President's Message
Tom Hayden, PE
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I want to thank each and every one of you for the opportunity to serve as your President this year. This has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career, and I will forever be grateful to everyone who trusted me to lead this prestigious organization.
As the 2024 FES|ACEC Florida Annual Conference approaches later this month, I find it hard to believe that my term as the Florida Section President is nearing an end. My predecessors warned me that the term would go quickly, but I had no idea just how quickly that would actually be.
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FES and ACEC Florida members can now book their travel to the 2024 Annual Conference via Brightline! The promotional code and booking information details are as follows:
- Promo Code: FESACEC
- SMART Business Class: 15% Off
- Booking Dates: Now through July 27
- Travel Dates: July 23 through July 27
The train will travel from the Orlando station to the Aventura station in Miami, which is closest to the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry. You must provide your own transportation to the hotel (via Uber, Lyft, etc.). There is limited space for checked luggage, but carry-on and other baggage storage options are available.
For those traveling as a family or group, other opportunities are available through Brightline's website.
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Avoid the Registration Line and Sign up Online by July 17 | |
You do not want to miss the 2024 FES|ACEC Florida Annual Conference, “Meeting Florida's Growth Challenges,” which will be held July 24-27, 2024, at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry. It is an opportunity to gather with professional engineers from around the state for continuing education, vendor interaction and product review, professional group meetings, and social networking.
The agenda includes educational presentations on topics ranging from technical innovations and project case studies to professional development and leadership. On-site registration is available, but prices increase after July 17.
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Have You Taken the Order of the Engineer Pledge? | |
We invite you to attend the Order of the Engineer Ceremony, which will take place at the FES | ACEC Florida Annual Conference, during the FES Awards Lunch.
Friday, July 26, 2024
11:30 - 1:15 pm
During the ceremony, graduate and registered engineers take a solemn pledge to uphold the standards and dignity of the engineering profession.
(When you register for the convention, make sure to include the FES Awards Lunch in your attendee selections.)
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Celebrate the ACEC Florida Annual Awards | |
While you are at the Annual Conference, please join us at the ACEC Florida Board Installation and Luncheon on Thursday, July 25, 2024, from 11:45 am to 1:15 pm, and celebrate the recipients of the following awards:
- Governor AW Gilchrist Award
- Professional Development Award
- Young Professional of the Year
- ACEC Fellows
This luncheon can be purchased a-la-carte.
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Governor DeSantis Signs Sovereign Immunity Bill | |
On June 27, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 619, a bill sought by both ACEC Florida and FES to extend sovereign immunity protection to CEI’s working as subconsultants.
Specifically, the bill provides that the sovereign immunity protections apply not only to a professional firm that is in direct contract with FDOT but also to a professional firm providing monitoring and inspection services as a consultant to the professional firm that is in direct contract with FDOT.
Email us at acecfl@fleng.org if you have any questions.
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Call for ACEC Florida Emerging Leaders Board | |
ACEC Florida is offering young professionals a tremendous opportunity to get involved, network, and grow their careers.
The Emerging Leaders Board's priorities are:
- Input and new perspectives
- Professional development and growth
- Political advocacy
- Raising brand awareness
- Networking
- Volunteering
If you are an employee of an ACEC Florida member firm and are interested, please return the application to Amanda Hudson.
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FDOT Seeks Information from Florida PEs | |
For more than 40 years, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has proudly offered the PE Training Program to FDOT employees who are engineering graduates. This four-year program encompasses all aspects of the Department’s operations and prepares the trainee for a role in organizational leadership. This year, the Department wants to celebrate all of the program’s graduates who are still practicing engineering in Florida with a reunion.
Please take this brief, two-minute survey regarding your engineering experience.
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June 2024 BOD Meeting Highlights | |
The ACEC Florida Board of Directors met virtually on June 13, 2024.
Highlights from this meeting include:
- Approval of the 2024-2025 Proposed Budget.
The next ACEC Florida Board of Directors meeting is in person on July 24, 2024, at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry, preceding the FES | ACEC Florida Annual Conference.
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The Register is One of ACEC Florida's Best Benefits | |
The Florida Register is a weekly email that includes public announcements from every region of Florida.
Our search covers ALL engineering disciplines as well as design-build projects and surveying projects. We do the work, so you don't have to!
Newly designed to be easier-to-read and access, each proposal is interactive and takes you directly to more detailed information.
ACEC Florida member firms receive two copies of the Register included in their annual dues. If you are not receiving this valuable benefit, make sure you sign up.
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Read FBPE's July 2024 Connection Newsletter | |
Read the Florida Board of Professional Engineers July 2024 Newsletter - Connections.
