Political Advocacy
ABC Central Florida
2023 Ways to get Involved with government affairs
- Join us in Tallahassee January 17-18, 2024 for the Legislative Conference. For more information go to abceastcoast.com/events
- Save the date for ABC of Florida's State Convention, July , 2024.
- Attend the ABC Legislative Hobnob on March 23, 2024, at Harry P. Leu Gardens
- To get involved in the ABC Government Affairs Committee, contact Taylor Dupree at tdupree@abccentralflorida.org
- Take Action – during session, we will be sending Action Alerts to you, asking that you help us contact legislators in support or opposition to upcoming votes. The more people who “Take Action” when we ask, the better we do at conveying the importance of the topic to the industry and Florida. The 2024 regular legislative session convenes on January 9 and runs until March 8.
ABC is Florida’s largest professional management association of commercial, industrial and institutional general contractors, specialty contractors, associates and suppliers.
Ranked by the U.S. Congress among the most influential organizations in the country, ABC was founded on and remains committed to our three-fold mission of safety and skills training, government and political affairs, and business development.
Current Florida Issues
2023 Legislative Priorities
The Legislative Agenda for ABC of Florida is determined by you - our members - during our annual Legislative Planning Conference as part of the Summer State Convention. Members from all five chapters vet issues, debate priorities, and then vote on specific bill or legislative efforts we will champion.
Public Owners
ABC will work to ensure public entities are not limiting who can bid on projects by imposing project regulations that favor the few over the many. Also, to make sure public owners pay in a timely fashion to ensure that companies are not put out of business simply trying to run their business. Additionally, to make sure that the regulations imposed are consistent and predictable so that companies know well in advance of submitting a bid, what the expectations for the projects are.
Building Departments
Permit fee schedules should be clearly posted and easy to determine. They should not be subjective or based on things that have nothing to do with the level of service required during the duration of a project. Revenues and revenue surpluses should be reasonable and where they are not, fees should be reduced, or services should be dramatically improved.
Chapter 558 – Construction Defects
ABC will work in tandem with fellow industry partners to secure critical reforms to cut back on abuse of this process.
Workforce Education and Apprenticeship Training
Despite the great work with the DeSantis Administration to highlight the importance of strong workforce education offerings in Florida, there is always room for improvement. Funding needs to be increased and needs to be offered in separate silos for workforce education programs and apprenticeship training. Grant funding should also be made available to sustain or expand existing programs, and not simply just to start new ones. ABC will work to ensure that college credits are automatic and not left to the discretion of individual schools. ABC will also request a repeat of the “Tool Time Tax Holiday” and will work with guidance counselors to ensure that information on industry job offerings becomes a constant in Florida K-12 Schools.
Tort Reform Measures
Florida is often referred to as one of the most litigious states in the nation. This has been seen with property insurance, where Florida accounts for roughly 8% of total property insurance policies nationwide but 78% of insurance lawsuits nationally. ABC supports the legislature taking a full and comprehensive look at identifying ways to decrease the litigious atmosphere of Florida so that residents and taxpayers are not ultimately left footing the bill for these lawsuits.
CONTACT YOUr legislators
Find your Florida House Member
Find your Florida Senator
Contact Governor Ron DeSantis
Track Bills in Florida
National Government Affairs
National Legislative Issues
National Grassroots Team
ABC’s Lobbying Team:
Tallahassee
Carol Bowen, ABC Chief Lobbyist
3730 Coconut Creek Parkway, Suite 200
Coconut Creek, FL 33066
cbowen@abceastflorida.com
Additional ABC Lobbyists
Robert Stuart
Chris Carmody
GrayRobinson
Find ABC Chapters across the nation here.
Visit the ABC of Florida website for more information.