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Find Blog Articles for Florida’s Condo, HOA and the Management Industry.
Our schedule is filling up fast for storm drain cleanings, the rain that occurred yesterday was a preview of what summer will look like for your HOA community. Do not hesitate to act, summer rain is coming!
Contact us to talk to a Stormwater Specialist today!
Contact us at 954-382-9766 or info@allstatemanagement.com
Tags: Lake Management Articles
Coastal areas like South Florida have a unique need for concrete rehabilitation and protection services predominantly related to assessing structural damage.
SRI Consultants, we provide the highest level of expertise in assessing the state of aging structures and are committed to saving clients time and money by determining repair quantities during inspection. With over thirty-five years of experience, and a registered professional engineer in Florida & Virginia, the president and founder of SRI, Mr. Shirish “Raj”pathak, is a NACE Cathodic Protection Specialist. We have specialists in structural engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering and corrosion engineering at your disposal. The extra effort and attention to detail put forth by our team ensure you receive the highest quality services available to the industry.
We are dedicated to providing the highest level of expertise in assessing the state of aging structures. Our staff is committed to saving clients time and money by determining any repair quantities during inspection.
Creativity + Partnership. Our architectural services include new building design, remodeling, site planning, interior design, and historic renovation. We collaborate with independent architects to ensure the excellence of site plans, building design and finishes.
Technical Expertise. We are experts in our field with certifications from NACE and FL Board of Professional Engineers. Our team offers civil, environmental, structural and corrosion engineering services for single & multi-story structures, condos, hotel and motels, cooling towers and seawalls.
Comprehensive Solutions. Together, we have over 50 years of experience in structural rehab, offering a full range of integrated services including condition assessments, testing, specifications preparation, bid & permit prep and project management.
Precision + Innovation. We use the most advanced tools to identify concrete defects, assess steel corrosion, and locate moisture in structures. We offer remediation services to measurably extend the life of your investments.
We have specialists in structural engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering and corrosion engineering at your disposal. The extra effort and attention to detail put forth by our team ensure you receive the highest quality services available to the industry.
Mosquitos or Midges BUGGING you?
Tags: Lake Management Articles
Managing nuisance algae and aquatic weeds in your lake can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn how proactive management solutions can help improve lake health and create an ecosystem that is less likely to develop common water quality issues.
One of the biggest headaches lake and pond owners or managers face is nuisance growth of algae and aquatic weeds. Aquatic weeds and algae are an eyesore and a top complaint from stakeholders. People look forward to enjoying the water during the warmer months, but if nuisance growth is not prevented before spring, it may come to define your property all summer long. Poorly-maintained waterbodies can lead to disconnected communities, reduced property values, liability issues, and weak confidence in leadership.
Aquatic weeds and algae can be hard to eliminate as they are merely a symptom of more systemic water quality issues – in particular, a surplus of nutrients in the waterbody. Warm weather combined with excess nutrients can create imbalances that make lakes and ponds more susceptible to weeds and algae. These imbalances can be further exacerbated by depleted dissolved oxygen levels, poor circulation, and erosion.
A Reactive Strategy to Algae & Weed ControlNutrients commonly enter lakes and ponds through stormwater runoff that picks up pollutants, lawn clippings, animal waste, and eroded shoreline sediment. Nutrients are released as these materials break down. If these problems are allowed to continue for too long, property owners and managers will have to turn to more reactive solutions like mechanical harvesting or EPA-registered herbicides and algaecides to eliminate nuisance growth. Though they do not address the root cause, these are often the quickest and most cost-effective strategies to quickly remove nuisance growth, and introduce an annual management program from a “clean slate.”
A Proactive Approach to Algae & Weed ControlProactive management begins with in-depth water quality testing to identify water quality imbalances before they manifest. After establishing a baseline, professionals continue monitoring to spot changes and take action early on. Dissolved oxygen is essential to a healthy waterbody, so fountains and aerators are often the next step. Fountains circulate and oxygenate lakes and ponds from the surface, while submersed aerators pump oxygen-rich bubbles from the bottom. In tandem, they work to restore balance to the water column.