Highlights from this issue include:
- CE Reporting Now Mandatory for all PEs
- Tips for Reporting Multiple CE Credits with One Certificate
- Look Our for Engineering-related Forgeries
- Recent Updates to Florida Engineering Rules
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Save Your Firm Money with ACEC Trust Programs | |
ACEC's Trust Programs are designed to enhance your membership investment by helping to control your firm's costs. Programs are available for business and professional liability insurance, life/health insurance, and retirement plans. The ACEC Trusts have created partnerships with reputable administrators and plan providers that offer valuable services with quality and competitive prices. In addition to providing business savings, these programs make for an attractive employee retention program in which individual employees benefit from your ACEC purchasing power. | |
ACEC Florida Members Met with Florida Congressional Leadership | |
Last week, ACEC Florida members met with Florida's congressional delegates in Washington, D.C, including Congressmen Carlos Gimenez (FL 28), Aaron Bean (FL 4), Gus Bilirakis (FL 12), Byron Donalds (FL 19), Greg Steube (FL 17) and Congresswoman Kathy Castor (FL 14). To qualify for the trip, a donor must have contributed $1,000 or more to the ACEC/PAC, our federal political engagement arm, this calendar year.
We encourage you to invest in ACEC/PAC. It’s critical that our members be involved in the political process and we support candidates who understand the needs of the engineering industry.
For more information, visit our ACEC/PAC page or email Laura Heiselman.
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L to R: Greg Heaton, Jose Acosta, Gary Nadeau, Pete Sheridan, Shahin Hekmat, Laura Heiselman, Andy Cummings, Peter Moore, Brent Wilkins | |
Interested in learning how to unlock the most value out of your ACEC membership? Join ACEC for Membership Mondays! Their team will help you navigate your member benefits, share how to get involved, identify where to find resources and answer any questions you might have.
Monday, August 19, 2024, 1:30-2:30 PM EST
This event is live and online.
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Hires, Promotions & Other Firm News | | |
Hunter joins Chen Moore & Associates' Jacksonville office
JW Hunter recently joined CMA as a Principal Engineer in the Jacksonville office. He has 40 years of engineering and management experience. He has been involved in a variety of fields, including Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI), construction management, heavy highway and civil construction, electrical construction, environmental engineering and remediation and plant engineering. His responsibilities have included corporate management, marketing, bid preparation, project management and execution, and personnel management.
Not only has Mr. Hunter served as project manager and engineer for civil projects involving bridge construction, utility installation, drainage, earthwork and mitigation, he also served as principal, general manager, vice president and regional office manager for both civil and environmental consulting and remediation companies.
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Jeffers joins HNTB as a senior project manager in Florida
Betsey Jeffers, PE, has joined HNTB as vice president and senior project manager supporting the firm’s roadway department in its South Florida offices. Jeffers has been working in the transportation sector for more than 32 years with experience in project management, roadway design, complete streets, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Most of her career has been with the Florida Department of Transportation District 4 Design Office, where she is an expert in FDOT design criteria and standards, specifications, typical section variance and exception reviews, quality control in the daily plans production environment and guidelines for the American Society of State Highway and Transportation Officials and National Society of City Transportation Officials.
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Nichelson celebrates 20 years of service at Hanson
Gregory Nichelson, P.E., senior civil/railway engineer, recently celebrated 20 years of service at Hanson Professional Services Inc.
Nichelson, who works at the Sarasota office, joined the company in 2004. He has provided design and construction plans for a variety of railway projects, including Norfolk Southern Corp.’s mainline extension between Nokesville and Calverton in Virginia; BNSF Railway Co.’s intermodal facility in Memphis, Tennessee; the Springfield Rail Improvements Project in Springfield, Illinois; and numerous capacity improvement projects, industrial track expansions and yard layout arrangements.
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Pires joins Hanson’s Sarasota office as associate project manager
Marcus Pires, associate project manager, recently joined Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Sarasota office. He will work with clients in southwest Florida to define project requirements and develop innovative solutions to challenging problems, following through with project plans and team leadership to accomplish clients’ goals.
Pires has more than 20 years of experience in airport infrastructure projects and facilities management, mainly working for the National Civil Aviation Secretariat in Brazil. Most recently, he was a development project manager for Toho Water Authority in Kissimmee. He received a bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from Universidade de Brasília in Brasília, Brazil, a Master of Business Administration from Unyleya in Rio de Janeiro and a master’s degree in air navigation management from the Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile in Toulouse, France.
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Taylor becomes full-time aviation civil designer at Hanson
Sam Taylor recently became a full-time aviation civil designer at Hanson Professional Services Inc.’s Orlando regional office.
Taylor joined Hanson in 2023 as an intern. As an aviation civil designer, she will provide plan drafting, specification writing, stormwater modeling and shop drawing reviews, along with other civil engineering design-related tasks for airport development. She received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Florida Gulf Coast University, where she was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter.
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Would you like to see your firm's hires, promotions, or news in the next edition of the ACEC Florida Update? Email Stacey Butler for more information. | |
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acecfl.org
850.224.7121
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