First Florida offers competitively priced commercial construction for discerning developers. Since our inception in 1963, we have built over 22,000 housing units, 3,500 hotel rooms and over 2,600 Assisted Living Facility and Senior Housing units throughout the United States and Caribbean.
We have the experience, the people, the financial strength and the track record of success in affordable housing and market-rate housing markets to consistently outperform our competitors. Talk to our clients and you will find that we bring projects in on budget and on time. We build HUD, 221, D-3, D-4, Davis Bacon and tax credit work. We perform negotiated work and hard bid projects.
The lack of management layers at First Florida means issues that need solutions go straight to top management with no frustrating bureaucracy. We maintain a scale of operations that enables our company principals to be involved in all aspects of our client relationships. We personally negotiate, estimate, subcontract and inspect each construction project. This allows for tighter controls and better interaction with clients and subcontractors. It also allows us to complete projects of a higher quality with fewer problems along the way.
At First Florida, we believe that our people are our most important asset. A stringent screening and hiring process helps us to consistently hire the best people in the industry. And we keep them. We invest our profits in our talented staff and as a result, we have one of the highest employee retention rates anywhere. That translates to speed and efficiency in the building process and consistency in the people you deal with at First Florida.
Many local general contractors lost value caused by the housing crisis. But the stability of the Affordable Housing market has contributed to a bottom line at First Florida that is healthier than ever. This results in a strong cash flow position and the ability to maintain a solid record of prompt payment to suppliers and subcontractors. We are proud to work with some of the best subcontractors in Florida and we work hard to have them enjoy working with us. Our strong financial position also assures that we have the bonding capacity to build the jobs we want to build.
Bob Miller, the President of First Florida, is the Chairman of Rebuilding Together Miami-Dade, a non-profit organization that restores homes for low-income, disabled and elderly homeowners through Miami-Dade County at no cost to the homeowners. Working together with other local contractors, First Florida has helped hundreds of families receive repairs that include handicap access, new roofs, plumbing and electrical repairs. We donate a substantial amount of staff time each year to helping improve the lives and homes of people in need.
First Florida is committed to safety on our job sites. We have achieved the prestigious White Level Partner rating through the Construction Health and Safety Excellence review committee of the Associated General Contractors of America and OSHA. We employ a full-time safety manager who continuously monitors our jobs for compliance.
Our safety policy is published as a part of each and every contract and adherence is strictly supervised. We are proud of our safety history, which can be found on the OSHA web site. Weekly meetings are held at every job site specifically to discuss safety issues. We are dedicated to education about all aspects of safety on our job sites.
All First Florida Superintendents are required to have a 30-hour OSHA certification.
After comprehensive eight-hour investigations, First Florida has been awarded OSHA’s Sunshine State Safety Award for our proactive commitment to safety at numerous construction sites around the state. The Sunshine State Safety Award is given to companies that excel in their compliance with OSHA standards and regulations. The inspection simulates an actual OSHA inspection with comprehensive audits of the safety and health programs. Action plans and evidence manuals are reviewed and a comprehensive field inspection is conducted. The program is federally funded by OSHA. The award is given to approximately forty winners each year state-wide, including both general industry and construction.
Because we understand the financial demands on our clients, our corporate culture is built around a commitment to control our operating costs. In the last five years, we have built six million square feet of apartments with an office staff of only twelve people. As a result of our low overhead, we have the ability to spend on compensation and benefits, which reduces staff turnover and fosters a culture of teamwork, communication and interaction among staff.
We built the first LEED™ certified affordable housing project in Miami-Dade County and we are committed to leading the industry in delivering sustainable projects. In addition to LEED™, we have built a number of projects certified by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) using their National Green Building Standard program (NGBS).
Buildings have a vast impact on the natural environment, human health and the economy. By adopting green building strategies, we can maximize both economic and environmental performance. We believe that the most significant benefits can be obtained if the design and construction team takes an integrated approach from the earliest stages of a building project. In addition to the environment and social benefits of green building, economic benefits include reduced operating costs and optimized life-cycle performance. By participating in design-build and value engineering pre-construction meetings, we aim to maximize our buildings’ sustainability.
Sunrise Commons Apartments in Naranja, Florida, was the first LEED™ certified affordable housing project in Miami-Dade County. It has been recognized as one of the Top Buildings of America by The Building of America Network, which is a 15-year compilation of the nation’s most important and unique new construction and renovation projects.
We are leading the industry in green building innovation that will enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems, improve air and water quality, reduce waste streams and conserve and restore natural resources. These environmental benefits will produce economic benefits by reducing operating costs, improving occupant productivity and optimizing life-cycle economic performance. The result will be heightened social benefits such as enhanced occupant comfort and health, minimized strain on local infrastructure and improvement in the overall quality of life.
We have been building in the state of Florida since the company was founded in Miami in 1963. Over the past ten years alone, we have built in 15 Florida counties. We are particularly proud of our ability to produce excellent results for our clients in both metropolitan areas and small counties wherever projects are most needed.