This is where shoreline management comes in. Native plants introduced around the water’s perimeter can help slow runoff and filter out pollutants. They also help contain soil along the bank to prevent erosion. If a shoreline is too impaired, bioengineering materials and techniques can be used to rebuild it for years of erosion protection.
“One of our lakes has been experiencing regular algae blooms and SOLitude’s biologist performed a comprehensive lake and water analysis to determine the cause of the problem. Recommendations were presented and the problem was resolved!”
Peter D., Community Manager
One of the most important questions property managers ask contractors is, “Are you a licensed contractor?” Why is it so important to know if a contractor is licensed and how do you discern a licensed contractor from an unlicensed contractor?
Let’s break this down. In Florida, contractors are required to have a license issued by the Construction Industry Board of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to legally operate their business throughout the state. Additionally, local building departments require an occupational license for businesses to legally perform construction services within their jurisdiction
Contractors must have special qualifications to acquire a license. Their processes and workmanship must meet specific industry standards. Licensure ensures that contractors know, and will follow, local laws and building codes.
How do you know if a contractor is licensed in the State of Florida?
Florida Statute 489 defines the requirements for all Florida-licensed contractors to legally perform contracting services in Florida. The Construction Industry Licensing Board of the DBPR is tasked with overseeing licensing. The Board regulates Florida’s construction industry, creating and enforcing rules for licensed contractors and processing licensing applications. The Board also addresses complaints against licensed contractors.
License numbers are assigned to contractors for different services they provide. For example, Beachfront’s general contractor license number is #CGC1531681. Our roofing license number is #CCC1333373. If ever in doubt, you can contact the DBPR at www.myfloridalicense.com for questions about your contractor and its licensing status. In fact, you can verify a license online given a company’s name, city or county, license number or license type. Additionally, you can contact the Florida Division of Financial Services (DFS) at www.myfloridacfo.com to confirm a contractor has all of its workers compensation insurance current.
Need another way to gauge a contractor’s licensing status? Observe its sales, marketing, and operations processes. Licensed contractors submit a legally binding estimate and contract for projects with their state license numbers attached. They have all of their sales and marketing pieces properly adorned with their company name and license information including, but not limited to, proposals, advertising, vehicle signage, and company uniforms. A licensed contractor’s staff typically work as W-2 employees and not as 1099 employees. Licensed contractors will submit for permits per Florida law for all work performed over $2,500.
What are the pros of hiring a licensed contractor?
First, a licensed contractor is vetted by the DBPR Construction Industry Board and is required to have all its workers’ compensation and general liability insurance to legally perform contracting services. Additionally, a licensed contractor must provide the DBPR with a bond, Federal Employment Identification Number (F-EIN) and credit reports for both personal and business financials to prove it is financially responsible.
Second, licensed contractors stand behind their work and issue a workmanship warranty, not only a limited material warranty. They are professional, executing projects to meet schedules on or under budget. Licensed contractors provide valuable references for customers, vendors and material suppliers. There are many pros to working with a licensed contractor, but one of the most important reasons is they can be held liable in a court of law for negligence, breach of contract or any other matter requiring a court’s authority to assist.
How can you spot unlicensed contractors?
It’s easy! Look at their bid estimates or contracts. If a contractor’s business name doesn’t match the exact business name as licensed by the DBPR, that’s a red flag that the contractor is unlicensed. If it can’t produce the correct state license information, occupational license information, workers compensation documents or associated employee names and employment information, so a customer can verify with the DBPR and DFS, the contractor is most likely unlicensed.
Here’s an example of how some unlicensed contractors operate:
XYZ Waterproofing & Painting, Inc. is a licensed general contractor with a main office in Tampa, Florida. XYZ Waterproofing & Painting, Inc. is also a licensed roofing contractor with an office in Ocala, Florida. Both services and offices are registered with the DBPR.
A new contractor, XYZ Painting & Waterproofing, LLC (notice the twist on the company name) opens an office in West Palm Beach, Florida and performs general contracting and roofing services. However, the LLC is not legally licensed by the DBPR Construction Industry Board. Because its name is so similar to the Inc., the LLC operates as if it “shares” the general contractor and roofing licenses across the general name of “XYZ.” In fact, it does not.
