Selection committee recommends AECOM to lead Fort Myers Beach HUD-funded recovery and resilience plan

The Fort Myers Beach selection committee recommended AECOM Technical Services as the top-ranked firm to develop the town’s HUD-funded Comprehensive Recovery and Resilience Implementation Plan and voted to forward that recommendation to Lee County and then to the town manager for review before the town council considers final approval.

The recommendation matters because the plan is intended to provide an “actionable road map” for long-term recovery, resilience and migration strategies for coastal areas and flood-prone sections of the town, according to Debbie Glavin, the town’s contracts and procurement specialist. Glavin said the project is funded by HUD and linked to the Coastal Florida Recovery and Resilience program; she also referenced Florida Statute 163.3177 in the context of aligning the plan with the town’s comprehensive plan.

Glavin read the committee’s numeric rankings for five complete proposals. Out of a possible 100 points per reviewer, the committee’s totals were: AECOM Technical Services, 341 points; GHD Services Inc., 332 points; GAI Consultants, 327 points; Hagerty Consulting, 298 points; and Florida Technical Consultants, 220 points. Glavin told the committee that Stantec submitted an incomplete bid and received zero points.

Committee members present who provided scores and participated in the recommendation were Tracy Koller (assistant to the town manager), Jason Freeman (deputy clerk and legislative liaison), Frankie Kropachek (operations director for the town of Fort Myers Beach), Judith Frankel (principal planner, community development), and Glavin. After the rankings were read, a committee member moved to forward the recommendation to the town manager; the motion was seconded and the committee conducted a roll call vote. The roll call recorded committee members voting in favor; the chair said the recommendation will go to Lee County on Friday, then to the town manager, and subsequently to the town council for consideration (date of council consideration: not specified).

Glavin described the scope as seeking consultants with experience in long-term disaster recovery and resilience who can work with town staff to identify possible updates to the town’s comprehensive plan. She said the plan should avoid duplicating existing local efforts and should address immediate post-disaster needs as well as longer-term climate adaptation and sustainability strategies.

Next steps the committee identified: forwarding the ranked proposals and full submission packages to the town manager and to Lee County as the grant administrator; the town manager will review and, if consistent, proceed to present the recommendation to the town council. The committee did not set a council date at the meeting; Glavin said the council step is planned for May but did not specify a day.

The meeting also recorded brief procedural motions — allowing a committee member (Judith Frankel) to participate remotely and a short recess — but no separate formal votes on those items were documented beyond the committee’s movement and seconding of the motions.