Alachua County to seek state‑contract real estate brokers to find Supervisor of Elections site

Alachua County county manager staff told the Board of County Commissioners the county needs to move quickly to secure a site for the Supervisor of Elections and recommended hiring one of three vendors already on a state competitive contract: CB Richard Ellis, Cushman & Wakefield of Florida, or Vertical Integrations. Larry Sapp, county purchasing, said using the state contract could cut the procurement time from 10–12 weeks for a full RFP to roughly two weeks for a negotiated approach while still preserving competitive integrity.

Commissioners pressed staff on the scope and safeguards. Commissioner Hutchinson asked whether out‑of‑town firms typically subcontract to local agents; Sapp said firms often have local representatives and that vendors would work on a commission basis only if a lease or purchase is completed, meaning no charge if no transaction is completed. Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter told the board the program'level space need is about 39,399 square feet and stressed the need for loading docks and other functional requirements that will affect build‑out costs.

Several commissioners said they wanted explicit policy direction included in the vendor solicitation. The chair asked that the draft scope require bidders to provide both lease and purchase numbers for every property they present, to confirm whether they will work for a fee rather than a commission, and to address priorities such as on‑bus‑route locations, centralized sites, pedestrian access and single‑story preference. Commissioner Baird emphasized checking vendor workload before selection; Commissioner Pinkerson urged staff to also review a 66,000‑square‑foot building someone had proposed and to verify whether an existing option could meet the county''s long‑term needs.

Staff said vendors would meet with the supervisor and each commissioner while preparing proposals; Sapp said vendors estimate about 90 days to deliver a full set of options after selection. The board voted to proceed with staff'recommended use of the three state contract vendors, asking staff to solicit proposals that include commission and flat‑fee options and both lease and purchase pricing, and to return with vendor recommendations no later than the second meeting in August. "We need somebody who wakes up every morning working on this project for us," Commissioner Hutchinson said, supporting the expedited approach.