Ditchmen • NUCA of Florida Ditchmen • June 2016 | Page 9

NUCA of Florida Gets Seat
on Construction Industry
Workforce Task Force
This past Legislative Session’s building code bill (HB 535) established the Construction
Industry Workforce Task Force (the Task Force), charged with evaluating the existing critical
shortage of trained individuals and developing a consensus path for training the next
generation of construction workers. Importantly, the Task Force includes a representative of
the National Utility Contractors Association of Florida. Kim Bryan, Petticoat-Schmitt will serve
as NUCA of Florida’s representative, and Tim Carmichael, Associated Construction Products
will serve as the alternate. Senator Travis Hutson (R-Palm Coast) and Rep. Dane Eagle
(R-Cape Coral), the sponsors of the legislation, will also serve on the Task Force.
Administered by the University of Florida M.E. Rinker, Sr., School of Construction
Management, the goals of the Construction Workforce Task Force, as laid out in the
legislation, include:
• Address the critical shortage of individuals trained in building construction and
inspection;
• Develop a consensus path for training the next generation of construction workers in
the state;
• Determine the causes for the current shortage of a trained construction industry
work force and address the impact of the shortages on the recovery of the real
estate market;
• Review current methods and resources available for construction training;
• Review the state of construction training available in K-12 schools; and,
• Address training issues relating to building code inspectors to increase the number
of qualified inspectors.
The Task Force will elect a chair from among its 22 members and must submit a final report to
the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
by February 1, 2017. The first meeting will occur July 27 at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee,
with a second meeting slated for October. The Task Force expires July 1, 2017. The full list of
the 22 members are as follows: Click here to view.

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JUNE 2016 • DITCHMEN

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