Newsday
LI's Builders Cleaning Up After Andrew
December -26-1992

By Joe Catalano. Joe Catalano is a free-lance writer.
DESPITE GLIMMERS OF HOPE that the recession is ending, Long Island's construction industry remains sluggish. But a number of L.I.'s builders and tradespeople have found plenty of work in South Florida, a region devastated by Hurricane Andrew. When Andrew ripped through Miami and communities south of the city on Aug. 24, an estimated 80,000 homes and 82,000 businesses were damaged or destroyed. Total damage is estimated at $20 billion. "There's as much work as [a contractor] can handle," said Steven Baranello, vice president of the Baranello Organization in Williston Park.

On Long Island, Baranello concentrates on commercial development, but in Florida he is rebuilding homes because it will be a while before there is significant commercial work. It takes longer for commercial insurance claims to be settled and for architects to redraw building plans, he said. When commerical rebuilding begins, Baranello's firm will shift back to its traditional focus. While there is no shortage of work in South Florida, Baranello said he is having trouble finding tradespeople. "Anyone that can swing a hammer down there is working," he said. Skilled workers have come from as far away as Alaska, Baranello said, and contractors have filled the newspapers with ads seeking more. The Beechwood Organization of Williston Park is also keeping busy in South Florida. Michael Dubb, the firm's co-owner, arrived two days after the storm hit. "It was an absolute horror," he said. "Communities were virtually wiped out." He set up an office in Kendall, south of Miami, and concentrated on Country Walk, a 10-year-old development where every one of 1,700 single-family homes was damaged. He had hoped to rebuild 25 homes in a year; now he estimates his firm will do 100 jobs.

While tradespeople of all kinds are at a premium, Dubb said the biggest need is for roofers because so many roofs blew off in the face of Andrew's winds. Bohemia-based Triple M Roofing Corp. is one L.I. company that didn't have to scramble to set up an office in Florida. Richard Milanese, owner of the 53-year-old firm, opened an office in Fort Lauderdale in 1976, after one of his three sons started attending college in nearby Miami. The demand is overwhelming, Milanese said. Eleven workers from his Bohemia office, who would have been laid off because of lack of work on Long Island, were brought to Florida to join an overworked crew of 29. Where he used to spend 35 percent of his time in Florida, Milanese now spends 80 percent, getting up at 4:30 a.m. every day so he can handle all the work. He estimated that 300 to 400 roofers from Long Island are working in South Florida.

Many other contractors from around the country find themselves short of work in their own back yards and would like to set up shop in Florida, but are hesitant because they are unfamiliar with the state's licensing requirements and local building codes. Baranello noted that Florida's licensing process is more involved than New York's, and includes a six-hour test. A Carle Place company, Public Services Corp., is organizing seminars to show contractors and developers what they need to know to work in South Florida. Seminar coordinator Norman Pinkard said the first of the sessions is set for Jan. 4-5 in Miami. Scheduled speakers include the city of Homestead's chief inspector of buildings and zoning and Dade County's director of compliance review. About 100 people have already signed up for the $395-per-person event, said Pinkard, and about six of them are from Long Island. For companies that know the ropes, the rewards can be substantial. "We can't do all the work we're offered," said Milanese.

Copyright 1992, Newsday Inc.
Joe Catalano, LI's Builders Cleaning Up After Andrew., 12-26-1992, pp 39.

Back to News Page