The Associated Builders and Contractors of North Florida hosted Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Moon concert hall earlier this month to celebrate its 2021 Excellence in Construction Awards, a biennial event honoring best-in-class merit shop commercial contractors from across the Florida Panhandle and recognizing their accomplishments in construction projects and jobsite safety.

During the ceremony, held on Nov. 18, the North Florida ABC awarded DeSantis with the Free Enterprise Award, citing "his commitment to keeping contractors at work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Our members deserve this kind of recognition for their safe, innovative and impressive work," said ABC North Florida Chapter President DeeDee Rasmussen in a news release. "These projects were completed despite the devastating damage caused by Hurricane Michael and a deadly pandemic threatening all aspects of health, safety and the economy. Our construction companies were fortunate to be able to carry on as an essential industry."

Member companies from ABC North Florida were honored for 30 projects in the  categories like health care, education, heavy infrastructure, military, commercial and specialty.

The Project of the Year winners were Comfort Systems USA Southeast in the specialty contractor category for their East Bay K-8 School in Navarre and White Construction in the general contractor category for the St. Joe Company Beckrich office building in Panama City.

"Our industry gathers to recognize the best work being done across our region," Jay Bostwick, chair of ABC North Florida and vice president at Sperry & Associates Construction, said in a statement. "We have project submissions from Perry to Pensacola, and these projects are really impressive. It is an honor to be associated with so many incredible companies whose work merits such recognition."

Submissions were judged by a panel of noncompeting industry experts who live and work in other parts of the state. Winning projects are eligible to complete in the national ABC EIC competition.