Miami-Dade Aviation and Seaport Committee Meeting - May 11, 2026
Miami-Dade Aviation and Seaport Committee Meeting - May 11, 2026
The Miami-Dade Aviation and Seaport Committee met at 10:30 AM on May 11, 2026, to consider several aviation-related items. The meeting was chaired by Danielle Cohen Higgins, with Commissioners Oliver Gilbert, Keon Hardeman, Natalie Milian Orbis, and Vice Chairman Roberto Gonzalez present. The committee addressed a check presentation, multiple contracts, and a controversial resolution on sole source procurement.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1E1: Check presentation of $43,076 to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer from the MIA Runway 5K series. The series, held annually at Miami Executive, Opa-locka Executive, and Miami International airports, raised a record amount in 2025.
- Items 3A-3E: Five resolutions approving contracts for construction materials testing services for the Aviation Department at Miami International Airport: Professional Service Industries, Inc. (Contract E24AV03A), NV5, Inc. (E24AV03C), Blascom Engineering, Inc. (E24AV03D), Terracon Consultants, Inc. (E24AV03B), and Wingerter Laboratories, Inc. (E24AV03E). Each contract has a combined maximum amount of $41,353,125 for five years with one five-year renewal option. All forwarded to the full Board with a favorable recommendation (5-0).
- Item 3H: Resolution ratifying emergency contract E-10658 for central chiller plant condenser water repairs (Phase 1) to Botas Engineering, Inc. in the amount of $305,228 for the Aviation Department. Forwarded unanimously (5-0).
- Item 7A: Aviation Capital Program Report for May 2026 received (5-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jorge Luis Lopez, representing basketball properties, spoke in support of the staff recommendation to defer Item 3G (Airball Sports lease concession) and thanked the committee. No other public speakers appeared.
Discussion Items
- Item 3F: Resolution approving a contract for Miami International Airport terminal-wide re-roofing and lightning system upgrades (Project AA078A) with Lego Construction Co. in an amount not to exceed $125,703,562.22. Commissioner Milian Orbis asked about solar panel installation. The Airport Director confirmed the project will replace approximately 410,000 square feet of roof in four phases over four years, with solar panels installed after roofing work on each phase. The director added that the solar panel program may expand to parking garages (Dolphin, Flamingo, and new Ibis garages), potentially generating close to seven kilowatts of power, which would make MIA the airport with the highest power generation in Florida. The item was moved with the consent agenda and passed unanimously.
- Item 3G: Resolution authorizing waiver of competitive bidding and award of a non-competitive revenue-generating contract to Airball Sports II, LLC for a lease and concession agreement (Contract BW-10479) with projected revenue of $17,000,000 over an eight-year term with one two-year renewal option. The administration requested deferral to the next committee meeting. The item was deferred by a 4-0 vote.
- Item 3I: Resolution approving, pursuant to Florida Statute 255.04, the specification of certain sole source materials and systems in procurement documents for 13 identified Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects for the Aviation Department, and authorizing the County Mayor to advertise solicitations with those specifications. The resolution also ratifies advertisement of two pending solicitations. Extensive debate ensued. Commissioner Gilbert argued the items constitute legacy contracts, not true sole sources, and criticized the delegation of procurement authority. He noted the statute requires the governing body to consider all alternatives, and he could not support the item. Commissioner Hardeman questioned how sole sourcing could yield savings and expressed skepticism about the lack of competitive bidding. Commissioner Gonzalez asked whether any of the projects had been sent out for RFP; the director confirmed they had not, and that the analysis of savings ($302 million) was done recently by a consultant (likely U.S. Cost) and supported by letters from engineers of record attached to the item. Chairwoman Cohen Higgins supported the item, explaining that after briefings she was convinced that the approach would save money and time, particularly for integrating new terminals (K and D60) with existing legacy systems (e.g., key card access, Honeywell building management). COO Jimmy Morales clarified that the term "sole source" tracks the statute and that the resolution does not extend legacy contracts but allows their use in future competitive solicitations for larger projects. The item was bifurcated from the consent calendar and voted separately. It passed 4-1, with Commissioner Gilbert recorded as no. The committee requested that the administration provide briefings to all commissioners to address remaining concerns.
Key Outcomes
- The committee forwarded all consent items (3A-3E, 3F, 3H, 7A) to the full Board of County Commissioners with favorable recommendations.
- Item 3G was deferred to the next committee meeting.
- Item 3I was forwarded to the full Board with a 4-1 vote (Gilbert opposed).
- The administration agreed to brief all commissioners, particularly Commissioner Gilbert, on the justifications for Item 3I.
- The Airport Director provided updates on FIFA World Cup preparations (beautification, human trafficking signage) and the status of the concessionaire program (implementation phase underway, with two years remaining on a three-year timeline for renovations).
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to this morning's Airport and Seaport Committee. We are gonna start this morning with a check presentation from our airport director. Good morning, Commissioner. Um, regarding our contribution and our effort at Miami International Airport to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. And so if everybody that's here for the check presentation can join us, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please join us. So I'll have the director explain, but we have three events annually that I believe are five Ks that are run on our different airports throughout, and I know that the event has grown over the years. I've been to them, I know the district commissioner has been to them, and so we're very, very excited to have this check presentation take place. Director. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. So yeah, we're really proud of this. We've been having these races for the last seven, six, seven years. Uh they're very successful, very well attended, and every year, like you said, they grow a little bit more. So so far this year, the two races we've had so far, it's uh it's a three-race series, one at one at Miami Executive in March, one at Opalaka Executive in April, and then typically we had the really large one in October at MIA, which is attended by almost 4,000 uh participants, which is amazing. So this past year in 2025, we raised our higher highest amount ever total of funds funds raised for making strides of against bread breast cancer. Yeah. Over over 43,000 total raised by our department for the MSABC campaign. I want to give a special shout out to Frank Ruiz and his team at Re R Miami. They put on great events. Uh and we really, really enjoy these events. I know you both have been there, you know. Uh I run it, and a lot of our people on our team run it. It's a great event. Uh so far this year in at a Miami Executive in March and at Opalac and April, we had our two biggest events at those two airports, so it keeps growing and growing. I think we had almost 1,500 people at Miami Executive, which is huge, and that Ropa Laka, we had about 1800. So we're looking at probably close to 4,000 at MIE in October. I'm really excited about that. So it's a great program. We want to continue doing it and work together with Frank and Easy Mado. So with that, I want to go ahead and have you make that presentation, both of you. This is the check for 43,076 to making strides against breast cancer on behalf of here. There you go. Okay. One, two, and three. What's the date for the October event? October 17th. Yeah, so it'll be nice and cool for the run at MIA, hopefully. Yep, that's it. That's why that's why we do the big one uh during that month. And that I guess we're anticipating. I think last year we had about 3,500 racers. So this year we're expecting to have close to 4,000, if not more, and not counting other people that show up, like people that go to see people run, et cetera. So it's a really, really great event. Looking forward to it. Thank you. I think we should challenge the commissioners to uh run the 5K and to raise money. So we always support every year. We're so grateful and thankful that this much money has been raised, and hopefully this year will even outdo that number. Thank you all for the work that you do at the American Cancer Society, and of course, on behalf of breast cancer awareness. You want to speak, of course.
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