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St. Petersburg council approves 90‑day extension of scooter‑share agreement to finish RFP
Summary
City Council approved a 90‑day extension of the existing scooter‑share agreement so staff can complete a competitive request‑for‑proposals process; the motion passed unanimously with one member absent. Staff cited more than 1.2 million scooter trips since late 2020 as part of the rationale.
The St. Petersburg City Council on a unanimous vote (with one member absent) approved a 90‑day extension of the city's existing scooter‑share agreement to allow staff time to complete a competitive request for proposals and return with a recommendation.
Council members moved quickly after staff said the contract governing shared scooters would expire before the city could complete the procurement. Evan Morey, introduced by the chair to present the item, asked the council to authorize a short extension so scooters would not be removed from downtown while the procurement committee finished multiple rounds of clarifying questions and evaluation.
Morey told the council the RFP committee began work late last year and has held several meetings; he said the procurement code allows administrative extensions up to six months but staff concluded that, because previous council actions had been part of this agreement and because the contract includes a license of property, returning to the council for a 90‑day extension was the appropriate step. "We're seeking City Council's approval of a short term extension to the existing scooter share agreement ... so that we can finish a competitive request for proposal process," Morey said.
Staff also provided usage data to underscore the program's citywide use: "since we launched this program in late 2020, there've been more than 1,200,000 trips taken on shared scooters," Morey said, adding that daily ridership has ranged from about 200 trips on quieter weekdays to more than 3,800 trips on high‑use days.
Councilmember Gina Driscoll, whose district includes areas with heavy scooter use, said she supported the move and "looks forward to hearing more" as the RFP process concludes; she formally moved approval. Councilmember Brandy Gabbard said she and staff had prepared a notice of business item to refer the RFP results to the HOUT committee so committee deliberation can precede a full council award recommendation on March 28.
The chair called for the vote, and the clerk announced the motion to approve the agenda item (C1) — the 90‑day extension — passed unanimously with Councilmember Hanowicz absent. The extension allows staff to complete additional rounds of evaluation and, if successful, return with a recommendation for a long‑term operator that the council could approve.
What's next: staff will finish the RFP evaluation, report back with the results and a recommendation, and the referral to the HOUT committee is scheduled to appear on the March 28 committee agenda before any final council award.