Unfortunately, contractors like XYZ Painting & Waterproofing, LLC operate without recourse until a savvy customer, attorney, permit office or consultant does some background work with the DBPR to unveil the illegal, fraudulent and unscrupulous business practices. Do not depend on your material vendors or suppliers to vet contractors because they are in the business of selling products not ensuring your contractor is actually licensed or not.
What are the pitfalls of using an unlicensed contractor?
First, contractors who do not meet the standards for licensure may not follow municipal building codes or may cut corners and deliver subpar work. In some instances, failure to follow building codes can result in issues with structural safety. At other times, a less-skilled contractor may perform tasks on the job site that void product warranties. In addition to decreasing the value of a property, bad workmanship often results in rework, wasting time and money.
In addition to rework, there are other financial consequences to hiring an unlicensed and/or uninsured contractor. If a contractor doesn’t have general liability insurance, its customer can be held responsible for any damages incurred during the course of a project on that customer’s or a neighbor’s property. For example, if you hire an unlicensed painting contractor and a painter accidentally sprays paint on a neighbor’s structure, then you are liable for damages to your neighbor’s structure. If an unlicensed contractor destroys power, sewer or water lines during the course of a project, that contractor’s customer is responsible to fix the power, sewer or water lines.
Similarly, if an unlicensed contractor doesn’t have workers’ compensation to cover its employees, a customer can be held responsible for any damages resulting from a workplace injury. If a roofer that works for an unlicensed contractor falls from the roof, the customer can be held responsible for all of the roofer’s medical bills as well as lost wages when the roofer is unable to work.
Unfortunately, being sued for damages or injuries for work performed by an unlicensed contractor is all too real. And there is limited legal recourse to the customer who knowingly hires an unlicensed contractor or allows a licensed contractor to use unlicensed subcontractors. In addition to financial responsibility for damages and injuries, customers can incur expensive legal fees trying to locate, serve and process any legal case against an unlicensed contractor and actually collect on any financial award ordered by a court.
Finally, Florida’s construction lien law allows some unpaid contractors, subcontractors, and materials suppliers to file liens against customer properties even if a customer has made payment for a project in full. What does that mean? In layman’s terms, if you pay your contractor and the contractor doesn’t pay its subs and suppliers, you can be liable to make additional payments to your contractor’s subs and suppliers. If you don’t, they can file a lien against you to secure payment.
Unlicensed contracting, depending on the situation, is often considered a felony in Florida. Where the crime occurs will dictate how it is handled. Yet not every county or city law enforcement agency handles unlicensed construction activity. All too often, a local law enforcement agency will defer victims to the DBPR to file a complaint. Unfortunately, as with most governmental agencies, DBPR’s law enforcement officers sometimes carry 200 to 300 cases per officer, so timeliness to follow up on a complaint is gravely diminished.
Special Notes: Unlicensed contracting is a serious problem throughout Florida. If you suspect unlicensed construction activity, please contact the DBPR. Rewards are available to individuals who identify an unlicensed contractor. Always have your attorney review every contract for construction work. Call references—material suppliers and previous customers—for any contractor you hire for construction work in Florida. A reputable and legally licensed contractor will have no problem with you doing this. There are many reasons to use a licensed contractor but none are more important than avoiding costly legal battles.
About Jim: Jim is a licensed Florida roofing contractor (CCC1329933) and Virginia roofing tradesman. Jim has over 20 years of general construction sales experience throughout Florida and specializes in liquid applied fluid systems for commercial, industrial and high-rise residential waterproofing and roofing systems. Jim is a Certified Applicator for brand-name manufacturers such as Sherwin Williams, GACO Western, HENRY, Tropical Roofing Products, Karnak, and Carlisle.
Tropical Depression Fred is expected to hit Florida this weekend. Learn what you can do to protect your lake & pond from damage.
