Riviera Beach moves to negotiations with 7 Kings Holdings for marina management, tables final deal to May 6

The Riviera Beach City Council on April 27 authorized staff to begin contract negotiations with 7 Kings Holdings for third-party marina management services and postponed final approval until the council's first May meeting.

Procurement Director Latonya Ammons told the council that the RFP issued under the Riviera Beach code produced three proposals, with 7 Kings Holdings ranked first by the evaluation committee (score: 1,002.50). The scope would include oversight of slips, fuel sales, retail operations, maintenance and marketing.

Residents urged the council to require local hiring and training commitments for youth and local residents in any management agreement. A caller who identified community priorities said: "Please, demand that our children's future and jobs for our Riviera Beach citizens are protected in this agreement." Council members responded by asking staff to seek commitments in negotiations and moved to postpone final action so 7 Kings could appear and address the council.

Why it matters: The marina is part of the city's broader waterfront development and is seen by residents as potential job and training source for local youth. Negotiations will determine community-benefit provisions, job commitments, and other contract terms.

Next steps: Staff will continue negotiations with 7 Kings and work with finance to identify a negotiation committee; a contract will return to council at the May meeting for final consideration. In the interim the current management agreement will be extended as needed to avoid disruptions in marina services.

Quote: "7 Kings Holdings was ranked number one with a proposal score of 1,002.50 points," Latonya Ammons said during the presentation.