Miami-Dade Aviation and Seaport Committee Meeting - October 13, 2026

The Miami-Dade Aviation and Seaport Committee convened on October 13, 2026, with Chairwoman Danielle Cohen Higgins presiding and Vice Chairman Roberto J. Gonzalez, Commissioners Oliver G. Gilbert III, Keon Hardeman, and Natalie Milian Orbis present. Two add-on items, 3B and 3C, were announced at the outset. The committee discussed the county's reliance on proprietary software, considered the future of the Miami Heat/Airball Sports concession at Miami International Airport (MIA), and approved the balance of the agenda by voice vote.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the remainder of the agenda, including:
  • Resolution 261599: first amendment to the professional services agreement with GPI Geospatial, Inc., increasing the agreement by $5,954,850 to a new not-to-exceed amount of $14,253,043.75 for photogrammetric mapping, topographic, planimetric, and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) services.
  • Resolution 261771: additional expenditure authority of $6,665,500 for Contract RFP-01258, Baggage Handling System Operation and Maintenance, modifying the contract amount to $100,904,735.
  • Approval of the Clerk's summary of minutes for the September 8, 2026, Aviation and Seaport Committee meeting; the October 2026 Aviation Capital Program Report; and the FIRST CARE-MIA Advisory Board report for July and August 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments are reflected in the transcript during the public comment opportunity.

Discussion Items

Item 3C - PropWorks System Software

• Commissioner Gilbert questioned the county's pattern of purchasing proprietary software that locks the county into a single vendor, arguing these should be treated as lifetime contracts and should require steep upfront discounts or the use of agnostic/plug-and-play systems. He said he would support the item but wanted procurement decisions to build in the future cost of switching.
• Commissioner Orbis asked when the county would receive information on full contract life costs and requested a countywide report on sole-source/proprietary contracts, including contract length, vendor performance, and replacement plans. Staff agreed to bring the data to the November committee cycle.
• Commissioner Gonzalez said the county is “enslaved” to proprietary software, citing a district splash pad that was closed for four years because only a Canadian company could service it. He called for innovation and warned against a “Blockbuster mentality.”
• Chairwoman Cohen Higgins asked whether legacy renewal items could include written due diligence showing alternatives were considered and why the existing vendor was recommended. Staff said that research was normally done and could be “beefed up” in future memos.
• Commissioner Hardeman criticized the timing, saying the board was being forced to make a last-minute decision with only one vendor option. Staff said replacing PropWorks would cost an estimated $3.2 million and require an 18-month implementation cycle, making the requested extension with $420,091 in additional expenditure authority more fiscally responsible, for a total modified contract amount of $1,070,158.
• The committee deferred item 3C to the November Aviation and Seaport Committee meeting, with a written report on the due diligence performed and evidence of competition. The motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Item 2A - Airball Sports II LLC / Miami Heat at MIA

• Chairwoman Cohen Higgins sponsored Resolution 261773, which would have directed the county to stop negotiating a concession extension with Airball Sports II LLC and instead solicit open competitive proposals for the location at MIA.
• Commissioner Gonzalez asked why the matter took two years and why the prime space was not addressed sooner through a competitive process.
• George Lopez, representing Airball Sports/Miami Heat basketball properties, said the lease extension had previously been before the committee, that the required labor peace agreement took longer than expected, and that the agreement was now in place. Wendy Walsh, general vice president of Unite Here International Union, said the labor peace agreement with Airball Sports was executed the day before the meeting. The transcript contains a discrepancy: Lopez also suggested the companion affidavit had been executed for months.
• Commissioner Hardeman strongly opposed ejecting the Miami Heat from MIA, saying the airport should have a prime retail space for hometown teams. Commissioner Gilbert agreed the Heat should remain, while stressing that labor peace is important and that business should move “at the speed of business.”
• Chairwoman Cohen Higgins explained that the Airball/Miami Heat agreement expired on November 28, 2024, and that MIA sent multiple notices to stop negotiations for lack of response, leaving the vendor as a two-year holdover tenant. She said she learned of the execution only that morning. The newly executed agreements cleared the way for a lease renewal; MIA staff stated the new lease would be a 10-year agreement generating millions of dollars in revenue.
• The committee voted to defer item 2A to no date certain so the completed lease extension/renewal could be brought back. Commissioner Orbis was the only recorded no vote.

Key Outcomes

• Item 3C deferred to the November committee cycle, contingent on a written due-diligence and competition report; no recorded opposition.
• Item 2A deferred to no date certain; Commissioner Orbis recorded no. The pending resolution to solicit competitive proposals for the Airball Sports location was not adopted.
• The administration agreed to provide a countywide report on sole-source/proprietary software contracts at the November committee cycle.
• The remaining agenda items and reports were approved by voice vote.