Commission presses vendor, DTPW to fix streetlight outages; gives 60-day target and May 12 status report

The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) told the County Commission that it has issued a notice to cure to the streetlight contractor after the vendor failed to meet a 95% uptime requirement under its contract, and commissioners pressed for faster repairs and clearer coordination with FDOT and FPL.

Joseph Redias, interim director of DTPW, told the commission the vendor had been under the required uptime and that DTPW had given the vendor 180 days under the cure letter to restore operations and close outstanding work orders. Redias said the department has also directed the vendor to address repair timeliness and to move more quickly on LED upgrades where state approvals allow.

Oscar Bode, CEO of Miami Dade Smart Lighting Partners, the vendor, said the vendor inherited a network with thousands of dark lights when the contract began in February 2023 and that Federal Highway (FDOT) approvals and underground damage limited what his company could legally or practically fix. "To this day, 2 years in,…