Florida
Time frame to report construction defects in Florida to shift from 10 to 7 years starting July 1
FLORIDA – Florida construction law is changing, cutting the amount of time homeowners have to file construction defect claims by 30%.
Beginning Monday, July 1, the time frame to report construction defects in the state of Florida will shift from 10 years to seven years.
The change in the law affects anyone who owns a home that was recently built, but it especially impacts homeowners in that 7-to-10-year time frame.
The News4JAX I-TEAM receives complaints regularly about construction defects in newer-built homes. Most recently, we heard from a Middleburg homeowner dealing with mold, humidity, and improper ventilation issues.
“It’s a brand-new house. It’s unacceptable,” homeowner Erin LePage said last year. “If we could have been here for our walkthrough, it would have been different.”
RELATED | ‘It’s unacceptable’: Middleburg homeowner says new build troubled with mold, humidity, ventilation issues
Brian Crevasse, a board-certified construction attorney, said this change will impact hundreds of thousands of people in Florida — if not more.
Senate Bill 360 was signed into law last summer changing the time limit from 10 years to seven years.
Crevasse said this is a real concern because he deals with clients who are often past the seven-year threshold when reporting construction defects.
“Oftentimes, these defects are actually concealed. And you wouldn’t be able to necessarily see that you have water intrusion, just by taking a walk around the building and looking at it, you would have to actually remove some of the exterior facade to look for the types of issues that we typically see,” Crevasse said.
The new law also changes when the countdown starts for filing claims. Previously, the time frame started when you got possession of your home or when construction was finished.
MORE | Worried about construction fraud? Here are some ways you can protect yourself
“If you are a homeowner or association that was built, you know, seven to 10 years ago, you know, you’re going to want to run out and get counsel as soon as possible to see if there’s a way to file by Monday. And then, for everybody else that may have homes that are four or five, six years old, you know, you’re just going to want to be extremely diligent about pursuing any potential issues that you might see with your home going forward so that you don’t run out of time at that seven years,” Crevasse said.
The new law starts the countdown from the earliest of the following events:
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When the building gets a temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy
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At the completion of the building
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At the abandonment of construction, even without completion
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Florida
Why some Florida basketball players have different jerseys vs Vanderbilt
Florida basketball fans sing ‘Won’t Back Down’ in win vs Tennessee video
Watch as fan’s sing Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” during Florida basketball’s 91-67 defeat of Tennessee in Exactech Arena.
NASHVILLE — Three Florida basketball players will have different jersey numbers in the Gators’ matchup against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Boogie Fland will wear No. 33 instead of No. 0, while fellow guard Xavian Lee will be in No. 99 instead of No. 1.
Center Micah Handlogten is also in a different jersey: No. 34 instead of No. 3.
The jersey changes are a result of a travel error a Florida spokesman told The Gainesville Sun. Notably, No. 33 normally belongs to Cooper Josefsberg, who will not dress out due to the mix-up, while No. 34 and No. 99 are backup jerseys.
This is 20th-ranked Florida’s first conference matchup against a ranked opponent as the Commodores are No. 8 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Gators are 8-68 all-time on the road vs. top-10 opponents, including 3-6 under Todd Golden. However, Golden’s three top-10 road wins are the most by any coach in Florida history.
The Gators and Commodores are set to tip off at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at AAbadie@usatodayco.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
Florida
SpaceX weekend rocket launch from Florida. Best places to watch
Who’s up for a nighttime launch this weekend? A rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled to lift off.
SpaceX plans to send a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday, Jan. 18.
Rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people in and around Brevard County usually have the best chance at seeing this phenomenon in the sky.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast is sometimes visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach and as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach.
When there’s a nighttime launch window or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it in person (or virtually via the USA TODAY Network’s Space Team).
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
When is the next SpaceX rocket launch in Florida? Sunday, January 18, SpaceX Starlink 6-100
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.
- Launch window: 5:04 p.m. to 9:04 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026
- Trajectory: Southeast
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
- Sonic booms: No
- Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.
Where to watch the next SpaceX rocket launch from Space Coast of Florida
Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you’ll get a view of the rocket launch − in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pads. The best view to watch a rocket launch from the Space Coast is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches.
If you are viewing the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river.
If you are farther south along the Indian River, look northeast.
Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest spot to view liftoff because it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coastline, (you can even see the pad from some spots).
Some hotspots to check out:
- Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Note, there’s a charge to park.
- Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there’s a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn’t always granted depending on capacity and time of day.
- Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge.
- Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville
- Sand Point Park, 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville
- Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
- Riverfront Park at Cocoa Village, 401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway)
- Cocoa Village, near the parks and shops or near the docks
- Various parks on Merritt Island
- Rotary Park, 1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
- Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island
- Port Canaveral, with ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean at port
- Alan Shepard Park, 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
- Cocoa Beach Pier, 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies.
- Lori Wilson Park, 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way.
- Sidney Fischer Park, 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
- Downtown Cocoa Beach, along Minutemen Causeway
- Tables Beach, 197 SR A1A, Satellite Beach
- The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach
- Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach
- Pineda Causeway
- Eau Gallie Causeway
- Front Street Park near Melbourne (U.S. 192) Causeway and U.S. 1 in Melbourne
- Indialantic boardwalk at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A
- Paradise Beach Park, aka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beachside park)
- Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter)
Florida
Florida roadway added to list of things named after Trump
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, Jan 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump marked the ceremonial renaming of a roadway near his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, the latest addition to a growing list of buildings, programs, and initiatives branded with his name since he returned to office in January.
State lawmakers approved giving an honorary new name to part of Southern Boulevard, a road linking Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club and residence. The road is frequently used by the president’s motorcade when traveling between the airport and the property.
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Trump said he was “tremendously honored” by the recognition. “I’ll remember this amazing gesture for the rest of my life,” he said, speaking at the event held at Mar-a-Lago.
The name change does not alter official addresses, emergency response systems, or government maps, county commissioners told local news outlets.
Washington has many buildings and monuments named for presidents, but these honors typically came long after they left office and are usually national tributes, often authorized by Congress.
Some historians view it as a superficial attempt by the president to cement his legacy, one that may ultimately prove short-lived.
Opposition has surfaced over the renaming of Washington’s leading performing arts venue as the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, prompting several performers to withdraw in protest.
Reporting by Nandita Bose in West Palm Beach, Florida; Editing by Sergio Non, Rod Nickel
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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