Greater Florida, based in Orlando, pro- vided an extensive list of legislative wins in Tallahassee including, among others: • Preserving “pay-when-paid” clauses — “AGC has successfully fought off numerous attempts to abolish “pay-when-paid” clauses, which would ultimately require the contractor to guarantee the pay- ment of all subs, suppliers, etc., regardless of whether the owner ever pays the contract. • Reducing the “statute of repose” — “In the recent past, contractors could be sued for up to 15 years after a Florida construction project was completed. AGC successfully passed legislation to reduce Florida’s 15-year liability period down to10 years, and efforts are now under way to reduce its period even further. • Preserving retainage — “AGC has repeatedly fended off efforts to place statutory caps on retainage or force ‘line-item’ release of re- tainage.” These political initiatives combine with training and educational re- sources, notably the association’s partnership with the BIMForum (see separate stories). However, Anaya DePotter in West Palm Beach believes the greatest membership value across the board and the one common denominator to all categories of membership relates to business development. “We have a multitude of ways for our members to connect and network and stay visible to one another through the years to strengthen their existing relationships with one an- other or build new ones,” she said. “There is great value in that, which is consistently conveyed back to me through testimonials.” Local speakers and events com- bine the education and advocacy op- portunities with some entertainment and social opportunities. “We currently have a speaker scheduled to discuss the I-4 Improve- ment project in Orlando, ACE mentor- ing in Jacksonville, and Robert Bishop, the dean of the College of Engineering for the University of South Florida (USF) will be speaking to our group in Tampa,” said Wrobel. Other events are happening in the East Coast and South Florida chap- ters, and you can learn more at their respective websites. The Orlando-based chapter has weathered some challenging eco- nomic conditions, says past chapter president Cady Pope, director of busi- ness development at Roger B. Kennedy, Inc., in Altamonte Springs. The Florida chapters faced severe strains in the economic recession, but things were especially challenging in central Florida, when “we started los- ing many, many members – and mem- bership dwindled to the point where the chapter faced default,” Pope said. For a time, there were virtually no events or chapter activities. The national AGC office stepped in to help, taking over the chapter’s re- sponsibilities, and membership has been rebounding. Pope says the chap- ter hopes to regain local autonomy in the next couple of years, perhaps by merging with the South Florida chap- ter years. He says he is happy to see the re- covery, noting the benefits in AGC’s advocacy, education and networking. “Everyone I’ve met throughout the or- ganization are top notch, blue-chip type people,” and there’s much oppor- tunity to share information and ideas. For more information, you can con- nect with the relevant Florida AGC chapter: AGC of Greater Florida – A Division of AGCA Orlando, FL Phone: (407) 439-0336 Website: agcgreaterflorida.build Florida East Coast Chapter – AGC West Palm Beach, FL Phone: (561) 833-3609 Fax: (561) 833-6024 Website: www.agcfla.com South Florida Chapter – AGC Sunrise, FL Phone: (954) 693-9322 Fax: (954) 382-5748 Website: www.sfagc.org See more at: www.agc.org/connect/chapters Florida Construction News — SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 – 19