Hollywood, Florida sits at the geographic midpoint between Fort Lauderdale and Miami — a position that places local land surveying firms in service of two of South Florida's most active development counties simultaneously. Florida Building & Land Surveying, with over 30 years serving Broward County, provides boundary, topographic, elevation, and property surveys across Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Miramar, Pompano Beach, and all of Broward County. Hollywood Land Surveying and Core Group Action Land Surveyors are among the firms that focus specifically on Hollywood's residential and commercial market.
Hollywood's dual-county positioning means survey firms based here often hold contracts in both Broward and Miami-Dade County jurisdictions — and the resulting staffing requirements can push mid-size firms above the 20-employee federal COBRA threshold in ways that single-county firms rarely encounter. Additionally, much of Broward County lies within FEMA-designated flood zones, creating persistent demand for elevation certificates that sustains year-round survey staffing — but also means crews may be adjusted between peak construction and elevation certificate seasons.
Federal COBRA applies to private-sector employers that maintained a group health plan and had 20 or more employees on at least 50% of their typical business days in the prior calendar year. For Hollywood survey firms serving both Broward and Miami-Dade, the combined project load from two high-activity counties often justifies staffing levels above the COBRA threshold — making proper COBRA administration an ongoing obligation rather than an occasional concern.
The employee count for COBRA threshold purposes includes all staff — PSMs, field technicians, instrument operators, office and CAD staff, and part-time workers counted proportionally. A Hollywood firm with 15 full-time surveyors and 12 part-time field crew each working 60% of full-time hours counts as 15 + 7.2 = 22.2 FTEs — well above the COBRA threshold.
COBRA is triggered by any qualifying event that would cause a covered employee or their dependents to lose group health plan coverage. For Hollywood land surveying companies, common triggering circumstances are:
Hollywood survey firms that serve both Broward and Miami-Dade County jurisdictions often manage field crews across a wider geographic area than firms in single-county markets. When project activity in one county slows while the other remains active, crew hour adjustments are common — and those adjustments can trigger COBRA qualifying events even without formal terminations, particularly when hours fall below the plan's eligibility threshold.
| Step | Action | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Employer notifies plan administrator of qualifying event | Within 30 days |
| 2 | Plan administrator sends COBRA election notice | Within 14 days of employer notice |
| 3 | Qualified beneficiary elects or declines COBRA | 60 days from later of coverage loss or notice |
| 4 | First premium due after election | Within 45 days of election |
| 5 | Ongoing premium payments | 30-day grace period after due date |
The maximum COBRA premium is 102% of the plan's total cost — employer and employee contributions combined plus 2%. For Broward County group health plans, total single-coverage premiums typically range from $650 to $950 per month. Former survey employees paying $150 per month under employer-sponsored coverage would pay $663 to $969 per month under COBRA. The ACA marketplace at healthcare.gov provides a 60-day special enrollment period after loss of job-based coverage, and premium tax credits for eligible former employees can make marketplace plans significantly less expensive than COBRA rates.
Florida has no state mini-COBRA law for employers with fewer than 20 employees. Hollywood survey firms below the federal threshold have no state obligation to offer continuation coverage to departing employees. Florida's $13.00 per hour minimum wage (effective September 30, 2025) and at-will employment rules mean separations can happen quickly. Building COBRA notification into a written offboarding checklist — rather than assembling it reactively — protects Hollywood survey firms from the IRS penalty that runs while beneficiaries wait for overdue notices.
1. Not counting cross-county project staffing toward the COBRA threshold. Hollywood survey firms that serve both Broward and Miami-Dade often allocate field crews dynamically across counties. All employees — regardless of which county's projects they are working — count toward the firm's 20-employee COBRA threshold.
2. Missing the hours-reduction trigger during county-cycle misalignments. When one county slows while the other continues, survey firms may reassign some crew members to reduced hours rather than laying them off. If those reduced hours fall below the plan's eligibility threshold, it is a qualifying event.
3. Delayed notification to the plan administrator. The 30-day window runs from the qualifying event. Survey firm principals managing active dual-county projects often defer administrative tasks — which starts the IRS penalty clock.
4. Sending COBRA notices without informing covered dependents of independent rights. Each covered family member has independent COBRA election rights. The notice must clearly inform each qualified beneficiary, not just the departing employee.
A licensed advisor can compare group health plan options, COBRA administration support, and ACA marketplace alternatives for your land surveying company at no charge.
Also see: HR Compliance Guide · Florida Health Insurance · Small Business Health Plans · FloridaPlanFinder — Small Business
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