Damaged dock removal | Fender Marine | Orlando

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Recent Lake Holden HOA Newsletter Article about the New Dock Design

Hey… Have you noticed the new doc, boathouse and sea wall on Lake Holden?

By Rick Fender

Some of you have noticed the new dock, boathouse and seawall at Charles and Charlotte Hornsby’s home at 3221 Alamo Drive, the West side of Lake Holden.

They are very good friends of mine and they asked FenderMarine Construction to build their dock. We built a new 4’x60’ access walkway, a 12’x10’ open deck, a 18’x16’ covered deck with a half octagonal roof and a 11’x26’ boathouse. The following are the specifications with which the project was constructed:

 Piles -6x6 .60 ACQ #2 SYP @ 8’ to 10’ O.C. The piles were finished with 2x6 #1 trim blocks at the bottoms and tops of the piles above the deck. Piles were cut off at 44” above the deck receive a custom solid copper cap.

 Bents -2x8 .40 ACQ #2 SYP Bolted to Piles

 Joists -2x8 .40 ACQ #2 SYP @ 24” O.C.

 Decking –2”x6” #1 dense or better “UltraWood” or “Duradecking”.40 ACQ Southern Yellow Pine decking treated with paraffin based water repellant and fastened with ceramic coated galvanized screws.

 The boathouse headers shall be 2x10 .40 ACQ #2 SYP boxed beam, bolted. Makes hiding electrical conduit and other utilities easier.

 The rafters were hand crafted and shall be 3x6 and 3x8 depending on the locations .40 ACQ SYP at 48” O.C. The rafter tails shall be scroll cut.

 We also installed a #1 Pressure treated Pine railing along the walkway.

 The Simpson clips were Z-Max for greater longevity.

 The hip roof had a 1’ overhang and a roof pitch of 4/12.

 The roof decking was constructed with 2”x6” Tongue & Groove V-Joint Southern Yellow Pine decking for a beautiful finished look.

 The roofing consists of an underlayment of (1) layer of Peel and Stick heavy duty roofing underlayment fol-lowed by a metal roof.

 We also installed a vinyl seawall of 4’ of exposed height with aluminum cap. We also included the removal of the existing wood wall since it would cause problems for them in the future should we not remove it. The wall panels were “clay” colored vinyl sheet pile panels with a contrasting “tan” cap to look more natural. We in-stalled weep-holes and drainage gravel behind the new wall. We also installed the stone revetment at the toe of the wall as required by OCEPD.

 Engineered detail drawings required for the permits and construction of this scope of work. You would pro-vide us with a recent survey of the property on which our site plan will be based.

 We included the State and local permit costs for the work proposed.

We included a (3) year warranty on workmanship on the project and the manufacturer’s warranty on the materials.

The cattail removal and beneficial planting of the lakefront was accomplished by another Lake Holden resident Joel Gregor of Clearview Lakes.

If you are considering hiring a marine contractor, check out the Hornby’s dock and boathouse and re-view the above specification to make sure you are getting the quality project that you deserve.

Press Releases for Marine Contractors

 

Press Releases Help Build Your Business 

As you may know, your ranking on web searches, particularly on Google is critical to the growth of your business. Regardless of if you do commercial or residential marine construction like us, or if you are in other businesses, this fact holds true. Here at Fender Marine Construction we have had a website since our start in 2001. We have tried many methods to increase our ranking in search engine results. Now we use Pay Per Click advertising on Google, increasing web site content by means of adding references, photos with descriptions and adding backlinks to our website. Last year we signed up for a year’s worth of press releases at (2) per month through PR Web. They have a great system for not only helping you to produce your press releases in a manner that will encourage online media to pick up your releases, but they perform the press release submission for you. Below is my latest press release which includes backlinks to my main website as well as some of the landing pages and even one of our vendor’s pages. The below article has been edited to reduce the size and also has a video and photos included which are not shown here. If you would like to view the release online, go to http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10784272.htm.

This press release was submitted to 6,684 media sources by PR Web. There were 33,301 impressions. There were 527 reads and the press release was picked up by 142 online news sources.

Orlando Boat Dock Builder, Fender Marine Construction Announces New Upgraded Boathouse Design

“Orlando Dock Builder, Fender Marine Construction has announced the addition of their new Platinum boathouse and dock design,” says Rick Fender, Vice President of Fender Marine. “This newly upgraded boathouse design includes added trim work on the dock and heavy duty artistic roof beams and roof decking,” explained Fender.

"Fender Marine Construction has always built quality docks, decks seawalls and boathouses, but now with the addition of their new Platinum boathouse and dock design, the company rises to the next level,” says Fender. “In addition to the quality of materials and workmanship, this new top end boathouse design features additional trim on the dock such as skirt boards, vinyl or Brazilian Hardwood decking, stronger framing, heavier piling, heavy duty artistic roof beams and upgraded roof decking,” explained Fender……………………………………..

  “The new roof structure is also different than any of the other Orlando dock builders construct in that it features 3”x6” and 3”x8” roof beams with the rafter tails scroll cut” said Fender. Fender went on to say that the roof beams are spaced 48” apart where normal 2”x8” rafters would need to be 16” to 24” apart. “We are able to increase the spacing between the rafters because of the roof decking being stronger real tongue and groove V-joint 2”x6” Southern Yellow Pine” Fender said………………………………………………..

  “Normally the Platinum boathouse and covered activity deck projects feature a tile or metal roof” said Fender. “This new upgraded boathouse venture blows away the competition in quality of materials, sizes of materials, quantity of materials, craftsmanship and aesthetic design” exclaimed Fender.

Fender Marine Construction is located at 1201 West Jackson Street Orlando, FL 32805. Potential clients can contact Fender Marine through our website at http://www.FenderMarine.com, email Rick@FenderMarine.com or call 407-481-2750 now.
 

