OIG No. 25-06 Inspector General G.O. Bond Quarterly Report Joseph M. Centorino, Inspector General
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TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Joseph Centorino, Inspector General
DATE: April 10, 2025
RE: Inspector General G.O. Bond Quarterly Report
OIG No.: 25-06
Introduction
This report is written in compliance with Section 2-256(j) of the City of Miami Beach Code, which
requires the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to prepare and submit to the City Commission
on a quarterly basis a written report concerning the planning and execution of the General
Obligation Bond Program, including progress reports, financial analysis, and potential risks. The
review is based on official city records, OIG attendance at internal implementation and oversight
committee meetings, interviews with staff and other department personnel as well as regular
discussions with the Program Director. This report is intended to provide the Mayor, City
Commission and the public with useful information and periodic evaluations regarding the
implementation of the G.O. Bond projects to date.
Financial Status
The current financial status of the 2018 G.O. Bond program as of this report is:
PARKS INFRASTRUCTURE PUBLIC SAFETY TOTAL
SPENT $53,747,186 $25,936,640 $22,352,968 $102,009,794
ENCUMBERED $22,683,144 $6,598,015 $7,327,700 $36,608,859
AVAILABLE $14,768,715 $16,968,751 $8,498,355 $40,235,821
FUTURE $81,918,355 $146,496,594 $34,815,900 $263,230,829
TOTAL $173,117,380 $196,000,000 $72,967,923 $442,085,303
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Projects Under Construction
PROJECT BUDGET MONEY
SPENT
ENCUMBERED AVAILABLE
MAURICE GIBB PARK (RIBBON
CUTTING ON 4/3/2025)
$5,251,274 $4,437,932 $809,514 $3,826
FLAMINGO PARK LODGE $1,051,674 $161,833 $877,301 $12,539
PAR 3/BAYSHORE PARK $20,166,104 $20,165,144 0 $959
PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE $8,999,999 $1,838,409 $7,160,982 $606
TREE PLANTING (TRANCHE 1) $2,770,000 $2,520,573 $12,774 $236,652
SOUNDSCAPE
RESTROOMS/STORAGE
$827,001 $453,651 $373,348 0
COLLINS AVE/WASHINGTON
AVE CAMERAS
$665,154 $513,452 $91,702 $60,000
OTHER READERS CITYWIDE $1,390,000 $893,716 $167,685 $328,598
REAL TIME INTELLIGENCE
CENTER
$701,460 $177,808 $514,794 $8,856
SEAWALLS AND
SHORELINES (TRANCHE 1)
$4,999,998 $4,601,925 $389,307 $8,765
STREETS (TRANCHE 2) $8,600,000 $627,072 $700,380 $7,272,546
SIDEWALKS (TRANCHE 2) $3,500,000 $480,210 $1,025,049 $1,994,740
SEAWALLS AND SHORELINES
(TRANCHE 2)
$4,999,999 $43,467 $1,604,849 $3,351,683
Oversight Committee Motions
The Oversight Committee made one motion this quarter related to G.O. Bond Project #33, Tree
Planting, after residents objected to the planting by the City in certain areas along the beachwalk.
The City has established canopy coverage in some beachwalk sections. This project intends to
extend canopy coverage to other selected beachwalk areas. Additionally, the project will
contribute to the City’s goal of increasing the tree canopy from 17% to 22%. The project is funded
by both a $1 million United States Forest Service (USFS) Urban and Community Forest Grant
and the 2018 G.O. Bond to plant approximately 600 trees along the entire seven (7) mile stretch
of beachwalk. The USFS grant application was approved by Commission in June of 2023 and the
grant was awarded to the City in September of 2023. Subsequently, the City Commission
approved the purchasing of trees for the reforestation project in July of 2024.
For the initial project planning, the proposal was $426,582.27 funded by the federal grant, which
the City received, and the $593,472.93 balance funded by G.O. Bond ($2,770,000 in Tranche 1
and $2,230,000 in Tranche 2). Recently, the grant was put on hold as a result of policy directives
at the federal level and then reinstated when furloughed employees returned to work. The City
has been advised that uncertainty remains regarding the distribution of funds. (The Grants
Management Division Director has advised that, at this time, no other G.O. Bond projects have
been affected by changes in federal policy related to grant appropriations. The only other project
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receiving a federal grant is the Scott Rakow Wind Mitigation/Impact Glass project. This is from
FEMA, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program in the amount of $1,037,215.)
The City has been meeting with residents who live along the beachwalk after many individuals
raised objections to the tree planting due to viewshed impairments. The following chart, provided
by the Assistant Director of Environment and Sustainability Department, shows the current status
of the outreach that is taking place. In addition to the properties identified below, there are 20
additional properties that have been unresponsive to the City.
