Parents and local coaches press Coral Springs commission over plan to pick single soccer provider

Dozens of parents, coaches and longtime volunteers filled the Coral Springs commission chambers on March 4 and urged elected leaders not to disrupt local youth soccer programs while the city runs a competitive procurement process to select a provider for soccer programming.

Several speakers, including Diego Perez, who identified himself as the director of a 17-year soccer academy, told commissioners that allowing only a single citywide provider would limit family choice and harm recreational programs. “When a city only allows one soccer entity to provide soccer classes in all parts of the city, this creates a disappointment for a portion of the citizens,” Perez said, adding that many families seek flexible, nontravel programs.

Speakers representing or praising Spring Soccer Club described the club as “the heart of the community” and said the organization serves hundreds of local children. Laurie Thomas said the club has grown to “about 900 kids approximately” and provides both travel and development teams; Carmen Dorta and Chantal Jessup urged the commission to prioritize stability for the children and families who depend on established programs.

City officials and legal staff warned the room that emails encouraging people to attend the meeting could raise procurement integrity concerns. The deputy city attorney and other staff said they had noticed outreach to individuals that included possible talking points and would review whether any communications violated the city’s “cone of silence” rules tied to the active solicitation. “If you have been provided information from one of the organizations that have provided proposals and you come up here and speak, that would appear … to be a violation of our solicitation process,” a city attorney’s office official said.

City manager Catherine Givens and procurement staff told commissioners the situation reflects a routine end-of-contract procurement rather than an intent to eliminate existing programs. Staff said the prior six‑year contract expires at month’s end and that the city must issue a new RFP to comply with its procurement rules. Givens said staff met with existing providers in advance and that the city had contingency plans to extend the current contract through the remainder of the season if the RFP process would otherwise disrupt play. “We actually have plans to extend the contract through the remainder of the season,” she said, adding that the intent is to ensure programming continuity for travel and recreational players.

Commissioners repeatedly emphasized their interest in protecting local youth programs and urged residents to use forthcoming workshops and the scheduled RFP timeline to ask detailed questions. Several commissioners noted the procurement timeline is short but said recommendations and any final action will be brought back to the commission in upcoming meetings so the community can follow the process.

The commission did not vote on the soccer procurement during the March 4 session; staff said the recommendation and formal action would be scheduled in a future meeting and that the city is working to minimize any disruption to the current season.