The Town Council voted on Dec. 1 to table resolution 25-331, which would award RFP 26-01-PW for town landscaping and irrigation repairs, to the Dec. 15 meeting after councilors and staff discovered inconsistencies in the scoring sheets that determine the recommended vendor.

Staff had recommended Tidewater Landscape as the most responsive bidder; public commenters earlier in the meeting (Barbara Puffer representing a condo group and Terry Kane) voiced support for certain projects but pressed staff to remove invasive species and to prefer native plants in the town’s plant lists. Kane and other commenters cited examples (seaside mahonia/mayho listed generically on the RFP plant list) and recommended that RFP language require native species and avoid products such as plastic-backed 'Coco Mat' that do not biodegrade.

During the selection discussion a councilor and committee member flagged mismatches between the per-reviewer score sheets and the totals compiled in the packet, which, if corrected, would change the apparent winner. Given the clerical mismatch, council concurred with staff recommendation to table the award so the clerk’s office and selection advisory committee can verify original tallies and ratios before returning with corrected documentation. Council also asked staff to surface the Estero Boulevard planting plan and to consult with local experts, including the garden club, on species selection before implementing large projects. The motion to table passed unanimously.

The tabling preserves the procurement schedule while allowing staff to address scoring accuracy and public concerns about plant selection and zone-appropriate species.