have inquired about how we should request an extension for the remaining Lee County licensed Specialty Marine Contractors. Update to membership will be provided upon receipt of response from Lee County.

If you are licensed in Hillsborough County or any other county that is sunsetting the licenses prior to 6/30/23, please reach out to the licensing department of that county. If you know of any other counties sunsetting their licenses, please let us know.

HB 735 Update

While attending a Republican Women’s Club of Duval Federated event, I had the opportunity to speak with Representative Fischer regarding HB 735 and the unintended consequences. Rep Fischer was on the committee for the bill and was surprised when I advised him about the numerous counties that are sunsetting their licenses and closing their local county licensing divisions. I submitted an outline to his staff yesterday, as well as, documentation from several of the county websites. We are awaiting a response, but he did agree that was not the intent of the bill, but rather to deregulate licensing requirements on “Occupational” types of licenses such as painting, interior trim carpentry, etc. and not to impact Building Contractor (technical/structural) or Tradesmen.

The Board is in the final stages of contracting with a Consulting firm to lobby on our behalf regarding this issue and several others. Please attend the EXPO on October 7th & 8th for discussions about where we are headed with the lobbying and provide suggestions on what is impacting your company.

I will be speaking at the Construction Industry Licensing Officials Association (CLOAF) on May 13th regarding the bill and the unintended consequences. I will update the membership with any feed back I receive from the meeting.

Stay tuned folks, looks like we maybe gaining some traction!!

FMCA Expo & Annual Meeting 2022 10/7 & 10/8- Registration is open!

Dear Membership,

Registration is open! The FMCA Expo & Annual Meeting will be held at The Shores Resort & Spa on October 7th & 8th, 2022. Please update your calendar’s, prior announcements had the incorrect date.

Please go to www.myfmca.org to register. We are very fortunate to have locked in rates in 2019 and hotel rooms are only $179.++ per night with self parking fee waived. 10% discount on all spa appointments booked before the event, so book your appointment today! It is a great location with a very quaint environment right on the ocean. Relaxing, family friendly and would definitely qualify as a working vacation.

We are finalizing speakers for the workshops, but as always will have new topics and great information to help you operate in this “bizarre environment” we are wading through now. 1)Electrical shock in the water, how to ground your boatlift, dock, ladders and prevent injuries. 2) Marine engineering, docks, cranes & davits – weight & overload. The remainder workshops to be announced.

The Board looks forward to providing updates on the latest successes and where we are going from here.

See you soon!!!

Kelly White
Executive Director

HB735 – Governor’s Letter

Dear Membership,

Your board has drafted a letter to the Governor outlining the negative impact HB735 has had on our locally licensed Specialty Marine Contractors. We have spoken with a lobbyist that has confidence they can work with the Governor’s office to rectify the licensing situation that HB735 has caused. We know specifically that Lee County is allowing all county licenses to sunset on 9/1/22, in addition to some other counties.

Since we are a non-profit association, we do not generate large amounts of income, therefore, we may need to increase annual dues to help offset the cost of a lobbyist, however it will provide the Association with a better foot hold on legislative issues that impact our membership.

We will also be calling on our membership in the near future for donations to help cover the one time cost associated with HB735.

Please spread the word with your local Specialty Marine Contractors in your area. If they are not a member, they should be a member as we are working to help them as well. The more legitimate Marine Contractor Members we have, the stronger/louder our voice is.

Any questions, call Kelly White 904-553-5189!

EXPO planning is underway!

We are looking for sponsors! Last year: Keys Deck & Sock Supply was our Grand Sponsor and their contribution really made the event a success! We really appreciate the support.

Registration will be live Monday April 18, 2022. Keep an eye out for the link to register for the event. You will be able to register for the hotel rooms after you have completed the event registration.

We have a lot going on and will have lined up some great workshops already.

Any questions, reach out to Kelly White 904-553-5189!

Looking forward to seeing everyone again and maybe some new faces too.