 

In the past, I have written releases on pile driving on the Turnpike, emergency seawall repair in Winter Garden, new employee additions and such. Each time the release is picked up, the embedded links back to my site that are in the release increase my web search result ranking. And the actual articles come up when customers search for your service which adds to your company’s credibility and makes the phone ring. I encourage you all to check out this tool and increase your web search ranking. Rick Fender

Selecting a Florida Marine Contractor

It was Easter Sunday yesterday and I took my family for a cruise around Lake Holden in Orlando. We bought a small home on Lake Holden in 1997 when the lake had been so culturally eutrophicated that it listed next to the bottom in Orange County’s list of a lake’s water quality. Then the County, City and our Home Owner’s Association worked to clean the lake by using alum treatments, installing storm water cleaning devices and installing beneficial plants. The results have been outstanding and the water quality is now near the top of that same lake water quality list.

A good portion of the docks around the lake need replacement or repair. We have done a few projects around the lake but right now there is very little marine construction being performed here.

As we cruised around the lake, I noticed some newer docks that had been constructed since the last time I had been on the lake during the winter. Of the (4) new docks that I saw, there was one that I knew had been permitted by a licensed contractor. The other (3) docks were homeowner built as evidenced by being out of plumb and unleveled as well as the utilization of substandard framing designs and techniques. I check out the contractor that built the one permitted dock and found that he was from the East coast of Florida and advertised himself as a “marine contractor”. Although the dock builder did not have the Florida Marine Contractor’s License, with the State Certified Building Contractor’s License that he did have, it was perfectly legal for him to contract for this marine construction. As I inspected the dock and boathouse, I noticed the unexpected poor workmanship. Since the lake was very calm which makes for a great contrast, the unleveled deck was readily evident and one of the boathouse pile was out of plumb. (4) of the boathouse pile had settled indicting  the contractor’s inability and lack of experience in setting pile. The contractor failed to install a 1”x2” furring strip under the drip edge of the shingle roof leaving the drip edge flat against the fascia. As my fellow Florida Marine Contractor’s Association members know, this poor drip edge installation allows the rain water to flow down the face of the fascia causing it to mildew and rot away in a few short years.

When I meet with a potential dock customer, I tell them stories like this, stressing the important reasons for selecting a marine contractor that is not only covered with USL&H and Liability insurance, appropriately licensed for the work they are contracting and having the contractor prove that they are actually experienced in marine construction. For a novice homeowner, this can be difficult. The potential homeowner goes to the contractor’s fancy website which shows all kind of marine construction projects. The projects on the site may not even have been built by that contractor. One way that a marine construction customer can have an easier time of selecting a qualified marine contractor is to select a member of the Florida Marine Contractor’s Association. Our members have proven that they carry USL&H, Liability Insurance, appropriate licensing and are of good character.

Another way a marine construction customer can be assured that the marine contractor they hire is capable of performing marine construction is to require that the contractor carry the Florida State Certified Marine Contractor’s License. This is the only Florida State Certified License that requires applicants to prove to the State that they have the required marine construction experience, the State actually tests the applicants for their marine construction knowledge and the State requires proof of USL&H coverage of the applicants before they are able to acquire the Marine Contractor’s License. The Florida Marine Contractor’s Association worked with the State to develop this license to further enhance the marine construction industry in Florida. So far there are around (30) Florida State Certified Marine Contractors and that number is growing. I encourage all marine contractors to go the extra mile to procure this very valuable license. Fender Marine Construction holds the Florida State Certifed Marine Contractor's License and is standing by to serve you.

6006F Scope Sheet

Scopes Manual

Posted 01 Jun 2008 12:00:01

6006F

PHRASEOLOGY (FL)

MARINE PILE DRIVING, DOCK & SEAWALL, JETTY OR

BREAKWATER, DIKE OR REVETMENT CONSTRUCTION—ALL OPERATIONS TO

COMPLETION & DRIVERS

NAICS Code(s):

(For reference only. Not to be used for classification of risks for workers compensation purposes.)

237990—Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction

Description:

Code 6006F includes the construction of jetties, breakwaters, seawalls, groynes, dikes, revetments, etc.

A jetty involves substantially more construction than either a dike or a levee in that it must extend into a

body of water. A jetty will extend from the shore out into the water and will be constructed of heavy

timber cribbing filled with boulders or heavy stones. Frequently a jetty built of stones or boulders will be

topped off with an asphalt surface or with concrete.

Code 6006F includes the construction or repair of wharfs, docks and piers on a body of water. Code

6006F includes floating docks that are attached to these structures, while floating docks used in

boatbuilding or repair are separately rated to the appropriate boatbuilding code. The construction of

groynes (rigid structures built out from a shore to protect the shore from erosion), seawalls, bulkheads,

and jetties or breakwaters including marine pile driving is assignable to this code.

Applies In: Replaced By:

FL Not Applicable

Established: Retained:

July 2006 Not Applicable

Discontinued: NCCI Schedule and Group:

Not Applicable Schedule 26, Group 265

Note:

River work and shoreline construction are included in Code 6006F. The manufacturing of

concrete piles at the job location or the pouring of concrete into hollow steel piles is separately

rated as concrete construction. Caisson or cofferdam work is separately rated as Code 6252—

Shaft Sinking—All Operations. Refer to Code 6004 for land pile driving operations in Florida.

Floating docks used in boatbuilding or repair are separately rated to the appropriate boatbuilding

code.

Scopes Detail - Riskworkstation - National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. Page 1 of 3

https://www.ncci.com/rws/folder/printfile.asp?file=SCOPE110926525763500.htm 9/26/2011

Analogy Assignments:

Equipment and Materials:

Special Conditions:

Related Operations Not Classified to Code 6006F:

• Code 6006F is assigned to the wrecking or demolition of piers and wharfs.

• Code 6006F includes carpentry work of decking, railings and boathouses associated with marine

construction projects.

• The construction of docks, seawalls and other similar structures on land prior to installation on

the water is included in Code 6006F. This includes all construction, assembly or prep work

performed at a contractor’s yard prior to installation.

