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Cape Canaveral awards Fillmore Avenue reconstruction to Gibson Register after engineer review
Summary
After reviewing references and similar projects, the city’s engineer recommended Gibson Register for the Fillmore Avenue reconstruction; council voted 5‑0 to award the bid despite the firm not being the lowest bidder, citing experience managing traffic and residential impacts.
The Cape Canaveral City Council voted unanimously April 21 to award the Fillmore Avenue reconstruction contract to Gibson Register Inc., saying the engineering consultant’s review of bidder experience and maintenance‑of‑traffic plans outweighed a slightly lower price from Massie General Contractor.
Kimley‑Horn, the city’s engineer of record, told council that Gibson Register’s cited work — including Delaney Avenue in Orlando — showed stronger experience with complex maintenance‑of‑traffic measures in residential areas. “For this to be a successful project, we need all the residents to be happy with the construction going on,” Kimley‑Horn project representative Matthew Wanzer said, and he recommended the firm with the stronger similar‑project record.
Council members and city staff described a formal reference‑checking process and said city code 2‑27 allows factors other than price—such as safety planning and demonstrated experience—to guide awards. “It’s not required to award to the lowest bidder,” City Attorney [Title] told council, summarizing code language that requires a written justification if the city awards a contract to other than the low bidder.
Massie General Contractor, the lower‑priced respondent, provided letters of recommendation and told the council it had completed recent residential road projects quickly and ahead of schedule. Massie’s vice president, Leticia Massie Ferrer, said the company had delivered heavy residential work and that it had submitted additional references after the first bid round.
After presentations from both respondents and questions from council, Council Member Willis moved to award the contract to Gibson Register; the motion was seconded and passed on a 5‑0 roll call.
The council’s vote authorizes staff to finalize contract documents with Gibson Register for bid number 2026‑01. The city attorney noted the procurement file will include the engineer’s recommendation and the council’s justification for awarding to the non‑lowest bidder, as required by city code.
The engineering firm said it will coordinate a maintenance‑of‑traffic plan intended to preserve resident access and minimize disruptions during reconstruction. Council members said they expect frequent resident updates and that staff will return with timeline details and major milestones.
The council’s award followed a months‑long procurement and review process that included an earlier council discussion and a request for additional references; the award motion and roll call were recorded in the official minutes.
Outcome and next steps: the contract for bid 2026‑01 is awarded to Gibson Register; staff will finalize the agreement and bring final scheduling and preconstruction notices to council and the community.
