VA threatens Orlando hospital contractor

Long-simmering tensions between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and one of its largest contractors boiled over Friday when the agency warned Brasfield & Gorrie that it must speed up construction of Orlando's new VA Hospital or risk of losing its contract. The notice issued by the VA gives Brasfield & Gorrie no more than 10 days to develop a plan to increase the number of construction workers on the project, now estimated at 500 or fewer. The agency also wants Brasfield & Gorrie to get going on sections of the 1.2 million-square-foot facility not embroiled in disputes that already have delayed its completion date by several months to the summer of 2013, if not later.