2020 has certainly been a tragic year, a tragic year for the economy and a tragic year for the many families impacted by illness and job loss. I’ve had people say to me, please stop saying we are “all in this together”, but we are all in this together. The pain of families who experience illness and loss from the virus is felt by all of us, by now I suspect we all know someone personally. We all play a part in getting through this, getting past this and getting to the point where we remember with sadness the year that was 2020.

Yet, through it all, fortunately, the local contracting industry has continued working and kept the local economy strong and kept employees working. Those workers in turn purchased take out dinners for their families, bought lunch during the work day, purchased clothing for their children to return to school. So, to get to the point I’m making, these workers kept the engine of the local economy running.

According to a recent article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, construction of multifamily homes hit an all time high in 2018 and then dipped in 2019, but has since rebounded with 612 permits as of June of this year.

The article further went on to state, “Sarasota County also experienced an 80.7% increase in the number of new commercial permits in fiscal year 2020 compared to the previous year. The estimated construction value of fiscal year 2020’s permits also increased by 54% with a total value of $100 million”. That is $100 million invested in the local community. That investment means real jobs for real people both during construction and long term in those commercial properties. Those jobs keep our community strong during difficult times and sustainable long into the future. In order for a community to thrive, it must grow. This commercial growth will help our community weather future downturns, but in the meantime the construction industry has helped keep countless number of businesses, municipal government employees and countless ancillary businesses afloat during the current crisis.

So, yes we are all in this together and as an industry we have focused on keeping employees working and supporting local businesses whenever and however possible. At GCBX we have encouraged our members to shop at local establishments, get take out or safely dine at local restaurants and buy materials as much as possible from local businesses. We are a local trade association, so our mantra of “Members Doing Business with Members” means investment in the local economy that helps all of us.

We look forward to the day that our community is completely and safely “open for business” once again. That everyone who has lost a job is gainfully employed again and anyone looking for work can find it. Too many families have been devastated financially. Which brings me to my second point in this article, which is Amendment 2, the ballot initiative on the November ballot that seeks to increase the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. Now, I must say that initially I personally didn’t think this was an issue for the Commercial Contracting Industry to weigh in on since average wages in the industry are over $15.00/hour. I just don’t think as an industry we have to swing at every pitch, but I have to say I have changed my mind over the past few months. My mother taught me that timing is important in life and I have come to realize the time for this amendment just isn’t right. Local restaurants have been some of the hardest hit businesses and now hitting them with this type of wage increase will be the final nail in the coffin for many and many more jobs will be lost. Additionally, according to those in the restaurant and lodging industry, servers wages with tips already exceeds $15.00 per hour. The economy and families will take a long time to recover from the pandemic and the resulting price increases from this initiative will only exacerbate the situation. So, frankly for so many reasons the timing of this Amendment just isn’t right. Lets get people back to work. Let businesses get back on their feet. Lets work together to recover and rebuild. At GCBX we have decided to Vote No on Amendment 2 and we encourage you to also Vote No.