Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 11

24 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 opportunities in our state to plan and build out new communities for new residents to live here. “We did experience delays in shipments building materials, as well as cost increases, however, a lot of the fallout in community development can be mitigated to an extent because you sign contracts so far in advance and are given price estimates that are current at the time. Of course, supply chain shortages and price spikes can affect that, because you’re still building homes on a daily basis. So it affects our contractors and our home builders but we have seen a levelling off and a decline in the price, specifically of lumber.” BVM: Looking to the future, how will AFCD continue to be a viable voice for your members? Pierce: “I see the industry itself being in a great position, with lots of opportunities in Florida as we expect consistent population growth to continue. We have a pro-business state legislature that is focused on making sure that we grow responsibly in Florida. So our developers are poised to capitalize on those opportunities. Moving forward, I think the industry can stay very viable and strong over the next couple of years. As long as we have the demand coming into Florida, our members will be able to continue to grow and have success meeting that demand. “As our developers continue to operate in a very strong real estate market, and as long as we are effective at the state capital, I see AFCD growing and becoming more and more vocal and resilient over the coming years.”