A Message From FES President Kelly Cranford Hello FES Members, As we traveled home from Professional Engineers Days, a friend and I reminisced about former FES President Mark Mongeau’s memorable mantra, “If not us, who? If not now, when?” We were much younger when we first heard the call for engineers to take action, and…
Lincoln Middle School Wins State MATHCOUNTS Competition Alachua Chronicle – March 15, 2023 GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Lincoln Middle School MATHCOUNTS team won the state championship last Friday, their sixth win in the past seven competitions. The team consists of Eric Gao, Jerry Yao, Sylvia Guo, and Abhiram Pothuri. Eric took first place and is…
Engineering Florida Podcast – 3rd Episode In this episode, host Sam Yates has an in depth discussion with Scott Martin, P.E., President of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida, and Principal, Project Director and Design Builder Market Leader for Walter P. Moore’s Structure Group in Tampa, Florida. We delve into Scott’s background, major accomplishments, and…
Roadmap to Net Zero Airports with Resilient, Sustainable InfrastructureWritten by Joseph Gale, ENV SP Chief Technology Officer, Decision Optimization Technology- United States (DOT-US) L.P. The threat of rising sea levels, flooding, freeze, extreme heat and changes in the intensity and frequency of severe weather poses substantial risks to critical airport assets and infrastructure. The Airports…
Decision Support Methods for Tactical Pavement Investment PlanningWritten by Roozbeh Rashedi, Ph.D., P.Eng. Chief Technology Officer, Decision Optimization Technology- United States (DOT-US) L.P. Municipal roads and highway systems are fundamental infrastructure assets. They provide a foundation to the performance of all national economies by sustaining economic development and facilitating social interaction. Preserving and maintaining pavement…
A Message From FES President Kelly Cranford Hello FES Members, I’m starting my message to you with a question. What’s the difference between laws and rules? As engineering professionals, you may not have thought about this particular question, but certainly, the answer and the implications could have an impact on each of us every day.…
Lawmakers Look Again at Condo Safety Requirements CBS News by Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate committee Tuesday backed a proposal that would make changes to a condominium-safety law passed last year after the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside. The proposal (SB 154), which deals…
Northwest Florida middle school mathletes compete at MATHCOUNTS Competition WEARNews-ABC3 – by WEAR staff ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — Middle school students from Northwest Florida put their math skills to the test at the MATHCOUNTS Competition on Saturday. The competition was held at the Downtown Pensacola Library and was hosted by the Florida Engineering Society. The…
Feb. 19-25 is Engineers Weeks By Katrina Elsken, Published February 9, 2023 Lake Okeechobee News OKEECHOBEE -The Okeechobee County Board of Commissioners have proclaimed the week of Feb. 19-25 as Engineers Week. Founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1951, Engineers Week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce…
Senate panel calls for more clarity, time on Surfside-inspired condo inspection law Florida Politics – by Jesse Scheckner – Feb 8, 2023 Industry experts agree the law in its current form has many financial and compliance problems. Members of the Senate Committee on Regulated Industries are fielding recommendations from a panel of experts on how…
Central Florida Construction Career Days inspiring students to pursue ‘building’ careers BayNews9 – by Ashleigh Mills – Feb 3, 2023 ORLANDO, Fla. — Central Florida high school students are getting hands-on experience in careers like construction, engineering and transportation at the Central Florida Construction Career Days today hosted by the Florida Department of Transportation. Employers are…
Florida board proposes changes to condo reform legislation The Real Deal by Katherine Kallergis – Feb 3, 2023 A Florida commission is proposing changes to the state law that legislators passed last year in response to the deadly Surfside condo collapse. The Florida Building Commission was asked to review inspection requirements and make recommendations regarding…
Middle School Students Earn Entry to State Competition Mulberry, Fla (February 6, 2023) — A team of middle school Mathletes®️ from Lawton Chiles Middle Academy (Lakeland) won the local MATHCOUNTS competition held on Saturday, February 4 in Mulberry. The top individual competitor was Johan Bijiyos, of Lawton Chiles Middle Academy (Lakeland). Members of the winning…
State commission wants to roll back a key part of post-Surfside condo safety law. Lawmakers are not so sure WLRN-TV & WJCT-FM (First Coast Connect) A new report issued by the Florida Building Commission calls into question a key part of a major law passed last year in response to the collapse of the Champlain…
A Message From FES President Kelly Cranford Hello FES Members, Recently, I spent a few days at my alma mater, the University of Florida, meeting with current students and walking around campus. While the student union and most of the campus have been updated in the 30+ years since I was a student, the vibrancy…
Will plan to link Sawgrass Expressway to I-95 come sooner? DeSantis aims to speed completion of projects By Jim Turner, News Service of Florida • Jan 30, 2023 at 5:11 pm Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday pitched a $7 billion proposal to speed completion of 20 highway projects — including a plan in Deerfield Beach…
Engineering Florida Podcast – 2nd Episode Our second episode features Carlos Penin, President of CAP Government Inc., to Engineering Florida. We learn Mr. Penin holds a spot in the official Congressional Record from February 27, 2020, and why that is significant. Host Sam Yates discovers plans are underway for engineers to create a special park on…
DEP: Progress being made on surface water discharge, reuse Florida Politics – The idea is to reuse this water, and through that process help reduce the strain on water supply. By CWes Wolfe, Published January 24, 2003 Implementation of 2021’s SB 64 is an effort in progress, but Michael Lynch, Director of Water Resource Management for the Department…
