Options for Rickenbacker Causeway Plan Z considered after county analysis

Options for Rickenbacker Causeway Plan Z considered after county analysis
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RFP may go out anew but privatization still considered

The Rickenbacker Causeway Plan Z project may not exactly be dead, but it could take on a new form after a virtual meeting Monday with Key Biscayne stakeholders.

A recent “value for money” assessment of the request for proposals that was written very specifically around an unsolicited bid from architect Bernard Zyscovich found that the county will get a better deal if it ditched the $500 million Plan Z-like parameters and began a new, truly competitive process.

This seemed to have vindicated the Key Biscayne Council — who voted to start the process over — and other village residents who have been opposed to the Plan Z fancy overhaul.

But the county analysis still found that privatizing the causeway could provide the best long-term scenario because although construction costs were higher, the risks to public money were lower.

So could the county still give the causeway away?

Read related: More changes, chat coming on flawed, rushed Rickenbacker Causeway RFP

The analysis provided the mayor with two scenarios, she said in a Nov. 19 memo. The first would be to cancel the procurement and start over — which is most popular with the Key Biscayne crowd. The county should firts allow time to confirm federal funding that could be available, further develop the project for future needs, engage stakeholders and complete a National Environmental Policy Act process, which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of and prior to any proposed actions.

It is also suggested in the value for money report that the county first issue a request for qualifications to pre-qualify proposers, then issue the RFP.

If the county continues this RFP, it is still suggested that a prequalification period is added, the NEPA process is initiated and the deadline is extended to confirm federal funding and allow for community input.

Both Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Raquel Regalado, whose district includes Key Biscayne, have said that the county should scrap the request for proposals out now and start anew. But what will that new RFP look like?

Regalado, who called for a refresh of the process first and wants to include a group of “key stakeholders” that will include the school board and the city of Miami, said the most critical part that needs to be addressed immediately is the repairs and sustainability improvements to Bear Cut Bridge.

Perhaps Key Biscayners will get a chance to shape that RFP at a virtual meeting Monday with both the mayor and Regalado where the analysis will be presented. Village Manager Steve Williamson published an open letter in the Islander News asking residents — many of whom booed the commissioner at an earlier meeting — to be grateful and respectful.

Read related: Rickenbacker RFP looks like a done deal set-up for no-bid Plan Z proposal

“It is now our opportunity to show our appreciation to our County Mayor and our District Commissioner for their thoughtful and deliberate assessment of the project,” Williamson wrote. “On Monday, let’s give them both the respect they deserve as well as clearly express the reasons why the community believes the entire process should be refreshed.

“Let’s explain our interests in starting anew, addressing the most critical infrastructure first, seeking federal funding support, and creating a key stakeholder working group with the Village of Key Biscayne as a principal member. In the end, I believe most of the community wants to see a new path forward that leads to competition, creativity, community input and the best solutions for the residents of Miami-Dade County and Key Biscayne.”

To participate in the virtual meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., register here.

4 Responses to "Options for Rickenbacker Causeway Plan Z considered after county analysis"

  1. ” Anyone old enough to remember the Marlins Scam?”

    The Marlins scam is famous all over Florida and most everyone over 18 knows about it , it is like a joke as how corrupt Miami is but the real ” joke ” is how so many involved got reelected .

    That is the sad , sickening joke ( lol ) because outside of Miami , ALL the parasitos whether directly or indirectly involved would have lost reelection .

    People who post in this forum on a good year , you are maybe 20 percent of the voters and this is why professional criminals here have endless political careers .

  2. You can’t privatize the only access to Key Biscayne and turn it over to investors! NOOOO!

  3. Arguing the secret P3 privatization of Rickenbacker removes financial risk to the public is a red herring. Let’s take the bridge over Bear cut for example..and let’s say the bridge cost $70 million. P3 adds higher cost of private capital, a profit margin for both investors and operators and in this case Z group has promised the same extensive review process, wage and benefit considerations and set asides which the county abides by, so not a lot of lower design costs for them.
    Next consider the principles for the Z people and the director at the parks department have never built a bridge in their life so whoever does build it is going to turn to the same professional bridge contractors so those costs are the same. The only built-in difference between zplan and the county is the cost of money which the county wins hands down. ,

    So why do we assume if the P3 project goes over budget somehow the public is protected?
    If a private operator gets in trouble he’ll either start “value engineering” the bridge which construction speak for a redesign for finishing it on the cheap. Or he’ll borrow more money at a higher rate and investors will recover their money with increased operating revenue down the road, which ultimately is still the public paying .

    Historically parks P3s are good in some cases but not so good in others, but they do have one thing in common.

    The guy that had the idea of turning a county park’s crappy beach hot dog stand into a high end waterfront restaurant worked out well (Red Fish Grill) .. Santa’s Enchanted Forest or the other hand was a not well vetted, cut rate carnival proposed by a politically connected family using an abandoned service road at Tropical Park and was a thorn in the side of the department for decades.

    The one thing these park P3s do have in common is they are pricey for the public to use and neither really matters in the big scheme of things as they are NOT CRITICAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE

  4. Plan Z is a dog. It is just a device to enrich the promoters like Bernard Zyscovich and the many lobbyists hired by the secretive Plan Z cabal. Anyone old enough to remember the Marlins Scam? That will cost taxpayers over $3 Billion. By the way, the M-D County CFO, Ed Marquez, was a wildly enthusiastic promoter of the that scam too.

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