Tropical Depression Fred has changed paths and is projected to hit Florida and reach its tropical storm status by Friday, August 13, 2021, as it moves over the warm water in the Gulf. With this path, the storm may also have an impact on Alabama and Georgia. Experts say Florida can expect substantial rains over the weekend.
The heavy rain and winds that will accompany this storm can have a significant impact on your property, including recreational lakes, stormwater ponds, and trophy fisheries. In addition to ensuring your family and home are safe and protected, there are steps you can take to make sure your waterbodies are prepared. Learn what you can do to protect your aquatic assets as Fred approaches Florida, Alabama, and Georgia.
If your property is affected by the storm, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local lake and pond management professional for support.
Hurricanes and strong storms don’t just affect your day-to-day lives; they can have a significant impact on your lake or pond as well. If you live in an area susceptible to tropical storms, you know the drill. You stock up on food and water, make sure any tree branches that may fall are trimmed, board up windows or put up hurricane shutters if necessary, and secure light yard decorations and furniture. While your home and fridge may be prepared for the storm, is your lake or pond? How about your floating fountain, aeration system, fish feeder, or other related items?
For stormwater ponds, inflow and outflow pipes should be inspected and any debris that has accumulated in and around the pipes should be cleared to allow proper water flow. This is a crucial step in ensuring you do not end up with a flooded yard or parking lot. Any objects near the water should be tied down or taken inside, as they can blow around and end up in the water causing a blockage in a pipe or making removal difficult.
If your lake or pond has a floating fountain, simply turn it off before heavy wind and rains start. All the electrical and mechanical components will weather the storm, but as water levels rise, anchors may move or anchor lines may break, and the float can move around. Storms can also wash debris into the water which can clog the impeller. If you notice a decrease in pattern size or hear a funny sound when you turn your fountain back on, leave it off until the necessary repairs can be performed.
If you utilize a fish feeder around your pond, the primary threat is flooding. When heavy rain is expected, make sure to empty the feeder and drag it to higher ground. While wind is less of a concern during typical storms, hurricane-force winds can topple a feeder. If you are able to, it is beneficial to move it to a safer structure to weather the storm.
The better you can prepare for the impending storm, the less likely you are to experience severe damage to your property. Once the storm has passed and conditions are deemed safe, it’s important to check your water resource and identify any areas of concern. Your lake management professional can assist with any storm-related issues that arise within your waterbody.
In the face of a hurricane, proactive efforts will help keep your mind on the things that matter most – the well-being of your family and loved ones. Stay safe!
Allstate Resource Management’s team of experts specializes in storm drain cleaning in Broward County and storm drain cleaning in South Florida. We will keep your stormwater systems and storm drains clean and operating properly and in compliance with government standards. Various government agencies in Florida have specific regulations regarding the maintenance of these complex systems. Non-compliance can result in fines and unnecessary expenses. We can help ensure that your stormwater systems are working effectively and comply with Florida’s regulation standards. Our team are experts at storm drain cleaning and will make sure your stormwater systems are working properly. Stormwater systems accomplish many vital functions. Their primary purpose is to prevent flooding by rapidly removing surface water. A properly functioning drainage system also helps to maintain water quality, capture pollutants and contributes to balancing Florida’s precious drinking water supply.
Commercial Fitness Products, a Florida based organization, has been serving the fitness needs of our customers nationwide for over 27 years. Our primary focus is Multi-Housing & Hospitality, as such, we stay current on the latest industry trends, and are able to share ideas on how we may equip or improve any community fitness center. We provide more than just equipment…our goal is to delight your residents & guests by providing them an exceptional fitness environment.
CFP’s team of experienced professionals are eager to assist you with prompt & courteous customer service. If you have any plans to add, change or upgrade your fitness amenity, we welcome the opportunity to work hard to earn your business.
The Corona pandemic has shaken up the fitness industry. Instead of the motto “higher, faster, further”, the future will see more health orientation, holistic offers and specialization in particular clientele such as risk groups. We present the seven most important fitness trends for the year 2021.
