The Miami-Dade County Policy Council convened on October 16, 2025 at 1:00 PM with five members present (Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, Vice Chairman Kionne McGhee, Commissioners Danielle Cohen Higgins, Oliver Gilbert III, and Natalie Milian Orbis). The meeting included invocation, pledge, and setting of the agenda. All items on the consent calendar were approved unanimously except for Item 3B, which was bifurcated for separate discussion and vote.
Item 3B – Sargassum Removal Contract: Resolution to award a five-year contract not to exceed $16,202,500 to Beach Raker, LLC for collection, removal, and disposal of sargassum. Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis, the prime sponsor, moved to reject the recommendation and instead extend the current contract (expiring October 31, 2025) for 90 days, subject to the vendor's agreement, and direct the administration to solicit best and final offers (BAFO) from the top two responsive proposers (Beach Raker and SFM Services) with a report back to the Policy Council within 30 days. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins.
Key Debate:
Amendment and Vote: The motion passed unanimously (5 votes in favor). The current contract will be extended 90 days (subject to Beach Raker's agreement), and the administration must conduct a BAFO focusing on both pricing and qualifications, returning with a recommendation within 30 days.
Good afternoon. Commissioner Cohen Higgins. Good afternoon, President. Commissioner Gilbert. I'm here. Commissioner Melian Orbis. Vice Chairman McGee. He's here. Oh, I'm here. Chairman Rodriguez. Present. Five members present. You have a quorum. I'm all five. I love it. Um extra. All right. I know that some of you all have been here all day in different committees. But we are going to go ahead and do an invocation again for those that have already done invocations today. Let's have our vice chairman. Would you like to lead us in prayer? And then the pledge of allegiance. Following. Please bow your head. Heavenly Father, we come to you today to say thank you once again for giving us an opportunity to breathe your air. We come to say thank you so much for blessing this great county. And we come to say thank you so much to for continuously blessing this state and this nation. We ask for all these in your son's name. Amen. Under the individual liberty and justice for all. All right, madam attorney. Oh, Mr. Attorney. Sorry. I hadn't looked up yet. You don't look like a madam to me. Although these days, these days. Are these public speaking cards on this committee or is this from the past committee? That's passed. Past committee? All right. So we have no public no one's registered. All right. So public hearing. Reasonable opportunity is now closed. And let's go ahead and set the agenda. It's official, there's no changes to the official parent. There will changes for from the preliminary agenda to the official official agenda or the additions of items 2C and 2D, the description error and 3A. But with that uh motion to set the agenda is appropriate. Aye.