Officials say government center could cost $420M
A new downtown home being planned for Broward and Fort Lauderdale government operations could cost $420 million, officials estimate.
Whether taxpayers have to pay for the construction or have a private developer build and own it — and lease it back to the city and county — hasn’t been decided yet.
Also to be determined is just what to include in the new digs to be built on the downtown bus terminal site on Broward Boulevard. The joint complex is to replace the city’s aging City Hall and the county’s current governmental center, which used to be a Burdines department store.
City Hall is a place people can go to pay their water bills, attend a city meeting or meet with city administrators. The county building currently has offices where people can register to vote, pay a tax bill or file for a homestead exemption in addition to attend a county commission meeting or meet with county staff. A private group has come forward with a proposal to design, build and own the joint governmental center and lease it back to the county and city, but commissioners said they’re not ready to make any commitments yet.
“We’re flying this plane as we’re building the wings,” Fort Briana Smith is assisted by Victoria Herrera, Hooters promotions manager, during a rehearsal in Plantation for the upcoming 2019 Miss Hooters International Pageant.
Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said. “We don’t know what we don’t know yet.”
The preliminary plans include offices and commission chambers for both governments, a parking garage and a plaza on about a third of the property. The bus terminal would stay on the remainder of the site.
The next step is to hire a design consultant who will work with city and county officials to determine what offices need to be included in the complex and how to best set up the space.
A group called Civic Unity Partners, represented by attorney Mike Moskowitz, submitted a proposal Tuesday to have the complex built and owned privately.
The group is headed by AECOM, a multinational engineering firm. The company previously was involved in the public-private partnerships that built the express lanes on Interstate 595 and the Port of Miami tunnel. PCL and Stiles Corporation would handle construction. Among the other partners are Fengate Capital Management and GTIS.
“It would be a complete design-build financing of the governmental building,” said AECOM vice president Mark Blanchard, who is based in South Florida.
City and county commissioners have agreed to have their staff analyze the AECOM proposal — and any others that might come in. Under state law, the specifics of the AECOM proposal aren’t available to the public this early in the process. Broward Commissioner Tim Ryan thought the AECOM proposal itself was premature.
“I don’t know why we’re in such a rush that we would entertain an unsolicited proposal,” Ryan said.
Others said they were just giving staff the ability to look over the plans and to weigh their pros and cons.