The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District Florida settled its allegations against a Central Florida contractor accused of violating the Small Business Administration’s regulations by allegedly creating a sham joint venture to be awarded a project.

Each year, hurricane season presents a challenge to contractors and developers along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts as they face the risk of impacts from significant weather.  Hurricanes Michael, Irma, Harvey and Florence are only the most recent reminders of how devastating one of these storms can be.  With the construction industry being as active as it is, projects in storm-prone areas should be prepared to deal with and minimize the physical and financial risks that come along with these storms. 

The City of St. Petersburg, Florida is one of the latest municipalities to incorporate the concepts of sustainable construction, sometimes referred to as "green building", into the requirements of their municipal code.  On April 26, 2019, the City adopted Ordinance No. 359-H; which requires City-owned buildings over 5,000 square feet, which are either existing and being substantially modified or are being newly constructed, to achieve a rating of LEED Gold from the U.S. Green Building Council.  

Construction contracts often contain agreements requiring mediation before a party may file a lawsuit.  However, a party may not want to wait through the mediation process and instead may prefer to go straight to a lawsuit.  Given that mediation is not binding and does not guarantee a resolution, can a party ignore a contractual agreement to mediate and instead go right to litigation?  A recent Kentucky federal court decision said no, a party cannot ignore a previous contractual agreement to mediate. See Mitsui Mumitomo Insurance USA, Inc.