By Foshee Construction Team
Foshee is partnering with Habitat for Humanity on two upcoming communities — a 5-lot development in Eustis and an 8-lot development in Leesburg — both scheduled to begin underground utility installation in December 2025. Multi-lot residential utility work like this means locates on every lot, often with existing utilities running along shared easements between properties, which makes getting the sequence right before the first trench opens especially important.
- Ticket called at least 2 full business days before excavation, per Florida's Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act requirements, not the day before.
- Positive response confirmed for every member utility on the ticket, not just assumed because marks appeared on the ground.
- All marks physically verified against the ticket — color-coded paint and flags cross-checked with the utilities actually listed as responding.
- Private utilities and unregistered lines accounted for separately, since irrigation, lighting, or previous-owner installations don't always show up through 811.
- Ticket expiration date tracked, since a locate that goes stale before digging starts has to be refreshed, not assumed still valid.
- Excavation method matched to proximity of marked lines — hand digging or vacuum excavation within the tolerance zone around a marked utility, machine excavation outside it.
- Site supervisor briefs the crew on marked locations before equipment moves, not just the person who called the ticket.
- Damage response plan in place in case a line is struck anyway, including who gets called first and how the area gets secured.
- Has every utility on this site been ticketed, including private lines that might not respond to a standard 811 call?
- Who on the crew is responsible for verifying that marks match the positive responses before digging starts?
- What's the plan if a ticket is about to expire but the work isn't finished yet?
- Does the excavation method change near a marked utility, or is it the same machine work throughout?
- If lots share utility easements, has each lot been ticketed and marked individually rather than treated as one combined site?
For related utility groundwork, see Foshee's guidance on underground pipe installation in Florida - https://fosheeconstruction.com/blog/underground-pipe-installation-florida and utility installation - https://fosheeconstruction.com/blog/utility-installation.
- Digging starting the same day a locate ticket was called, without the required waiting period.
- Marks on the ground that don't match the utilities listed as having responded to the ticket.
- No separate process for private or unregistered utilities that 811 doesn't cover.
- A ticket that's expired but crews keep digging under it anyway because remobilizing feels slower.
- Machine excavation used right up to a marked line instead of switching to hand digging or vacuum excavation in the tolerance zone.
At least two full business days before excavation is scheduled to start, not counting the day the ticket is called or weekends and holidays. This gives member utilities time to locate and mark or respond that they have no facilities in the area.
Not always. Sunshine 811 notifies registered member utilities, but private lines that were never registered — old irrigation systems, homeowner-installed conduit, previous site improvements — can be missed. That's why a private locate service is sometimes warranted on sites with unknown history.
The area needs to be secured immediately, the appropriate utility notified, and in the case of gas or electric lines, evacuated if there's any risk. Florida law requires reporting damage to underground facilities, and a documented damage response plan should already exist before digging starts.
Generally yes, especially when utilities run through shared easements between lots. Treating a multi-lot site as one blanket ticket can leave gaps in coverage exactly where utilities cross from one parcel to the next.
811 locates aren't a formality that clears a regulatory box — they're the difference between crews who know exactly what's beneath them and crews who are guessing. On sites with shared easements and multiple lots, like the Habitat for Humanity communities in Eustis and Leesburg, that discipline matters even more, because the margin for a missed line gets smaller with every additional lot.
Foshee Construction treats 811 locates as a standing field procedure on every excavation across Central Florida. To talk through an upcoming utility scope, start with the Foshee contact page - https://fosheeconstruction.com/contact.
- Underground Pipe Installation in Florida - https://fosheeconstruction.com/blog/underground-pipe-installation-florida
- Utility Installation - https://fosheeconstruction.com/blog/utility-installation
- Complete Site Prep Minneola - https://fosheeconstruction.com/blog/complete-site-prep-minneola
- Foshee Projects - https://fosheeconstruction.com/projects
We build bids using HeavyBid and AGTEK because the details matter long before the job starts. When the numbers are accurate and the scope is clearly defined, it sets the tone for how the entire project runs. Estimating isn’t just a step in the process, it’s the foundation we build on.
That same mindset carries into the field. Our crew is trained to work with purpose, follow the Civil Engineers’ Plan to the finest detail, and hold the line on quality. When expectations are clear from day one, there’s no need for shortcuts, and no confusion about how the work gets done.
Clients trust our bid packages because they’re complete and ready to use. Project managers know what we’re covering, what’s excluded, and how we plan to approach the job. That clarity removes friction and lets teams focus on execution instead of interpretation.
As part of our review process, we go into the plans before anything hits the site. We ask the questions early, resolve issues before they show up in the field, and keep RFIs moving. This approach prevents delays and protects the timeline.
Over time, that consistency builds trust. Many of the people we work with today came through referrals from past projects – engineers, GCs, and superintendents who’ve seen how we operate and want the same experience again.
In 2024, Foshee Construction was acquired by Saga Infrastructure Solutions, a national network of civil construction companies. Saga supports regional contractors by giving them access to better tools, long-term resources, and operational backing, without changing how they run day to day.
Foshee will continue to operate under its name, with the same team and field leadership in place.
“From the very time a project starts, we start that partnership. We try to catch as much as we can with the tools that we have. Not everybody is using the software platforms we are. That’s the differentiator: we’re not just bidding. We’re anticipating, problem-solving, and making sure the job runs right.”
— Don, CEO, Saga Infrastructure Solutions
Foshee is now part of a broader regional strategy that includes Florida, the Piedmont Atlantic, Texas, Colorado, and the Arizona Sun Corridor. The name, crews, and standards remain. What’s improving is the support behind it.
