Board names Skanska construction manager for new middle school; members press for better procurement transparency and note environmental holds

Ocala — The Marion County School Board voted 5–0 on March 25 to approve Skanska USA as construction manager for Project 24-130, the district’s replacement middle school (identified in staff materials as middle school DD). The decision followed two rounds of evaluation and an extended discussion about adherence to procurement procedures and potential environmental constraints on the project site.

Operations staff presented the selection process. Angela Usher (operations) said Skanska received the highest score in a first shortlist and, after a repeat of the process on March 3 that was recorded, again received the highest score. Usher also told the board environmental studies had identified gopher tortoises and sand skinks on the school site; the district is pursuing permits for relocation/mitigation and had applied for an archaeological permit. “These permits … could delay the start of construction,” Usher said, and staff added that concurrent permitting and phased site work might allow some work to start on schedule.

Several board members said they were troubled that the procurement process earlier had not fully complied with district or state procedures and that the board had not been informed of critical schedule or environmental risks in a timely way. Chair Laurie Conrad delivered a prepared statement saying she would vote for the project because of its importance to students but criticized the district’s failure to follow established procedures and said she expected stricter adherence going forward.

Board member Dr. Sarah James said she was disappointed that the procurement required being restarted and that procurement roles in the new manual had not been followed; she also said she first learned about the possible schedule impact only after asking for an update. James pressed staff on the schedule risk, asking whether a 10-month delay was possible. Operations staff said the delay was a possibility depending on permitting results but that phased site work and mitigation could reduce the impact.

Board members asked about the practicalities of relocating gopher tortoises and preventing them from returning if site work were delayed; operations staff said they would coordinate with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on mitigation and consider temporary fencing or other measures.

After discussion, the board approved the Skanska selection 5–0 and directed staff to provide clearer procurement documentation and timely updates to the board as permitting unfolds.

Ending — The district will continue environmental permitting and final scheduling with the contractor; staff said they will provide the board with updates and aim to mitigate delays by phasing site work where possible.