Jessie Spradley, Executive Officer, Northeast Florida Builders Association
Invest: interviewed Jessie Spradley, executive officer of Northeast Florida Builders Association, about why the association is the “loudest voice for housing” in Jacksonville, the problems with single-family zoning in the local area, and its wildly successful internship program that is trying to plug the gap of 375,000 open construction jobs.
Within the last year, what have been the biggest contributions or impact by Northeast Florida Builders Association on Jacksonville?
On the advocacy side, we were engaged with the local elections that took place last year. You win some and lose some with elections, but no matter who wins, you still must establish some sort of relationship with the winning party. We are involved with the transition process and with the new mayor, and we have staff and members that are serving on different committees focusing on the areas in which we specialize in. We have members that are experts in infrastructure, and others that are experts on housing. They are trying to help the mayor shape the path for Jacksonville over the next four to eight years.
Last year was also a big year for our large apprenticeship program. It is the largest merit-based program in the state, with 400 apprentices in five trades. Last year was the 50th anniversary of that program. We began the process of creating a standalone 501(c)3 dedicated to workforce development last year. We want to take what we accomplish in the apprenticeship program and turn it into a daytime program.
Workforce development is important, and nationally we are lacking many construction workers. There are over 375,000 open construction jobs in the nation. In a hot market like ours, we feel that, so we want to grow that program, but also expand our offerings to get people into the trades and the industry quicker. Builders Care is a group that helps to keep people in their homes, and last year they built over 50 access ramps to help people access their homes. It was nice to see lots of good wins.
What would be missing in your local sector if your organization was not there?
If we were not around, you would be losing the loudest voice for housing in Jacksonville. When it comes to market rate, workforce housing, we are it. The new homeowner isn’t able to advocate for themselves, so the only voices you hear when someone is discussing a new community are people that are opposed to it. We tend to be the ones to provide a voice to that new homeowner. On the education side, our apprenticeship program has also been wildly successful with thousands of graduates. My dad graduated from the program in the 1970s, and it meant a lot to him to have a skilled trade. He instilled that in me, and it has a huge financial impact on our area.
What are the most significant market trends that you have been watching that could impact the sector in Jacksonville?
We are growing quickly. For the second year in a row, we are the number one city in the country for net migration. Two years ago, we clipped the 1 million mark in Jacksonville proper. It took us 200 years to get to a million, but at this rate it will take only 40 more to get to 2 million. How are we going to add the next wave of residents to our city? The answer is to diversify our product. We need a greater variety of housing choices. We are a big advocate for pushing middle housing and building new housing types in single-family zones. Jacksonville is 90% single family zoning, so it limits what housing we can bring to the market. We need to see that change moving forward, and we need some new communities approved. There is a lot of pushback against that, but we are advocating for much-needed housing.
What legislation at a national or local level are you tracking to see how it may impact your services and clients?
One great thing about what we do is get to rely on our national association to fight for us. Our 2main priority is always controlling costs because 24% of the costs of a home are tied to fees and regulations. We try to stop new ones from coming into force and walk back what is already out there. At the state level, we are having a problem with wetland mitigation and mitigation credits. That can kill development because there are wetlands everywhere in Florida, and sometimes it is unavoidable. At the state level, we are seeing pushes related to construction fraud. We try to bust illegal contractors, but we want to do it in a way whereby the perpetrator is punished rather than pushing the blame further down the line. This just adds cost to the end user.
What are some of the most pressing needs for infrastructure within Jacksonville?
The answer you will hear from a lot of people is “downtown.” You can’t be a suburb of nowhere. We are the biggest net migration city in the country, but there needs to be a heart to where people are moving. Certain groups that want to build downtown have a lot of energy, but they need to get these projects moving as quickly as possible with the least number of obstacles so we can turn the corner on downtown. We also need to start to have a conversation about mass transit because the only way to get around is in a car. That is not always going to be viable, so getting the commuter counties to really start to think about the future of mass transit is important.
What advice would you give to a potential business owner or investor about the Jacksonville market?
First off, join NEFBA. We are a city of relationships. That is how we make connections in Jacksonville. If you come here, and get involved, you can get tied in quickly if you are willing to give your time, treasure and talents. You will find yourself moving up the ladder quickly. It is a small world of people, but it is an open one. If you want to get involved, we are ready to have you.
