In the lead up to General Election, spending will either speed up or slow down, depending upon the anticipated outcome. Once a new President is inaugurated, the first year is somewhat predictable. If there is a Republican in the White House, there will be initiatives to improve the infrastructure, creating jobs.  The economy buoys confidence and construction spending goes up.  We are the happy recipients in the Civil Engineering industry.  As an 8(a) certified provider, increased governmental spending is good news for us at Solid Rock.

The Rainy Season

Jacksonville’s Rainy Season runs from June through September.  It is common for us to experience torrential downpours every afternoon after a sunny, hot morning and return to now steamy, sunny and hot in the evening, until the ocean’s winds blow it all through.

1 Flooded roads, even those that are temporarily flooded, impact tourism. It is the perception of the a problem, mostly, for the tourists. But for permanent residents the issue is that wet road last two-fifths as long as roads with good drainage. When the limestone rock, perfect for draining water, but useless when it sits in water, gets soaked over a period of time, it turns into mashed potatoes and the surface above fails. Buckling, cracking, subsidence…. all thanks to the water not draining through the limestone but sitting around it.

2 Insects. Standing water is the only place that mosquitoes breed. It is the same with dragonflies. They both carry diseases, not just to humans, but to pets also. Mosquitoes carry heart worms and tapeworms to pets, where to humans they generously share malaria, dengue, and encephalitis, among other blights like West Nile, etc.

3Weight. Standing water, particularly on a roof, adds weight that some surfaces haven’t been constructed to withstand. 1″ of water on a 10′ x 10′ area will add 500lbs of weight. Over a 200 square foot surface that becomes 1,000 pounds! Sagging is one result, another is a leak, and the most obvious is where the roof caves in.

4Debris. Standing water hides debris. It is not easy to see a rusty nail, or bit of construction debris once it is covered by muddy water or the reflective surface a puddle becomes once the sun is out.

5Chemicals. From pesticides, lawn treatments, foundation anti-bug treatments. All of those are made with chemicals that may or may not combine harmlessly with the hydrogen and oxygen in rain water.