• The construction of a dike as contemplated by Code 6006F involves operations in which an

embankment of earth is thrown up along the edge of the river. The embankment is frequently

paved with loose stone. In addition to the stones, the embankment may be anchored by lumber or

willow mattresses which are laid against the surface of the dike and held down by stone or

piling. Another type of construction involves the building of crib work, which may be filled in

with stone or other types of fill, for the purpose of keeping the embankment in place.

• Revetment work involves a facing or sheathing or woven mattresses of willow, lumber, etc., that

are usually anchored to piles driven a few feet above the mean low water line and extended out

into the river as the work progresses. Ballast stones are placed on the graded dike slope from the

top down into the water's edge. This type of work is performed in the water from work barges

for pile drivers, derrick barges, mat and weaving barges, stone barges, etc.

• Code 6006F is assigned to marine pile driving associated with the construction or repair of

bridges. All other bridge work should be assigned to the appropriate construction classifications.

• Rocks, soil, concrete, asphalt, wood

• Cranes, bulldozers, derricks, barges

• Please refer to Code 5403 for extra-territorial premium determination guidelines that may be

applicable to insureds that have operations outside their headquarters' state.

• Land-based pile driving is assigned to Code 6004 in Florida.

• Structures other than boathouses, decking and railings are assigned to the appropriate

construction classifications (with an ‘F’ load if applicable).

• The manufacturing of concrete piles at the job location or the pouring of concrete into hollow

steel piles is rated as concrete construction.

• Caisson or cofferdam work to be separately rated as Code 6252—Shaft Sinking—All

Operations.

• Diving operations, including deck hands or other “diving tender” support personnel who assist in

diving activities, conducted in conjunction with marine construction are separately rated to the

appropriate diving code.

Scopes Detail - Riskworkstation - National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. Page 2 of 3

https://www.ncci.com/rws/folder/printfile.asp?file=SCOPE110926525763500.htm 9/26/2011

© Copyright 1990–2008 National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Scopes Detail - Riskworkstation - National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. Page 3 of 3

https://www.ncci.com/rws/folder/printfile.asp?file=SCOPE110926525763500.htm 9/26/2011

6006F- The Mystery of United States Longshore and Harborworkers Act Insurance

by Rick Fender, Chapter Chair Central Florida for the Florida Marine Contractor's Association

For that last several years since the new 6006F workers compensation code was developed by NCCI with help from your Florida Marine Contractor’s Association, I have struggled with who is required to carry the coverage and when the coverage applies. If I am confused about it perhaps some of you are as well. Two of the major problems that I face in the marine construction business are unlicensed activity and un-insured or underinsured activity. Not only are lay persons such as homeowners and business owners unaware of these issues and the exposure to liability that they face but I have found that many city and county governments as well as insurance agents and carriers are unenlightened as well.

My most recent frustration was with an Orange County city that did not require 6006F on a weir/sheet pile and revetment job they had for bid. Their reasoning was that it was on a non-navigable waterway. My mistake was stating to the City that the work required United States Longshore and Harbor Worker’s Act insurance. Then the City called their carrier who said the USL&H was not required. I called the City’s Loss Prevention Department and discussed this with them. They said if I had additional information for them, they would consider it.

I enlisted Kelly White of Kelly White & AssociatesInsurance, LLC who is my insurance agent as well as the Second Vice President of your Florida Marine Contractor’s Association, to clarify this issue and convince the City to require this coverage.

The following is an excerpt from the emails between NCCI Holdings, Inc.’s Regulatory Assurance professional Veruschka Zachtshinsky and Kelly White-

Dear Lori Lovgren, I need some assistance if possible.  I have an insured that is having a difficult time understanding why he is required to carry the 6006F class code for his work and he is losing jobs to other marine contractors insured under 5403 with no F loading or even 8227. Rick Fender has been contacting the various municipalities to discuss the 6006F code prior to bid due dates and continues to run into a brick wall.   He has requested that I forward the below job description to NCCI for a determination as to what code he would need for that job.  He feels he may be the one using the incorrect code. Kelly White

Hello Kelly, I am responding to your email on behalf of Lori. In reviewing the insured’s website and the job description provided in your email, it appears Code 6006F is the appropriate class code.  In Florida, Code 6006F is an all-inclusive code applicable to marine construction such as marine pile driving, dock & seawall, jetty or breakwater, and dike or revetment construction. Code 8227 can be assigned to a permanent yard maintained by the insured for the storage of material or the storage and maintenance of equipment since Code 6006F is a construction code. Veruschka Zachtshinsky

To: Veruschka Zachtshinsky-What if “all” of the work is on non-navigable water? Kelly White, CRIS

Hi Kelly, In Florida, there doesn’t appear to be a distinction. I’ve attached Circular FL-2006-04, which announced the approval of Item 04-FL-2005. This filing discontinued national Code 6003—Pile Driving and Code 6005—Jetty or Breakwater Construction—All Operations to Completion & Drivers. These codes were replaced with state-special Code 6004—Land Pile Driving and Code 6006F. Veruschka Zachtshinsky

Further, Kelly has explained below how the USL&H benefits apply and where the State Act Workers Compensation applies.

Insured’s working on Navigable and Non-Navigable waters are required to insure under the same workers compensation code 6006F which includes the USL&H load.   The code is combined to include USL&H as well as State Act.   Therefore, if an employee is working on non-navigable waters during all of their employment, then the WC company would settle the claim as a State Act exposure.  At that point there would not be any jurisdiction for the Federal requirements and the exemptions would technically be sufficient. 

If however, that same company worked on Non-navigable and navigable waterways, the WC company would have to determine how much time was dedicated to what would be considered subject to USL&H and how much for State Act.  This situation could go either way depending on various circumstances.   If it was determined that the exposure was USL&H then an exemption would not be sufficient, if the worker was an owner of the company that had the exposure. 

The really difficult part of determining who is and isn’t subject to USL&H claims settlement is because every company has different areas they work in.  There are inland lakes that are considered navigable due to being connected by locks or tributaries or quite possibly commercial commerce (boat rental facilities).  The chances of having a company work only on retention ponds and land locked lakes in Florida is in the low percentages at best.  However the staff the insured has maybe assigned duties that do not make them subject to the USL&H so again the claim would be settled as State Act.