Hillsborough puts off decision on whether to extend the widening of I-275 C.T. Bowen of the Tampa Bay Times The orange barrels and concrete barricades along Interstate 275 in Tampa won’t be going away anytime soon — an ongoing $85 million expansion of the highway won’t be completed until 2026. But a question for transportation…
Nick DiCeglie carries Jeff Brandes’ TBARTA torch, again files to repeal agency Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics Sen. DiCeglie, newly elected to the state’s upper chamber, has filed a bill to repeal the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA). The bill (SB 198) calls for the dissolution of TBARTA as well as the discharge…
Florida Engineering Leadership Institute Class of 2023 Launches 10 Month Program Florida Daily Forty professional engineers have been selected to participate in the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI) Class of 2023 to transform into community leaders while also giving back to communities across Florida. As part of this 10-month program, the FELI Class of 2023…
10-Month Training Program Will Also Include Charitable Community Giving TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 11, 2023) – Forty professional engineers have been selected to participate in the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI) Class of 2023 to transform into community leaders while also giving back to communities across Florida. As part of this 10-month program, the FELI Class…
Engineering Florida Podcast – Now Available Welcome to Engineering Florida – the Florida Engineering Society’s podcast series. Engineering Florida highlights professional engineers as well as the issues impacting engineering in Florida. Take a few minutes to listen to the inaugural podcast which features a conversation with FES President Kelly Cranford. Listen now.
A Message From FES President Kelly Cranford Hello FES Members, Every year, I make resolutions to spend more time relaxing and doing things I enjoy. Since I enjoy working, that part is fairly easy to keep. Relaxing is more difficult – there are so many interesting things out there to do. This year, I plan to start setting…
Orange County and Osceola County Transportation Tax Voter Outcome WESH News Central Florida voters have let their voices be heard on several amendments. See the round-up below: A measure to stabilize rent in Orange County is heading toward approval by voters, according to early results. Orange County voters shot down a one-cent transportation system surtax…
Southland Awarded $596 Million SR 23 Bridge Project over St. Johns River for the Florida Department of Transportation GRAPEVINE, Texas, Nov. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Southland Holdings, LLC (“Southland”) announced today it has been awarded a $596 million contract to construct a new bridge over the St. Johns River near Jacksonville for the Florida…
Walton County residents say ‘No’ to 1-cent sales tax for roads, reject amendment 2 to 1 Daily News/USATODAY Network Published: 9:51 p.m. ET Nov. 8, 2022 Updated: 11:43 a.m. ET Nov. 9, 2022 Walton County voters voiced a clear “no” to a proposed amendment for a one-cent sales surtax to be used to pay for…
Preparing for Future Tragedies Decades Before They Happen A look at the Surfside condominium collapse & lessons learned in liability by Mitch Cohen Monday, November 7, 2022 The design-bid-build project delivery method has dominated the construction landscape for many years. Under this methodology, contractors commonly bid on fully completed designs drawn to code with cost estimates,…
Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach County Students to Experience Variety of Transportation Industry Careers FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (October 24, 2022) – The American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida (ACEC Florida) is proud to join the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the Federal Highway Administration and others to host the South Florida Construction Career Days for…
An Interview with the President of the Florida Engineering Society Kelly Cranford, P.E., is not only an outstanding engineer, she is the new President of the Florida Engineering Society. Sam Yates, anchor for the Florida Business Forum Podcast, sat down with Cranford for an in-depth interview at the headquarters of Culpepper & Terpening Engineering. From…
Four Named as Fellow Members of FES The Florida Engineering Society (FES) recently honored leaders in Florida’s engineering community with its top professional recognitions, chief among them announcing a Tallahassee engineer and professor as Engineer of the Year, and a Doral engineer as the Young Engineer of the Year. Altogether, eight pillars of Florida’s engineering…
Graduates Raise More Than $66,000 For Charity Florida’s premier engineering leadership program, the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI), recently saw 40 professional engineers graduate from its Class of 2022. FELI is a leadership program that puts training into practice. It helps transition engineering professionals into community professionals and leaders within our societies, communities and workplace.…
Florida Engineering Leadership Institute Class of 2022 To Help Ensure “No Kid Sleeps on the Floor” Professional engineers from across Florida will converge on West Palm Beach on Saturday, June 25th to build bunk-beds for Miami/West Palm Beach-area underprivileged children. These professionals are members of the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute (FELI) Class of 2022, and…
Scholarships Will Help Inspire and Encourage Future Engineers TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (June 21, 2022) – The Florida Engineering Society (FES) has awarded $33,000 in scholarships to Florida graduating high school seniors and continuing university students. The scholarships are designed to assist these students in pursuing an engineering degree. The 11 scholarships, which are administered through the…
Stronger Structural & Building Safety Inspections Will Help Protect from Another Surfside Tragedy TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 25, 2022) – On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Surfside, FL, building collapse, the Florida Legislature fully passed a bill that will help ensure Florida never experiences another similar tragedy. The Florida House of Representatives passed…
