Contractors, developers, designers, construction workers—nearly everyone in the construction industry throughout South Florida—should be prepared for a significant increase in infrastructure-related construction work. Notwithstanding, and perhaps in part because of, issues resulting from the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, local governments seem to be prioritizing repairs and improvements to their ailing infrastructure systems. We’re seeing signs of this with roadway work in particular. Their rationale seems to be, why not repave a damaged roadway when no one is currently using it or where the use rate is significantly lower than normal?

Further, in the months immediately preceding COVID-19, water and sewer issues in South Florida were bubbling up, pun intended, with almost weekly news stories about sewer main breaks in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach. In Fort Lauderdale alone, millions of gallons of sewage were dumped into local rivers, resulting in over $1 million of fines from Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection Agency. This, combined with the problems associated with other aspects of an aging infrastructure system, has local residents starting to voice their concerns. But like with most problems, the solutions being discussed to address such conditions also create opportunities.