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Arrested for Unlicensed Contracting, We can help.

Arrested for Unlicensed Contracting Unlicensed Contracting Broward County and Dade County have been setting up stings and actively pursuing unlicensed contractors. If you have been arrested for the crime of unlicensed contracting, we can help. Andrew Douglas is a construction litigation attorney and former prosecutor, and can help you to achieve the best possible result … Read more

Small Business Attorney

Small Business Attorney: A Small Business Attorney For All Aspects of Your Small Business and Personal Life In this economy every dollar counts, you need to see a Small Business Attorney for your business and your personal matters. Small Business Attorney is for more than your just business it is your one stop attorney for … Read more

Construction Litigation: Getting Paid for Your Work

Construction Litigation: Collecting Amounts Due for Work on a Construction Project When Written Demands for Payment Fail, you may need to see a Construction Litigation Attorney Construction litigation is court proceedings that arise out of a construction project.  A construction litigation case can by or between any of the players in the construction process including … Read more

Does Corporation Need Attorney to Bring or Defend a Lawsuit?

Does a Florida Corporation Need to be Represented by an Attorney In Court? Yes, but with one exception. A corporation may not represent itself through non-lawyer employees, officers, or shareholders. Nicholson Supply Co. v. First Federal Savings & Loan Ass’n of Hardee County, 184 So.2d 438 (Fla. 2d DCA 1966); See also Szteinbaum v. Kaes … Read more

Four Bases for Attorney’s Fees Entitlement in Florida

In Florida there are generally 4 bases to obtain attorney’s fees as damages in a lawsuit. The general rule also known as the “American Rule” is that each party bears its attorneys fees in litigation, it is the default rule in Florida. However, here are the exceptions to that rule. 1. Statutory Basis for Attorney … Read more

MythBusting: Lawsuit to Foreclose a Florida Claim of Lien- One year, No extensions!

There is a common misconception(myth) among contractors that the deadline to file a lawsuit on a claim of lien can be extended beyond the one year statutory period  simply by refiling the same claim of lien before the expiration of the first. This is inaccurate. Simply put, you have 1 year from the recording of … Read more

Florida Lien Machine

Introducing the Florida Lien Machine a  Construction Lien Notice | Construction Lien service provided by Andrew Douglas, P.A.      

Florida’s Statute of Frauds- Performance of Non-Written/Oral Contracts

Non-Compete Agreement

One of the first things an attorney thinks about when defending claims based on oral contracts is whether such claims are barred by the Statute of Frauds. The State of Frauds is a common law defense which has been incorporated into statute in Florida. Traditionally, the Statute of Frauds requires a signed writing in the … Read more

Pay-when-Paid Provisions in Construction Contracting

In construction contracting subcontractors need to be aware of “pay-when-paid”(pay-if-paid) clauses in their contracts with general contractors. The purpose of these provisions is to make payment by the general contractor (GC) to the subcontractor (sub) conditioned upon the GC receiving payment from the owner. Simply put, the GC wants to pay its sub for completed … Read more

Cited by OSHA for a workplace safety violation?

  OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is an agency of the Department of Labor. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace safety and health. For simplicity’s sake, OSHA has officers which perform workplace inspections and issue citations for  non-compliance with  promulgated standards found in … Read more

The Miller Act: Recovering from the Bond on Federal Construction Projects

Overview The Miller Act requires that prime contractors for the construction, alteration, or repair of Federal buildings furnish a payment bond for contracts in excess of $100,000. Other payment protections may be provided for contracts between $30,000 and $100,000. The payment bond is required as security for the protection of those supplying labor and/or materials … Read more

Florida Construction Law: Serve a Notice to Owner to Preserve Lien Rights

The filing of a Notice to Owner is just one of many steps in perfecting a claim of lien under Florida law. The Notice to Owner is filed by a subcontractor or materialman who does not have a contract with the Owner. This notices simply lets the Owner know “hey, I am working on your … Read more

Local Preference in Florida Public Procurement

Generally, public works construction projects must be procured by  competitive bidding. Fla. Stat. 255.20(1).  However, the requirement for competitive bidding in Fla. Stat. 255.20 does not prohibit application of any small-business or disadvantaged-business enterprise program or any local-preference ordinance.Fla Stat. 255.20(i). Local Preference ordinances are used by governmental entities to help local businesses obtain public work, … Read more

Bid Protests – Public Procurement

A bid protest is a tool available to bidders on public projects who feel that they have been aggrieved by the bid process. However, to properly bring a bid protest you need to have standing. Generally, only the second lowest bidder has standing to challenge the award to the lowest bidder. There are some exceptions … Read more