The latest tempest in a teapot surrounding construction of a new Florida Marlins ballpark: Whether construction firm HuntMoss should receive a no-bid contract for site prep.
The latest tempest in a teapot surrounding construction of a new Florida Marlins ballpark: Whether construction firm HuntMoss should receive a no-bid contract for site prep.
HuntMoss has already been awarded the construction contract for the $515-million project, slated to begin construction this year. Miami and Miami-Dade officials are expected to vote next month on the final contracts and leases for the project, with negotiations over some terms still ongoing.
One contract that’s been singled out by ballpark foes: a no-bid $25 million contract for HuntMoss for site prep. Legally, Miami-Dade County can offer no-bid contracts with a three-quarters majority vote, and that appears to be the tactic here. The logic is that it’s easier for HuntMoss to do all the work rather than just the ballpark construction — no need to coordinate efforts between two construction firms.
But let’s be real: site prep is not the most exacting of construction chores. There’s really not a need for a ton of interplay between HuntMoss and another firm when it comes to work specifics. And at a time when the economy is in the toilet. some are noting that work that could easily be done by a local firm is going to an out-of-state firm. It makes sense to go with a HuntMoss for ballpark work; it makes less sense to do it for site prep. So expect this to be a big issue when locals realize $25 million of ballpark spending could very easily be kept in Florida.