The Fort Lauderdale City Commission on Dec. 2 voted to rank FTL City Hall Partners as the city’s top proposer to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a new City Hall and directed staff to start negotiations with that team. The vote was 4–1 in favor of the ranking, with Vice Mayor Herbst dissenting.

The decision follows an afternoon of presentations by four shortlisted teams — Balfour Beatty Developments, Fort Lauderdale Civic Partners (Meridian/Suffolk), FTL Beacon Collaborative (Gilbane/Architectonica) and FTL City Hall Partners (Plenary/CORE/Stiles) — and detailed reviews by the city’s advisers Jacobs (owner’s representative) and PFM (financial adviser). Commissioners emphasized three priorities: fiduciary prudence, demonstrated delivery capacity, and long‑term life‑cycle guarantees.

Why it matters: the commission selected a procurement path that begins with a progressive public‑private partnership (P3) framework. Under the motion the commission approved, staff may negotiate an interim agreement with the top‑ranked proposer and continue to refine project budget, program and risk allocation during that stage. If an interim agreement is signed, the city could move toward financial close and construction procurement according to the schedule developed in negotiations.

What the vote said: the formal motion named FTL City Hall Partners as rank No. 1 and Balfour Beatty as No. 2, with the two remaining teams ranked third and fourth respectively. The roll‑call vote on the ranking recorded Sorensen, Glassman, Beasley Pittman and Mayor Trantalis as “yes” and Vice Mayor Herbst as “no.” Mayor Trantalis said the commission’s choice reflected a mix of design ambition and an ability to be priced to a budget during the interim agreement phase.

Staff next steps: city staff and the city attorney will open structured negotiations with FTL City Hall Partners. Jacobs and PFM will support the city in reviewing financial assumptions, evaluating any requested contract terms and testing price and risk tradeoffs. Staff told commissioners that any negotiated interim agreement and subsequent comprehensive agreement will return to the commission for formal approval.

Public reaction and process safeguards: during public comment several speakers urged more time for public review and clearer outreach about voluminous proposal materials. City staff and advisers said documents were posted as they were received and that the commission will continue public engagement during the interim agreement phase. The Brownfields designation and other land‑use/public‑hearing matters raised during the meeting proceed under statutory notice requirements.

Votes at a glance
- Ranking resolution (motion to proceed with top‑ranked proposer): approved 4–1 (Sorensen, Glassman, Beasley Pittman, Mayor Trantalis yes; Vice Mayor Herbst no)
- Next procedural step: staff authorized to begin negotiations with FTL City Hall Partners and to return any negotiated interim/comprehensive agreement to the commission for approval.

The commission will continue oversight as staff and the city’s advisers work through the detailed financing, program and construction assumptions required to bring the project to financial close.