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City gets FEMA closeout on millions, FEMA agrees police/fire station must move; council approves CEI task order allowance
Summary
Disaster-recovery consultant Dina Bautista told the council the city closed out about $11 million with state and FEMA, the Jetties award has been issued and FEMA now agrees the police/fire station needs relocation; council discussed pier bids, lift‑station task order and next steps for engineering and easement negotiations.
The city’s disaster-recovery consultant, Dina Bautista of Athens Realis, reported at the Sept. 23 council meeting that the city has secured closeout of roughly $11,000,000 with the state and FEMA and that the Jetties project has cleared milestone reviews and a notice of award has been issued.
Bautista said the pier project remains under extended environmental and legal review at FEMA and that FEMA has agreed to re-evaluate its cost estimate after the city submitted higher bids. If FEMA revises the estimate before obligation, the city can avoid an amendment and move more quickly into construction.
Bautista gave what the council called “big news” on the police and fire station: FEMA headquarters has confirmed that, under its policies, the critical facility should be relocated—meaning relocation costs are now eligible for FEMA funding. The city has identified a potential parcel north of the current site and is preparing engineering drawings so FEMA can complete its eligibility review. Bautista noted that the architectural-and-engineering phase for relocation is a separate project that already has obligated funds.
On utilities, Anchor CEI (Emily Thomas) presented a task-order proposal to perform construction administration and inspection for a bypass-pump installation at Lift Stations 9, 11 and 13 and to review drawings for overlapping scope at Lift Station 9; the estimated fee was $22,001.65 plus a Davis-Bacon allowance, bringing the total to roughly $25,105. The council debated how much of those costs could be covered by federal grants and whether the Davis-Bacon requirement applied, then moved to approve the task order (council called for a roll to formalize the motion).
Why it matters: FEMA obligations and closeouts affect how and when major Gulf-front and public-safety projects can proceed; FEMA’s confirmation that the police and fire station should relocate materially changes the city’s planning and capital needs.
What’s next: Staff will continue to coordinate with FEMA on the pier bid revision and the police/fire relocation; engineering drawings and easement negotiations (including with St. Joe) were identified as immediate tasks. The council directed staff to monitor obligations and pursue grant and loan options where applicable.
