September 17, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, FACEC
President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: This past week was the 18-month anniversary of us shutting down mandatory attendance at our offices because of COVID. Since then, we had our share of illnesses (not all COVID), we’ve had employees lose family members and we’ve had some clients put a freeze on all their projects. But we’ve also adapted – having onboarded over 40 employees virtually, with six employees working outside Florida. I’m not sure what the future will hold, but I’m very proud of the flexibility and resiliency of all our employees.

Looking ahead: I run a business. I’m proud that in my 22 years with the firm, we’ve grown from three employees to 105 employees. I’m vaccinated and everyone in my family that is eligible is vaccinated. What I can’t wrap my brain around is how the federal government thinks putting my business in some sort of supervisory role to implement vaccinations is a good idea. If the president wants to have people get vaccinated, then make it a mandate. If the governor wants to fine people for mandates, then so be it. Leave business out of it!

September 10, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, FACEC
President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: This past week, the city of Fort Lauderdale experienced the first tidal event that qualifies under the definition of king tides. King tides provide a glimpse of future everyday water levels, and they are a way to communicate local sea-level rise impacts over long time periods. Low-lying shoreline development is at increased risk of flooding because of rising seas, and public investments in infrastructure, housing and habitat restoration projects are often expected to last for decades, so we get a glimpse of what is to come in the future. Stay safe and avoid driving when roads are totally underwater.

Looking ahead: Broward County is taking a major step forward next week with the selection of a consultant to develop the Countywide Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan. The purpose of this plan is to develop an actionable resilient infrastructure improvement plan consisting of a visualization platform to aid regional planning and provide a foundation for collective mitigation of future flooding. While that sounds like a mouthful, it really is a critical step to not only create a countywide plan to address sea-level rise and resiliency, but also to be sure it is in a format accessible to all county residents.

August 27, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, FACEC
President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: Last week, the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) asked water users to cut back on consumption because of COVID. OUC uses ozone for disinfection in their water treatment process, which requires the use of liquid oxygen. Liquid oxygen is also used in treatments for high oxygen flows for critical COVID patients. With the current spike in COVID patients in hospitals requiring the aforementioned high flows, the supply of liquid oxygen is limited. This won’t impact South Florida water supplies, but it highlights how fragile both the supply chain and water treatment processes are. Bottom line is this: Save potable water!

Looking ahead: With the passage of President Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan in the House, the time for reconciliation in the Senate is coming. The idea of tying a social program to an infrastructure plan to me is abhorrent. Infrastructure is an investment in the bones of our country. A social program is an investment in the heart of our country. Everyone is entitled to their opinions about whether or not the country needs an orthopedic doctor or a cardiologist, but I think we can all agree they don’t need to see patients together.

August 13, 2021
Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP
President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: This past week, I was listening to a piece on NPR that was hosted by two writers from the Miami Herald. They were still talking about the tragedy in Surfside. I normally would have switched it off, since as a leader in most engineering societies in Florida, I know that there has been no definitive opinion authored yet, but I kept hearing the authors refer to “our engineers say” and “our engineers think.” If I can be of any public service, please note that no engineer worth their license would be speaking before analysis is done. Don’t believe the hype.

Looking ahead: As someone that owns a business that consults for infrastructure, I want to let everyone know that I’m incredibly concerned about the next week as the House considers the Senate bill related to more than $1 trillion in infrastructure. As a business owner, I know I’ll be hit with a lot of taxes. As an infrastructure designer, I know we’ll make some money. To me, it’s likely to be a wash, but for my fellow non-engineering business owners, I want to remind everyone that the multiplier for other businesses is 3-8 times the investment. Reliability is the key.