Please find the attached 6006F Scope Sheet that gives you more information regarding the coverage you are paying for. I hope this helps all of my fellow legitimate Florida marine contractors in the battle to comply with the law and make an honest dollar.

Orange County Environmental Protection Department’s Environmental Streamlining Task Force

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs has appointed a 9-member task force to review environmental regulations, in an effort to reduce duplication and improve the permitting process. Orange County Environmental Protection Department’s Environmental Streamlining Task Force held a meeting 7-20-11 to review of our Natural Resource ordinances.

FDEP spoke about the SLERP which is the State Lands and Resources Environmental Permit. They explained that they serve the Governor, Secretary, Army Corp, SJRWMD and SFWMD as well as the Board of Trustees of the Internal Resources.

They stated that almost all work on land, wetlands and water bodies requires an Environmental Resource Permit. Some of the projects the review include marinas, docks and seawalls.

The State’s streamlining efforts include giving more exemptions, Noticed General Permits and self certifications. They are becoming more “lean” and are helping applicants to acquire the permits. Their goal is to provide 90% of the permits that they handle within 180 days.

They made fun of the Self Certification process showing a photograph of boathouse in the middle of a lake with the access walkway underwater. They stated that 23% of the Self Certified projects are out of compliance.

Most of the meeting dealt with State agencies and permitting but Orange County did say that in their process of streamlining their permitting, they would consider doing away with duplicate permitting if the State if already permitting an activity.

I, Rick Fender of Fender Marine Construction representing the Florida Marine Contractors Association Central Florida Chapter spoke about the County’s and State’s streamlining efforts. On beneficial planting permits in Orange County, contractors are required to procure a permit from OCEPD and then the same information and plans must be submitted to FMC (Fish and Wildlife Commission) for their permit. The County charges a fee for their permit but the State does not. Further, when we make application with the County for the beneficial planting permits, they contact the State FWC to let them know to contact us for the duplicate permit.

I recommend that all marine contractors and other interested parties attend the next one of the Environmental Streamlining Task Force meetings so that you can understand where they are going and provide your comments on the direction of the Task Force. You can find them at http://www.orangecountyfl.net/YourLocalGovernment/CountyDepartments/CommunityandEnvironmentalServices/EnvironmentalProtectionDivision/EnvironmentalStreamliningTaskForce.aspx.

Rick Fender, Vice President- Fender Marine Construction

Chapter Chairperson- Florida Marine Contractor’s Association

The power of the consumer when dealing with licensed marine contractors

Property owners in Florida are lucky when it comes to easily hiring and controlling licensed marine contractors contractors. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) really does a great job of making sure that “bad” contractors that damage the public are weeded out. They respond quickly to complaints they are given from consumers. Complaints from other legitimate marine contractors are addressed as well but perhaps a little slower and with less feed back from DBPR. Developing a one on one business relationship with a DBPR representative helps legitimate contractors in controlling the unlicensed activity in their area but DBPR is underfunded that the investigators are spread thin.


If a property owner hires a State licensed marine contractor, they do have an enormous amount of power over that contractor. If the property owner has a problem with a licensee, the property owner has the following options:

If the licensed marine contractor abandons the project and refuses to return the customer’s call, one remedy is for the customer to call the DBPR or send DBPR a complaint form. The DBPR will then contact the contractor to resolve the issue. Every licensed contractor who wishes to maintain their license will immediately work with the DBPR and get the issue resolved right away.

Even if the licensed marine contractor has gone out of business or is dodging the DBPR, the residential consumer can go for the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board’s Construction Industry Recovery Fund to recover all or a portion of their losses. The rules for the fund read: Payment may be available from the construction industries recovery fund if you lose money on a project performed under contract, where the loss results from specified violations of Florida Law by a state-licensed contractor. For information about the recovery fund and filling a claim, contract the Florida Construction Industry licensing Board at the following telephone number and address: Department Of Business and professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board, 7960 Arlington Expressway, Suite 300, Jacksonville, Florida 32211-7467. Telephone: (850) 727-3650.
All residential construction contracts are required to contain this clause. The fund provides residential property owners who contract with licensed contractors with the ability to recover up to $50,000.00 if they have been ripped off or otherwise damaged by that licensed contractor.

You may review the Florida Statutes by clicking on: www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/index.html and click on Statutes and Rules.

Call Rick Fender, the Vice President of Fender Marine Construction for additional information at 407-481-2750 and http://www.fendermarine.com/

Belle Isle Florida Boat Dock Regulations

Call Fender Marine Construction for the best designs and prices! 407-481-2750  http://www.fendermarine.com/
Sec. 48-31. - Application process.
(a)Permit and review. Any person desiring to construct a boat dock, regardless of whether it is made of wood or another material, within the city shall first apply for a permit to construct the boat dock. Applications shall be made to the city. Upon receiving the application, a city administrative officer shall perform a site review of the proposed dock location. The city shall review the application and shall contact the applicant if the application fails to meet any of the requirements set forth in this section.

(1)City's administrative review fees. An administrative review fee of $165.00 shall be paid at the time the application is submitted. The administrative review fee does not include the Orange County building permit's processing fee.

(2)Application. The applicant shall submit a city boat dock application, a county boat dock application, a survey and three sets of plans showing the dock. These forms shall be available in the city hall office. The survey and plans shall provide accurate information as to all of the following items:

a.An arrow indicating the northerly direction and an indication of the scale to which the drawing was prepared;

b.The dimensions of the property, and the length and location of the proposed dock;

c.The exact distance between the existing shoreline, at the point where the dock is to be constructed, and a permanent object or construction (e.g., house, tree) to be used as a reference point;

d.The exact distance of setbacks from adjacent property lines, and an approximation of the distance from the closest dock on each side of the property;

e.The floor and roof elevation of the proposed dock, boathouse or other structure connected to the dock;

f.The depth of water at the end of the proposed dock; and

g.A survey, performed within the last three years, of the property indicating the normal high-water elevation of Lake Conway (86.9) as established by the county on October 25, 1982.

