Money’s tight. Since the housing recession, everyone is paying closer attention to how they spend their money while evaluating the return on investment associated with those expenditures. When it comes to association dues, FHBA believes the same principles apply. During last week’s Summer Conference, held in conjunction with a very successful SEBC, FHBA leadership reiterated our commitment to fiscal responsibility. The FHBA overwhelmingly passed a motion to oppose the pending NAHB Dues increase and passed a Resolution to NAHB requesting that they focus more resources on advocacy efforts. In addition to the letter I sent to NAHB Chairman Ed Brady (click here to read the letter), we plan to testify at key committees during this week’s NAHB mid-year meeting in Miami. We are expecting a larger than usual number of Florida NAHB Directors to attend.
FHBA membership is growing as we focus on our core mission (advocacy) and invest in the talent and technologies needed to better communicate to our 7,800 members across the state. Our future is bright. But, we have to address our declining non-dues revenue and its impact on our ability to continue offering the programs and services our members enjoy. In an effort to be transparent and inclusive of the strategic issues facing us, a special Task Force has been appointed. They are charged with evaluating and recommending budgetary options to counter balance the decline of our non-dues revenue. We anticipate getting member and local EO feedback for the Task Force to consider during its deliberations. Time is of the essence as their job is to present recommendations for consideration to the Finance Committee in October so that the Finance Committee can present a balanced budget to the Board at the FHBA Fall Conference, November 3-5, in Sandestin. Hope to see you all there!