Board approves vendor invoices and holiday gift card resolution amid questions about spending authority

Riviera Beach CRA commissioners approved vendor invoices and a separate resolution authorizing $300 holiday appreciation gift cards for CRA employees (Resolution 2025‑32) during their Dec. 10 meeting.

Commissioner Spiritis raised concerns about the executive director’s authority to approve vendor spending in repeated $24,000–$25,000 increments without prior board approval, asking whether cumulative spending could effectively circumvent public bidding or board oversight. Executive Director Jadel Murcias and staff explained the contract structure: the consultant contracts cited by commissioners were described as fixed‑sum agreements (one example discussed was a ~$200,000 contract divided into monthly billings not to exceed $24,000 per month). Staff said the invoices were encumbered in an earlier approved budget and that they would provide monthly benchmark reports demonstrating vendor deliverables and completed tasks.

Separately, the board debated whether the $300 gift cards should have been budgeted in the operating budget; staff estimated a fiscal impact of $7,800 and said the expense would be included in future budget discussions. Both the invoice approvals and the gift card resolution passed 5–0.

Next steps: staff to produce itemized benchmarks and monthly deliverables for vendors and include holiday compensation discussions in the next budget cycle.