(3)Building permit. Following the approval by the city of a boat dock application, the applicant is also required to obtain a building permit from the county building department prior to commencing construction. In the event electricity is run to the boat dock, the proper electrical permit must also be obtained from the county building department.

(b)Commencement and completion of construction. All construction must be commenced, or completed, or both, within the guidelines established by the county building department. The applicant is responsible for all fees associated with the procurement of the necessary permits.

(Ord. No. 92-6, ch. V, art. A, § 1, 12-15-1992; Ord. No. 04-03, § 5, 3-12-2004)

Sec. 48-32. - Design criteria.

Boat dock applications shall be reviewed under the following rules and regulations:

(1)Setbacks. Boat docks shall have a minimum side setback of five feet from the projected property lines of all abutting shoreline properties.

(2)Length. Consideration will be given to the length of other docks within 300 feet on either side of the proposed dock and to any previous length restrictions that the city council may have established. For comparison, the length will be measured from the existing shoreline, with reference to a fixed object or structure on the lot. If there are no other adjoining docks in the vicinity, then the maximum length of the boat dock shall not exceed 40 feet measured from the 86.9 normal high water elevation contour line of Lake Conway, as marked by a registered surveyor, to the lakeward end of the dock.

(3)Total area. A boat slip, platform and any other portion of the dock, covered or uncovered, collectively may not exceed 500 square feet in total area.

(4)Height. Except for floating docks, the minimum height of boat dock decks shall place them one foot above the normal high water elevation of Lake Conway. The maximum height, which is to be measured from the top of the structure, shall be 13 feet above the normal high water elevation of Lake Conway. The minimum height of a floating dock deck shall be one foot above the water level.

(5)Walkway. That portion of the dock lying waterward of the 86.9 feet contour line of Lake Conway as established by the county on October 25, 1982 and extending to the juncture of the slip or platform, whichever is closest to the shore. A walkway shall be a minimum of four feet in width. The area for a walkway shall not be included as part of the total area for the structure unless the walkway exceeds four feet in width. In such cases, the excess square footage generated by the width in excess of four feet shall be included in the total area for the platform and/or slip.

(6)Number and location of boat docks.

a.No boat dock construction permit shall be issued on a lot or combination of lots that does not have a principal building first located thereon.

b.Only one boat dock per principal building that is located on a lot or combination of lots shall be allowed on any such lot or combination of lots.

c.Boat docks shall only be permitted on lots or combinations of lots zoned or used for residential purposes, and no boat docks shall be permitted on any lot or combination of lots used for agricultural, commercial, professional-office and/or industrial purposes.

d.Boat docks on public property and/or homeowners associations lots shall be exempted from provisions of subsections (6)a and b of this section. However, only one boat dock per parcel may be located on public property and/or homeowners association property. The term "parcel" shall mean all contiguous property owned by a homeowners association or by a public entity.

e.All boat docks shall be permanently affixed to the lake bottom, and shall be subject to the provisions of this article except where noted.

(7)Restrictions. All boat docks shall adhere to the following restrictions:

a.No work shall be within areas which constitute easements for ingress or egress, or for drainage.

b.No structures having flat roofs will be permitted. The pitch of the roof shall have a minimum slope of 2:12 and a maximum slope of 5:12.

c.No structure having enclosed sidewalls shall be permitted. This includes areas for fueling and/or storage facilities. The term "enclosed" shall be defined as, by way of example but not by limitation, screen enclosures, chainlink fencing, lattice fencing and any form of paneling.

d.Under no circumstances shall a permit for the construction of a boat dock to be utilized for residential purposes be issued.

e.No permit applications will be accepted unless there is a principal building established on the property, or a building permit has been issued to construct said building.
(Ord. No. 92-6, ch. V, art. A, § 2, 12-15-1992; Ord. No. 95-4, 4-18-1995; Ord. No. 98-2, 4-21-1998)

Sec. 48-33. - Variances.

In the event the applicant wishes to construct a boat dock in excess of any of the criteria mentioned in section 48-32, a variance must be applied for to the board. There shall be a $100.00 application fee for the first variance and a $50.00 fee for each additional variance requested at the same time. The board shall not approve an application for a variance unless and until each of the following criteria have been met:

(1)The boat dock shall not create conditions hazardous to navigation nor any safety hazards;

(2)The location and placement of the boat dock shall be compatible with other docks in the area, and the shoreline contour of the lake;

(3)The current level of the lake shall not be a factor in deciding whether to approve or deny a variance; and

(4)The requirements of section 42-64(1) except for subsection 42-64(1)d.

(Ord. No. 92-6, ch. V, art. A, § 3, 12-15-1992; Ord. No. 04-03, § 5, 3-12-2004)

Sec. 48-34. - Boat docks not on Lake Conway.

(a)Any person desiring to construct a boat dock in an industrially zoned district shall be subject to the provisions of this article except as follows:

(1)A boat dock constructed in an industrially zoned district shall not be required to comply with the provisions of section 48-32 except that all boat docks shall be permanently affixed to the water body bottom; and

(2)The survey required by subsection 48-31(a)(2)g. shall indicate the normal high water elevation (if any) of the applicable body of water.

(b)Zoning approval for construction of a boat dock on a waterway other than Lake Conway shall be subject to the following criteria:

(1)The boat dock shall not create conditions hazardous to navigation.

(2)The boat dock shall not create any safety hazards.

(3)The boat dock shall not interfere with the riparian rights of any adjacent property.

(4)The boat dock shall have a minimum setback of five feet from projected property lines of all abutting shoreline properties.

(Ord. No. 06-04, § 1, 4-4-2006)

Secs. 48-35—48-60. - Reserved.

