Riviera Beach council invites Sonnenblick to negotiate Municipal Hall complex after rival presentations

The Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously Nov. 17 to invite Sonnenblick Development to enter negotiations over the city’s Municipal Hall Complex following competing presentations by two developer teams.

Council members heard 20-minute oral presentations from Forest Development and Sonnenblick Development, reviewed procurement background provided by Director of Procurement Latanya Ammons, and then voted to proceed with the evaluation committee’s recommendation to negotiate with the highest-ranked respondent.

The voting decision followed a lengthy public and council exchange about phasing, financing, local hiring, timelines and park impacts. Forest Development’s presenter described a multi‑phase plan including City Hall, mixed‑use commercial space, workforce housing and a consolidated athletics complex, estimating “we view this at a minimum, a 635000000 dollar project, close to 3,000 jobs will be involved,” and pledging ongoing community outreach and local subcontractor participation (Forest Development representative Peter Bitterion).

Sonnenblick Development emphasized experience delivering government‑tenanted buildings and offered contractual performance protections. Robert Sonnenblick told council that under the firm’s proposed lease structure the city would have options over time, saying, “As part of our lease to you on the City Hall Building, at the end of 30 years … the city has the option in writing to buy the City Hall Building back from us for $1.” That proposal included a 30‑year lease with staged buy‑out opportunities and a 100% performance bond guaranteeing delivery date and price.

Why it matters: Riviera Beach is pursuing a complex that would combine civic functions with housing and economic development on city‑owned parcels. The selection to begin negotiations starts a process in which the city negotiators will seek firm commitments on financing, local hiring, community benefits, park protections and schedule.

What council asked for and next steps: Procurement director Latanya Ammons reviewed the ITN history and evaluation scoring; outside procurement counsel and staff told council it could invite one or both respondents to negotiate. Council approved a motion to invite Sonnenblick to negotiate; the motion-and-roll‑call vote was recorded and the commission directed staff to return with a resolution establishing a negotiation committee and with negotiation objectives for council review. If negotiations with the selected team fail, staff may return to the second‑ranked respondent.

Council members pressed both teams for specifics — how projects would be phased, commitments to local subcontractor usage and minority business participation, financing assumptions, and whether parks funding (including previously‑approved bond proceeds) would be preserved. Both teams committed to further community engagement and to providing documentation for staffing, bonding, and local partner contracts.

The council’s action was procedural: it authorized negotiations rather than approving any final development agreement or construction contract. The negotiation committee and draft development agreement will come back to the council for formal approval.

Provenance: The Municipal Hall Complex ITN was introduced as item 6c and discussed in public presentations and council Q&A (item introduced at the meeting agenda; procurement briefing SEG 643; Forest presentation SEG 1044; Sonnenblick presentation SEG 1866; council decision and vote SEG 2860–3270).

The council adjourned after finishing other business.