Port board extends Manhattan Construction contract 30 days to continue fact‑finding on Phase 1 terminal expansion

The port authority board approved a 30‑day, time‑only extension of Manhattan Construction Florida Inc.'s contract for the Phase 1 terminal expansion at Southwest Florida International Airport to allow further review of outstanding design and construction issues and additional fact‑finding among the contractor, the design engineer (Atkins) and county staff.

County counsel and port staff briefed commissioners that schedule and design disagreements have created unresolved issues requiring more time to evaluate options and mitigate potential costs. The extension preserves the current contract terms and gives staff and the parties another month to develop a resolution plan and return to the board at a special March meeting or the regular port meeting. "We're respectfully requesting an additional 30 days so that we can keep the contract with Manhattan Construction open and continue to work the issues," the county attorney said.

Commissioners and port members described multiple site visits and meetings with Manhattan and Atkins and said the extension is intended to avoid a hasty decision and additional expense. Port staff said subcontractor work continues and that current payouts are for subcontractor work; a board member asked that all documents, emails and PDFs gathered in the review be shared with the full board to ensure consistent information. The board moved and seconded the time‑only extension; the transcript records a unanimous motion carry.