Aluminum Floating Dock for Haines City Park

 

Fender Marine Construction We have been working as a subcontractor for Welbro Constructors for a long time doing their marine construction. We designed and built this aluminum floating dock through Welbro for a Haines City park. It was ADA compliant and required State permitting as well as local. Here you can see the upper portion of the fixed dock, the gangway and the floating dock.

Fender Marine Construction Another photo of the Lake Eva- Haines City floating dock featuring our President Lucy Fender!

Our customer Welbro Constructors and thier customer Haines City are very happy with the project.

Boathouse Orlando with difficult soils but great results!

Fender Marine Construction Started a new boathouse in the Isle of Catalina Orlando on a canal that leads to Clear Lake. The soil was very hard and the piles could not be jetted into place. We used our auger to drill the pile holes to a 6' depth.

Here on the Isle of Catalina boathouse you can see the piles set into position and at the required depth. It took a long time to get the piling right, but "you have to build upon a good foundation"!

This is a photo of the Johnson boathouse almost finished. Here we are working on the installation of the aluminum boat cradle.

Just got this photo of the Johnson boathouse- Giant 30' long for the hugh 28' float boat. We upgraded the lift system to 6,000 lb capacity boat cradle, lift motor and gear assembly. Great marine construction project for really wonderful customers!

Cloud 9 Services, Inc. forms dba Fender Marine Construction

Fender Marine Construction We appeared before the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board 2 weeks ago to get the subsiiary of Cloud 9 Services, Inc., Fender Marine Construction approved as a Florida State Certified Marine Contractor. We were approved unanimously. See the new logo!

Florida Marine Contractor's Association Uninsured Enforcement Success

We are pleased to report that after months of discussion, break through changes were confirmed on a conference call this past Friday that will positively affect the Marine Industry. Below is a summary of the conference call for your review.

Until recently, uninsured marine contractors were able to build docks and seawalls on “non-navigable” waterways with no repercussions from the State of Florida’s Division of Workers Compensation if that contractor had no Workers Compensation coverage (code 6006F) in force. Past case law prohibited the State from pursuing violators and issuing “Stop Work Orders” because of a loop hole concerning enforcement jurisdiction of State Act coverage (regulated by the State of Florida’s Division of Workers Compensation) and United States Longshoreman and Harbor Worker's Act (USL&H) (regulated by the Department of Labor).

Bottom line, marine contractors who have been losing work due to the under priced estimates of uninsured contractors can now seek assistance from the State to issue “Stop Work Orders” at jobs that are on “non-navigable” waterways.

This is a huge step forward for the marine industry in getting the State to step up to assist on this matter, because up until now, they would only refer frustrated inquiries to the Department of Labor. As many of you know, due to funding and government cutbacks, the Department of Labor does not proactively enforce the need for USL&H coverage for “jobs in progress”.

At an upcoming FMCA Central Florida Chapter meeting being held on Wednesday, October 14th, we hope to address enforcement of USL&H with the Department of Labor of uninsured contractors working on “navigable” waterways.

In the meantime, violators can be reported via the web by going to: www.myfloridacfo.com/wc Go to the area located on the center right of the web page entitled: Report Suspected Workers’ Comp Non-Compliance. People can check their local phone listings to their local representatives. In Central Florida, Terence Phillips can be reached at 407-835-4467. In Tallahassee, William Dorney can be reached at 850-413-1825.

FMCA continues to work hard to benefit its members and looks forward to pressing forward on the challenges the marine industry faces.

Respectfully submitted,

Rick Dalrymple, CPIA, CMIPFMCA Chapter Director, Central Florida(407)998-4108 Fax: (407) 788-7933Email: Rick.Dalrymple@IOAUSA.comWeb: http://www.ioausa.com/

For the finest in Marine Construction in Florida, call Rick Fender @ Cloud 9 Services, Inc. 407-481-8383

Seawall and retaining Wall Repair Solutions

Seawall and retaining wall problems in Central Florida.

Following the hurricanes back in 2003 and 2005, there was a flurry of dock and seawall reconstruction in Central Florida. When there is so much opportunity for work, every guy with a pickup truck becomes a marine contractor. The problems with hiring an inexperienced licensed contractor to perform marine construction such as docks, seawalls, retaining walls, boardwalks, boathouses, channel markers, mooring piles and marinas. There are special skills and techniques as well as specialized equipment required for marine construction repair and new construction projects to be successful.

Today I met with a customer in Phillips Landing on Sand Lake. She had a non-marine contractor install a 5’ high and 250’ long aluminum seawall after the hurricanes. She called me because the wall was falling over into the lake. Not only is the damaged seawall dangerous to walk around but the beautifully landscaped yard is about to be destroyed. This wall needs to be repaired immediately.

It appears that the seawall or retaining wall failure was a result of a combination of mistakes made by the contractor. The wall did not have any ports in the face of the wall to allow water to flow from behind the wall. This causes the seawall to fail as a result of the hydrostatic pressure building behind the wall.

The homeowner did the right thing by requiring the contractor to be licensed and to procure a building permit. However, the contractor was fly-by-night and is now out of business. There is no company left to stand behind the wall construction. The customer did not require that the seawall contractor be a member of the Florida Marine Contractor's Association which requires its members to not only be appropriatley licensed but also carry the required United States Longshoreman's Insurance.

The solution we suggest is costly but effective. We would remove the soil from behind the wall where the wall has begun to lean and bow. We would then install new deadmen and tiebacks between the old tiebacks. We would then use a mini-excavator to pull the wall back into a vertical position. We would replace portions of the seawall cap where it cannot be reused. After the wall is straight, the original deadmen and tiebacks will be adjusted to pick up a portion of the load exerted on the wall by the soil. After the deadmen and tiebacks are right, we would carefully backfill against the wall. Once the wall is backfilled, the tiebacks are adjusted again and the yard is cleaned up and sodded.

We would install vents in the seawall face to allow water to pass from behind the wall into the lake through the wall. This will limit the hydrostatic pressure building up behind the wall during the wet season here in Florida.

There are other solutions available that do not require digging up the yard to install deadmen. We will go into that system in another entry to my marine construction blog.

