Lisa Pate, FRSA Executive Director
At the end of March, FRSA held its third annual Roofing Day in Tallahassee, where a small group of members visited the Capitol to speak with legislators. The event mirrored NRCA’s successful Roofing Day in D.C. Spearheaded by Governmental Affairs Committee Chairs, Ralph Davis, Streamline Roofing & Construction Inc., Tallahassee and Tammy Hall, CFS Roofing Services LLC, Ft. Myers and organized by FRSA Legislative Counsel, Chris Dawson, the group held several successful meetings over the three-day event.
With the legislative session only a week in, some of the topics we addressed were just being presented to members of the legislature and were new to our group as well. Chris was able to schedule meetings with several key legislators who focused on business, education, building codes, workers’ comp and contractor fraud.
In order to cover as many meetings as possible, attendees broke into two groups. Meetings were held with Representatives Taylor Yarkosky, Dan Daley, Tom Fabricio, Jennifer Canady, Griff Griffitts, James Buchanan and Mike Redondo. Senators included Tom Leek, Stan McClain and Kristen Arrington. Top legislative priorities for the team included:
■ Supporting HB 715 and SB 1076 – Roof-to-Wall Connections – which has since passed both the House and Senate and is headed to the Governor to sign. If signed by the Governor, it will allow roofing contractors to perform roof-to-wall connections when reroofing. Currently, that function is outside the scope of a roofing contractor’s license. The bills also clarify the length of a State of Emergency for roof repair contract cancellation window available to consumers and limits the amount of time up to 180 days following the triggering event. Meaning that even if the Governor extends a State of Emergency, the cancellation contract language will only be required for 180 days per qualifying event.
■ Advocating for Protecting Consumer Choice and asking for support to keep asphalt shingles an approved roofing system. All roofing systems that meet the rigor of the Florida Building Code should be available to consumers without undue market influence from Tallahassee (Office of Insurance Regulations Commissioner Yaworsky). Premature roof tear-offs should be avoided to promote long-lasting, resilient roof systems of all types. Homeowners should be incentivized to invest in resilient roofing systems without fear of an arbitrary life span being imposed.
■ Support for HB 681 and SB 1458 – Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Program Funding. Early exposure to career opportunities in the trades will help students evaluate all postsecondary and career planning options. CTE dollars should be delivered in a student-first model, cutting down on bureaucratic waste.
■ Support for HB 1461 and SB 1452 – DBPR to Provide True Oversight of Employee Leasing Companies.
The meetings were all very productive and the team had the opportunity to provide additional language for consideration on some bills. Chris was able to keep us on task, focused and on time – no small feat. Special thanks to our sponsors
Eagle Roofing Products and the Southwest Roofing Florida Roofing Contractors Association (SWFRCA) for underwriting the expense.
Next Article