The Fort Lauderdale City Commission on Dec. 2 voted to rank FTL City Hall Partners as the highest‑ranked proposer to design, finance, build and operate a new City Hall and authorized staff to begin negotiations with that team. The vote followed a full day of technical briefings from Jacobs and financial analysis by PFM and presentations by Balfour Beatty, Fort Lauderdale Civic Partners, FTL Beacon Collaborative and FTL City Hall Partners.

Mayor (unnamed) opened the conference session by describing the decision as “a landmark and pivotal moment” in the city’s recovery from the April 2023 flood that put the old City Hall out of service. Consultants had walked commissioners through cost, schedule and risk comparisons: Jacobs summarized technical scope, schedules and cost ranges across the four proposals, and PFM advised on financing tradeoffs, cautioning that availability‑payment structures will be treated as on‑balance‑sheet liabilities by auditors and credit agencies.

After roughly eight hours of presentations and question‑and‑answer periods, the commission recorded its formal ranking. Commissioner Pamela Sorensen motioned to place FTL City Hall Partners first and Balfour Beatty second; Commissioner Pamela Beasley Pittman seconded. The roll‑call vote was 4–1 in favor (Vice Mayor Herbst opposed). The commission then voted 4–1 to rank Fort Lauderdale Civic Partners third and FTL Beacon Collaborative fourth.

The approved resolution directs staff to open negotiations with the top‑ranked proposer on an interim and/or comprehensive agreement under Florida’s procurement law for unsolicited proposals (section 255.065). City staff and consultants said the next steps will include negotiating the term sheet, validating assumptions about square footage and scope, refining the capital stack and availability‑payment structure, and engaging the public during the interim‑agreement phase.

City staff emphasized the selections do not finalize design, budget or financing. As Assistant City Manager Ben Rogers and PFM noted during their presentations, the shortlisted teams used different design approaches and different ways of allocating costs among direct construction, indirect costs, contingencies and operations‑and‑maintenance; those differences make initial availability payments hard to compare directly. PFM advised the commission that, regardless of delivery model, the city should expect availability payments to be counted as long‑term liabilities for credit metrics and audit purposes.

Commissioners said they expect transparency and public engagement during negotiations. The city manager committed to keeping the commission and the public apprised as staff and the selected proposer move through the interim agreement, and to bringing key financial decisions and tradeoffs back to the commission. The commission also appointed Christopher “Chris” Cooper as Deputy City Manager during the evening session.

What happens next: staff and the City’s advisors will negotiate the interim agreement with FTL City Hall Partners, returning to the commission with proposed terms, affordability scenarios and opportunities for public input before any final contract is signed. The commission has previously budgeted planning and predevelopment funding; any availability‑payment structure that exceeds the city’s baseline debt service plan will require adjustments to future budgets or alternative financing choices.