If you need help with marine construction anywhere in Florida, feel free to contact Cloud 9 Services, Inc. We are State Certified Marine Contractors. 407-481-2750.

Unlicensed and underinsured contractors

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation writes a lot about their efforts to stop unlicensed activity. I appreciate their efforts although they are severely limited by a lack of funding which results in less of an ability to enforce the law. When they write about unlicensed activity and what consumers can do to protect themselves, they mention checking the contractor’s license of the person performing the work. They should also inform you that consumers should make sure that the company or person that they are entering into a contract with is the same person or company listed on the license. This is because some unlicensed contractors use another contractor’s license to pull the permit. This is illegal and is called aiding and abetting an unlicensed contractor. The DBPR should also educate the consumer and the local building departments that they should never pull a permit for anyone to do work on their home. The exception which never happens is if the consumer follows the law and covers that unlicensed worker as an employee with workers compensation and withholds payroll taxes.

If the consumer knows that that is the requirement, homeowners would never pull the permit. This can best be stopped at the building department level. The other day I was attempting to procure a permit for an extensive dock repair with one of my customers. He and his engineer had prepared the plans for the permitting. I took my customer who is over 80 years old with me to get the permit in case the plans examiners had questions for him. When we appeared at the permit intake desk, the lady assumed that I was an unlicensed contractor helping the owner to pull the permit so that I could illegally repair his dock. She directed us to fill out the Homeowner’s Affidavit form that the building departments supply that basically states that the owner is going to perform the work himself or with family or with insured employees withholding payroll taxes. It was apparent that there was no way that the owner was capable of installing the piling for the dock as was required in the permit and the permit intake lady knew that. But she sent us over to fill out the form fraudulently. When I advised her that I am a Florida State Certified Marine Contractor, then of course the form was not needed. But had I not indicated that I was a licensee, we would have gotten the permit and if I were unlicensed and uninsured and performed the work, the project would have been performed illegally exposing the customer to great risk.

If the DBPR educates the building/permitting departments and gets their cooperation on this, we would cut unlicensed activity in the State by at least 70%. This would mean a lot less ripped off consumers. There would be significantly less docks and seawalls being built over neighbor’s property lines, built incorrectly and a lot less pain and suffering associated with such things.

Another way to view this issue is to consider an unlicensed doctor. By being unlicensed, he is showing that he lacks the ability to become licensed and exposes the consumers to great harm. Unlicensed doctors go to jail. In fact all the licensed doctors who went to school, passed their tests, performed their internship and became a part of the medical establishment would be up in arms if they knew of an unlicensed doctor seeing patients and performing operations. What of the consumer? If he did not know that the doctor was unlicensed and perhaps there were forged documents on the wall or websites showing the doctors fine work, well then the poor consumer has been duped and could suffer greatly. But what about the consumer that goes to the doctor knowing that the doctor is unlicensed and breaking the law? For the illusion of saving money, they are willing to help the doctor break the law that was designed to protect the consumer?
I don’t feel that the consumer deserves the bad workmanship or lack of exposure to loss without recourse that they receive working with the unlicensed doctor. They may have not been educated on the serious ramifications of dealing with an unlicensed professional.

For marine construction, United States Longshoreman and Harborworker’s Act insurance is required. Through our work at the Florida Marine Contractor’s Association, we have gotten the cost of the coverage reduced significantly. It is now an additional rider on top of the normal worker’s compensation insurance. Our code for Workers Comp for dock and seawall building is 6006F. While we are training the building/permitting departments about the unlicensed activity, we hope to also train them to reject contractors from permitting docks or seawalls if on or adjacent to any water body unless they have the 6006F on their policy. This further protects the consumer in case one of the workers is injured. Learn more about worker's compensation fraud.
If we can stop unlicensed contractor activity, the consumer will be better off, the economy will be better off and the contractors who have paid their dues by procuring the experience, the licensing and the insurance to work as professionals for the public will be better off. Everyone wins except the criminals who should not win. Crime should not pay, but until we can stop unlicensed and uninsured and underinsured contractor activity, crime does pay.

For a licensed marine contractor with the appropriate insurance to protech thier employees and customers, contact Cloud 9 Services, Inc. at 407-466-9952

Dock and boathouse amenities

After the last Board of Director’s Meeting of the Florida Marine Contractor’s Association this past July, my wife Lucy and I hosted a small party at our home for the meeting attendees. The purpose of the party was to entertain my fellow Board Members and their families and enjoy their company. I also wanted to show off some of the amenities that I sell with the docks I build. I try to get my prospective customers to come to my house and check out the work so that they can get an idea of the craftsmanship, design and possible amenities they could enjoy by working with Cloud 9 Service, Inc.

At the party, I discovered that most of my coastal brother and sister marine contractors do not have the ability to build covered decks or boat houses in their area. For those of you who are able to build covered activity decks and are not as limited on the maximum square footage allowed, I offer these design and amenity tips.

When designing your access walkway and you say have a stand of trees and you could just draw a straight line to get to the terminal platform or you could meander the walkway through the trees, choose to meander. I tell my customers that getting to the terminal platform is a major portion of the enjoyment of having and dock. It costs more money for the added walkway, but it is worth it.

When adding lighting to the dock or walkway, we use trim boards to conceal the wiring and we use lights that shine down onto the deck as opposed that shine out and cause light pollution. I am considering adding rope lighting to the sides of the terminal platform and walkway, but if I do, it will be behind a skirt so that the light shines down into the water as opposed to shining out across the lake.

In Central Florida, we are permitted to have covered activity decks. Cloud 9’s header system for the roof is comprised of (2) 2x10s sandwiching the 6x6 piling with a 2x6 at the bottom forming a trough beam. This trough beam allows us to add recessed can lighting in various colors and attached to a dimmer, it can be very beautiful. For my activity deck I also added LCD TVs driven by a DVD player with speakers hidden in an enclosed box in the ceiling. Sometimes we play movies but we mainly play music videos when we are entertaining. Then for the real parties we added a disco light that simulates waves of light across the deck, water and ceiling.

