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Council approves amendment to Freebie electric shuttle contract despite public objections over costs
Summary
Plantation City Council voted to approve the second amendment to an agreement with B Free LLC (doing business as Freebie) for electric transport services after a public speaker urged the council to cancel the program and raised multi-hundred-thousand-dollar annual cost estimates.
PLANTATION — The City Council on Feb. 25 approved a resolution amending the city’s agreement with B Free LLC (doing business as Freebie) to continue a free electric car transportation program, after brief public comment urging the council to halt the service due to cost concerns.
During public comment, Dennis Conklin urged the council to "pull the plug" on the free electric transportation system and provided a citizen estimate of operating costs: $791,427.78 per year for initial routes, plus an additional senior program estimated at $527,618.52 per year, yielding a total he cited as about $1,319,046.30 annually. He told the council taxpayers would ultimately shoulder the cost.
Council moved and seconded approval of item 1, the resolution approving the second amendment with B Free LLC. The clerk called the roll; council members recorded "Yes" and the motion carried as presented.
The council did not expand on the program’s long‑term funding in the public discussion at the meeting; no amendment or contingency was placed on the approval during the Feb. 25 vote. Council members and staff indicated they would follow routine procedures for contract administration and oversight.
What happened next: the amendment passed by roll call; the contract will move forward under its amended terms. Members of the public and at least one resident speaker asked the council to reconsider or provide more fiscal detail as the program expands.
