The federal government is partnering with the state of Florida to rout out contractors who are participating in a worker misclassification scheme. By classifying permanent employees as independent contractors, companies have been avoiding withholding income tax or filing payroll taxes for these workers. These contractors also gain an unfair advantage of 20% or more in [...]
Two weeks ago, Jeff and Sarah Reich flew to Haiti on an immersion trip to learn about the charitable work being done there by the Haitian Timoun Foundation. Timoun is Haitian for “child”. Sarah was a big hit with the young children in the schools we visited. Traveling with a group of 19 from various [...]
Fans that attended this years Daytona 500 watched it from the middle of a complex construction project. A project that is changing the track's front-stretch grandstand area into what officials call a "motorsports stadium". The new grandstands in Turn 1 opened a new high-rise view of the speedway for the first time in 500 history. The [...]
Kim and Cheryl have been doing bonding workshops all over the state. The goal of their presentation is to educate and clear up some common misconceptions of bonding. Most recently, they were invited to speak at a government-to-business workshop put on by the Procurement Officials of Lake County. The Procurement Officials are a group of public sector [...]
According to TINYpluse's 2015 Best Industry Ranking Report, the Construction and Facility service workers are the happiest employees. This report is is compiled by anonymous one-question survey's from over 30,000 employees in 12 distinct industries. The construction industry—both residential and commercial—is definitely bouncing back from a recession low in 2010. Over the last 4 years it has made [...]
Keep your eyes peeled for the Academy Award-nominated documentary, Last Days in Vietnam. The film is set during the final days of the Vietnam War, as the North Vietnamese Army advanced on Saigon. Through personal interviews and never before seen footage, it documents the heroic actions of Americans who arranged for the evacuation of their [...]
The day that most people have been dreading is just days away. The Florida DOT is expected to issue it's Notice to Proceed in early February, which will mark the start of construction. The $2.3 billion, 21-mile renovation of Interstate 4 will affect thousands of commuters, including myself. However, it also creating about 64,000 jobs and [...]
Ron Roberts, known as "The Contractor's Business Coach" recently wrote an article that covers one of the biggest challenges that small contractors face while trying to grow their business.....the need to trust others. According to the article, most people who start a construction firm are independent and considered entrepreneurs. However, as the business grows, they can [...]
Since the devastating 2004/2005 hurricane season, Floridians have had to pay an additional tax on their insurance policies to help pay off damage from strong storms. This tax percentage of 1.3% was included on Surety Bonds as well. After nearly a decade, as of January 1st, Floridians are no longer forced to pay the [...]
It's our favorite time of year! Although the Florida Surety Bonds team makes an effort throughout the year to give back to the community, as we all know, it's even more important during the holidays. This year, we were happy to make another contribution to Habitat for Humanity of Seminole County. Last year our contribution [...]