Airite Air Conditioning - Gulf Trace Elementary

Airite Air Conditioning took ABC staff members on a tour of Gulf Trace Elementary School in Pasco County. Gulf Trace, will become one of the first schools in Florida, and the first in Pasco County, to win certification as environmentally sensitive from the U.S. Green Building Council. Creative Contractors, the general contractors, are working to ensure the school opens in January.

Gov. Martinez Talks Politics at September Meeting

Gov. Bob Martinez provided ABC members with a lesson in politics during our September Membership Meeting. Over 150 people turned out to hear Martinez speak about Hometown Democracy and the 2008 Presidential Elections. ABC also welcomed members of our University of Florida Student Chapter. Click here to see the photos.

Grand Central at Kennedy

The Tampa Division of Tri-City Electrical Contractors, Inc. completed work at The Grand Central at Kennedy, a new 1.4-million-square-foot mixed-use development in downtown Tampa, under its contract with Hardin Construction Company. Featuring two high-rise towers with spectacular views of downtown Tampa, the Channel District and historic Ybor City, the project included 392 luxury residence units, 125,000 square feet of retail space, 55,000 square feet of office space, and 1,350 parking spaces.

Construction Outlook

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) sees the decline in employment in today's report as an indication that the sagging housing market and the turmoil in the credit and financial markets are beginning to affect the wider economy, as well as the nonresidential construction segment, where signs of weakness are beginning to emerge. On the brighter side, the average hourly earnings increased to $17.50 and are up 3.9 percent over the past 12 months. This is expected to support a moderate pace of consumer spending over the near-term. For more information, check out the Construction Economic Homepage.