Martin County commissioners deny acceptance of second unsolicited P3 proposal, keep expedited review of earlier bid

Martin County’s Board of County Commissioners voted to decline acceptance of a second unsolicited proposal for the county operations facility and to continue the expedited review of the previously accepted proposal.

The action stemmed from staff briefings that accepting a second unsolicited P3 while an expedited review was already underway could force the county into a longer competitive process. Matt Graham, assistant county administrator, told commissioners the county had received a second proposal and that statute requires the board to accept and publicly notice unsolicited proposals before evaluating them.

Commissioner Capps moved to deny acceptance of the additional proposal and to proceed with the expedited review of the first proposer. Commissioner Vargas objected to relying on a single bidder for a large project, arguing that "I never go with one bid…I usually go with three bids" and warning that the county should ensure it knows what other options exist on a $75–80 million project. County staff and legal advisors explained that a competitive pathway would require restarting and advertising the process and could add months to the schedule; staff also said the first proposer’s submission had an expiration tied to an earlier timeline.

The board voice vote recorded Commissioners Hetherington, Chairwoman Hurd and Commissioner Capps in favor and Commissioner Vargas opposed; the vice chair was absent for the vote. The motion directs staff to continue the statutory expedited evaluation of the previously accepted proposal and preserves the county’s option to negotiate or decline a final contract later in the process.

What happens next: staff will continue the expedited evaluation already under way for the Building Tomorrow Schools proposal and will bring recommended next steps and any negotiated comprehensive agreement back to the board for approval.