Police headquarters nearing completion; lateral‑load testing and contract negotiations continue

Anthony Fajardo, Development Services director, briefed the commission on construction progress at the Fort Lauderdale Police Department headquarters and the outstanding technical and contract matters tied to phase 2.

"The project overall is 90% complete," Fajardo said, adding that furniture is being installed and final finishes are nearly complete on several floors. He said phase 1 remediation design and implementation are complete and phase 2 work remaining centers on lateral‑load issues and related testing being performed by NV5 and modeled per WJE recommendations.

Fajardo told commissioners the city has asked that AECOM accept financial responsibility for 100% of deflection remediation for phase 1 and for the results of phase 2 testing, and that negotiations continue between AECOM and the city’s counsel. He said outside engineers are building models of the lateral connections that will be pressure‑tested, and monitoring of existing movement has begun with baseline readings showing no variance to date.

Commissioners asked about monitoring duration; Fajardo said the contractor has agreed to monitoring for a multiyear period (discussed at 15 years in the meeting), and the city is seeking clarity on the final duration. He estimated a projected move‑in date around February 2026 and an overall project completion in mid‑2026.

Why this matters: The project is a major public facility with complex structural issues; clarifying technical responsibility for remediation, long‑term monitoring, and cost allocation will affect the city’s financial exposure and timeline for occupancy.

Next steps: The city continues to work with outside engineers (NV5, WJE) and AECOM to model and test lateral loads, negotiate contract amendments and finalize monitoring arrangements; staff will report back as testing concludes and contract language is finalized.