Public Health Trust approves use of Miami‑Dade Aetna contract; AvMed attorney objects, cites statute and pending appeal

The Public Health Trust Board of Trustees voted Aug. 27 to reject proposals under a request for proposals and authorize the chief executive officer to access Miami‑Dade County’s contract with Aetna Life Insurance Company to administer the Trust’s self‑funded medical programs.

The move was taken as one of four resolutions considered together. Board counsel described item 5(d) as a resolution “rejecting proposals received in response to request for proposals RFP number 205-254500 and 80-JM, waiving formal competitive bidding and authorizing the chief executive officer to negotiate, finalize, and execute an agreement or to access Miami‑Dade County’s contract with Aetna Life Insurance Company for administration of the Trust self‑funded medical programs at an amount not to exceed $50,000,000 over a 5‑year period with 2 renewal options of 2 years each.”

Before the vote, an attorney for AvMed, Mike Llorente of LSN Law, told the board he objected to item 5(d). “I represent AvMed. I’m here to respectfully object to item 5(d) on your agenda, which is a 9 year over $1,000,000,000 bid waiver contract to Aetna,” Llorente said. He also said the matter is the subject of pending litigation and that AvMed has challenged similar actions in court: “This very matter is being litigated at the moment with Miami‑Dade County. We expect and are hopeful that the Third District Court of Appeal will rule on this matter within the coming weeks.”

Aetna’s representative, Giselle Cushing, identified herself as regional president for Aetna and thanked the board for considering Aetna as a partner. “By choosing Aetna, you’ll be joining a community of over 2,000,000 members in the State of Florida and 27,000,000 members nationwide,” Cushing said.

Board members moved to take the four resolutions together and then voted to approve them. A voice vote was recorded and the chair announced the resolutions had passed.

The record includes two differing characterizations of the same agenda item. Board counsel presented the item on the meeting record as a contract not to exceed $50,000,000 over five years with two two‑year renewal options accessed via Miami‑Dade County’s contract with Aetna. The AvMed representative described the item in his public comment as a nine‑year, more‑than‑$1 billion waiver to Aetna. The board’s public record for the item and the text cited by counsel should be consulted for final contract terms.

No roll‑call vote with member names and counts was recorded in the public transcript; the board approved the package of four resolutions by voice vote.

The board chair noted that all trustees had been briefed individually on the items prior to the meeting. The transcript does not record further implementation steps or contract execution milestones for the Aetna arrangement.

Actions at the meeting were limited to the recorded motions to approve minutes and to take the four resolutions together; each motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript does not show any formal amendment to item 5(d) or a separate, roll‑call vote on that resolution alone.

The board did not provide additional findings on the procurement legality during the public meeting; the public comment from AvMed indicates a pending appellate matter involving related procurement decisions.

The board adjourned following approval of the items.