The summers are so hot here that we really can’t sit out on the covered activity deck without over heating or being eaten by mosquitoes. Those problems were solved by the addition of a water mist system to the box beam header system over the covered activity deck portion of the terminal platform area. The mist can reduce the ambient air temperature by up to 30 degrees depending on the relative humidity of the air. When you add the black lights, disco lights, blue recessed can down lights to the mist, it is a party on the water.

Since we planned the covered activity deck as a separate entertainment area, we finished it off with a granite table(wind stable) and chairs, a small drink frig and a waste and recycle bin area.

I know many of you have your own great ideas of amenity packages and I encourage you to write about them in an article like this and send to the Editor(Steven Webster) for publication of the FMCA. In this way, all of our fellow members and our customers across the State and Country can share our ideas that could help our businesses and make our lives more enjoyable. Rick Fender Cloud 9 Services, Inc. 407-481-2750

Decking Options for docks, decks and walkways

There are many decking options available to dock and deck owners here in Central Florida. In this article I will try to touch on a few of the wood decking materials I use with the benefits and challenges associated with each one.

The natural wood decking materials can be the domestic Southern Yellow Pine or Cypress or the imports such as the Brazilian Hardwoods. The Southern Yellow Pine decking normally offered on the standard deck or dock is pressure treated to .40 ACQ or CA. These treatment chemicals are now in use since the EPA ruling making the use of CCA pressure treated wood illegal for all marine uses except for structural timbers. The #1 grade of Southern Yellow Pine should be used as a minimum if you choose to go with a Pine deck. I recommend the use of 2”x6” boards for the decking without a gap being placed between the boards. As the deck boards dry out, they will develop their own gap of approximately 1/4".

The 2”x6” Pine decking will allow you to have your joists spaced 24” on center whereas if you use the less expensive 5/4”x6” Pine decking I would space the joists 16” O.C.

If you are on a tight budget, the 2”x6” #1 pressure treated Southern Yellow Pine is the way to save money in the short term. However, in order to keep the wood surface looking good for years to come, you will need to perform periodic maintenance on the decking. This includes lightly pressure cleaning and sealing every 12 to 24 months for the life of the deck. There are several types of stains and paints that are made specifically for use on pressure treated Pine decking. The one I recommend most is Spa-n-deck from The Flood Company. The best price I have found for this ultra-violet wood protectant and stain is from Decks & Docks Lumber at 4801 95th St, N St. Petersburg, FL 33708. Contact: Mr. Dan Gileo phone: 727-399-9663 fax: 727-399-8453 email: decksanddocks@tampabay.rr.com website: http://www.decks-docks.com/.

Of course the #1 Pressure treated Southern Pine decking is available from several lumber yards around town. I deal with Southern Pine on Hansel Avenue in Pine Castle. They deliver in a timely manner and the quality of the decking is good. Their phone number is 407-251-1900.

Another type of Southern Yellow Pine decking that I recommend is the “UltraWood” 2”x6” decking. This Pine is a grade above the basic #1. It is a #1 dense or better grade which means the wood grain is tighter, the knots are smaller and because the edges are rounded(eased), there is very little wane. This means almost every piece of the wood is good for decking and requires very little culling. Another reason and I feel the most important reason to buy this “UltraWood” is that during the pressure treatment process, it is also treated with a water repellent. This means that the normal hydration and dehydration which occurs to the decking when it rains and dries out does not occur with the “UltraWood” to the extent that it does with normal #1 Pine decking. This constant expanding of the wood when it gets wet and then shrinking again when it dries out causes the wood to splinter and crack prematurely. Certainly painting and applications of the “ultra-violet wood protectant” to the normal #1 will help slow this natural weathering and inevitable aging of the wood, starting with the “UltraWood” decking is a great way to make sure you deck will have a long life. The “UltraWood” can also be stained and treated with the ultra-violet wood protectant.

The most beautiful of the wood decking products that I have found are the Brazilian hardwoods. This material is sometimes called “Ironwood” and there are several different types with different colors and grains. It is the same decking used by Disney World on most of their wood deck area. It is very good for not splintering since the fibers of the wood are very dense and almost hair like when they are cut. There are three ways you can go with the maintenance of this wood. You can choose to simply do nothing to it and it will dry and weather to a silver gray. You could also choose to apply a nut oil called “Penofin” to the Ipe to get a very rich Mahogany brown color and deep luster to the wood. The challenge with the Penofin is that it must be applied several times over the next few years. The Penofin oil tends to build up after every application so that the frequency the application is required decreases over the years. The Penofin is available from 84 Lumber in Tavares at 352-742-8500 or Ace Hardware in Cape Canaveral at 321-784-1528. The final treatment I have found for the Brazilian Hardwoods is Floodpro Supreme Performance available from Decks & Docks Lumber as listed above. This coating is water based and carries a 3 year warranty on decks.
The Brazilian Hardwoods are very dense and pre-drilling and counter sinking of the screws is required. You must use carbide blades for sawing and carbide drill bits for drilling. A 5/4”x6” deck board can span up to 36” but I always use it with 24” O.C. joists. Lumber dealers carry the Ipe in a 1” nominally thick deck board which is reported to span up to 24” but I have not tried it as I use the 5/4” thick board. Even though there is some periodic maintenance required for the mahogany look of the Ipe to be maintained, I think as it is the most beautiful natural wood decking, it is worth it.

Next article I will write about the composite and plastic decking that is setting the market on fire.

Cloud 9 Services, Inc. is a Central Florida Marine Contractor. We build boat docks, boathouses, decks, boardwalks, gazebos, pergolas, seawalls, retaining walls- both commercial and residential. Our State Certified General Contractor's License number is CG C026854. Our website is http://www.cloud9services.com/. We can be reached by email at rick@cloud9services.com. Our phone number is 407-481-2750. We are members of the Florida Marine Contractor's Association whose website is http://www.fmca.us/.