Fitness studios in Germany are in the middle of their second shutdown in the Corona year 2020, which has complex consequences – on the one hand, many fitness center operators fear for their existence with a cumulative loss for the industry of 460 million euros per lockdown month. On the other hand, many users (forcibly) reorient themselves and discover app and video training at home.
“The uncertainty in the industry is great. Many studios will not survive if the lockdown lasts much longer,” says Ralph Scholz. The head of the German Industry Association for Fitness and Health (DIFG) hopes that the fitness studios will be able to open again in January 2021 – that’s when most new members usually sign up with the Christmas kilos on their ribs.
The pandemic will massively change the fitness economy. This makes it all the more important for all players to set the right course for the future. These are the most important fitness trends identified for the year 2021.
Many people stay in shape during the lockdown period with running, walking, fitness exercises on their own or free digital services. Of these, a proud number of 73 percent intend to maintain this alternative training in the future. Although most fitness enthusiasts want to go back to the gym in the future, they place the condition that training is not associated with the risk of corona infection.
“The survey has shown that many people are concerned about having the highest possible standard of protection. It must therefore be in the studios’ own interest to ensure exactly that,” says Ralph Scholz in the ISPO interview. So the basic condition for studio operators in 2021 is to win back the confidence of fitness fans.
Over one million of the 11.6 million members in Germany in 2019 have quit their membership so far.
In the era of closed fitness studios, most sports and fitness fans have turned to online offers. Apps such as Freeletics, which use artificial intelligence (AI) to compile individual training offers for users, are particularly popular. “The main benefits for users are access to training planning, monitoring and even motivation at a fraction of the current cost, which means that many more people can be reached than ever before,” says Simon Alger, Lead Data Scientist at Freeletics, in an interview with ISPO.
Another example of the new digital trend: With the so-called peloton bike – a spinning bike with which you can connect with spinning fans around the world via the Internet – you can do your cardio training, for example, in virtual competition with many like-minded people around the globe.
The topic of outdoor fitness is gaining in importance precisely because of Corona: intensive training in particular is much less dangerous outside than indoors because of the draught. Fitness studios should therefore move more and more equipment and activities outside. This creates more safety for the users.
The experience of a pandemic, which is unique for everyone, has brought the topic of health into focus for many people much more than before. In principle, this is good for the fitness industry. Fitness strengthens the immune system. In fact it also needs the right and safe offers to do so.
Whether it’s in media use, buying behavior or travel: individualization is advancing in all areas of life. This also applies, of course, to the fitness wishes of the clientele. Whether Beer Yoga, fastest possible self-optimization through high intensity training or the new workout trend Glide Fit: differentiated and target group-oriented training is mandatory.
All-round fitness studios will continue to exist. Nevertheless boutique and micro studios with tailor-made offers are attracting more and more customers. In these difficult times, specialisation can also be financially attractive for fitness studios. Scholz: “The interesting thing is that the more special you are, the more money you can demand from customers.”
For corona risk groups and senior citizens, health and fitness are just as important as for the rest of the population. This makes seniors a core target group that must be wooed with special offers and training opportunities. This can range from individual training sessions or workouts in small training groups to special premises and digital offers for risk-free training at home.
The trend towards topics such as yoga, mental training or Pilates already existed before Corona. But it has been intensified by the pandemic. More and more people want to combine physical training with mental relaxation.
This desire is triggered not only by job-related stress, also by the strenuous homeschooling with children or financial and health fears in connection with the pandemic. “We must therefore also strengthen the sport psychological level in our offers”, demands Ralph Scholz.
Rather go to the gym to train on workout devices or jog outside? For many fitness freaks this used to be a real question of faith. The Corona period, including the closure of the studios, has accelerated the resolution of this either/or situation. Many equipment fans move to alternative indoor and outdoor offers, apps included.
“In the perception of the end consumer, this belongs together, if only because of the many new apps and wearables. That is why it is also important to develop holistic offers. In a sense, the gym is the pilot in this process,” says Scholz.
reproduced by: https://www.ispo.com/en/trends/seven-most-important-fitness-trends-year-2021 sent to us by Commercial Fitness Equipment.
Tags: Common Area Issues, Fitness Rooms Articles, Management News
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