At this time, the tree project will need to be procured again based on community feedback.
The Oversight Committee voted in support of the beachwalk tree planting project moving forward
and on schedule. The motion was provided to the Commission via LTC 560-2024.
Dead Trees
The OIG received complaints from residents that many of the trees planted in the North Beach
Oceanside Park and along the dunes in the North Beach area have died. While this is not a
suitable subject for investigation by this office, the OIG met with staff from the Office of Capital
Improvement Projects (CIP) as well as Environment and Sustainability to address some of the
concerns raised by residents in its oversight capacity of the G.O. Bond.
NO TREES 4
345 Ocean Drive
Continuum
57 Ocean Condominium
Mei Condominium
4
Carriage Club South
Green Diamond Condominium
Blue Diamond Condominiums
Royal Club Atlantic Condominium
WANTED TREES- PROPOSED 5 OR MORE TREES OR PALMS BASED ON PRIMARY VIEWSHEDS AND/OR AVAIALBLE SPACE 20
Oceanfront Plaza Condominium
The Edition Hotel
The Edition Residents
Mosiac on Miami Beach
Caribbean Condominium
La Tour Condominium
Mimosa Condomiunm
L'Excellence Condominium
Corinthian Condominium
Fountainbleu Hotel
Triton Towers Condominium
Fountainbleu Residenences
Soho Beach Hotel
Faena Residences
Carriage House
Palms Hotel and Spa
Club Atlantis Condominium
Le Trianon Condominium
La Gorce Palace Condominium
Carriage Club North
Wanted as many as possible
No viewsheds to be concerned
Perserve existing viewsheds
Wanted as many as possible
Almost entire length of property
Perserve pool viewsheds
Almost entire length of property. Maintain views of oceanfront buildings from third floor
Limited available space
Perserve gym building viewsheds
Avoid adding trees in front of the center of property
Upcoming renovations. Does not want ocean view blocked.
Palms at edges and dunes crossover only
Wanted as many as possible
Maintain middle of the property's view unobstructed.
Wants their trees installed as soons as possible
Both properties- 4 replace as in-fill + 1 new total divided by two properties is less than 5
Both properties- 4 replace as in-fill + 1 new total divided by two properties is less than 5
Property viewsheds to be maintained- few on edges
Does not want middle ocean view blocked from beach access gate
Does not want middle ocean view blocked from beach access gate
Initial Oppostion- viewshed blocked
Initial Oppostion- viewshed blocked
New Building- pool deck designed around existing dunes vegetation
Worked with board for possible sites but all blocked viewsheds of lower properties
WANTED TREES- PROPOSED LESS THAN 5 TREES OR PALMS BASED ON PRIMARY VIEWSHEDS AND/OR AVAILABLE SPACE
Low level pool and full ocean view
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According to the Assistant Director of Environment and Sustainability, all installed trees within the
former North Beach Oceanside Park project should have been selected by the Landscape
Architect based on available resources indicating salt tolerance, adaptive to coastal
environments, and available in the marketplace. CIP confirmed that the trees that were selected
and planted were salt tolerant species. The City’s Urban Forestry team approved the selection
and issued permit #2019-0496. Prior to planting, all of the trees were inspected by the Urban
Forestry team and during installation the Urban Forestry team inspected and identified trees not
meeting specifications.
The tree installation commenced in February 2022 and was completed in April 2022 and
documents show that the watering schedule was adhered to by the contractor. CIP provided the
OIG with pictures of a functioning irrigation system during the construction phase. Prior to
substantial completion, the contractor was required to remove all existing invasive exotic
vegetation from the dunes area. A review of field reports dated 2/22/2022, 2/25/2022 and
3/10/2022 show that this work was done. There was a discrepancy between the fertilizer that was
contracted for and the product that was actually used. It is not known at this time whether there
was an impact as a result of this substitution.
On May 11, 2022, the Urban Forestry team advised that, after walking the project, it did not pass
installation inspection. Two of the reasons given were that:
1. There were several trees along the Boardwalk section that were good trees but would fail
inspection as a true Florida Grade #1 upon closer scrutiny and be labeled as Florida Grade
#2. Urban Forestry agreed to have the trees remain in place as long as the trees had
structural pruning correcting some of the minor defects in structure under the supervision
of a certified arborist prior to the one-year anniversary.
2. Seven other trees failed inspection for unknown reasons and required replacement.
The project reached substantial completion in May 2022 at which time CIP transferred the
maintenance responsibilities to the Parks and Recreation Department (the west side of the
beachwalk) and the Greenspace Division of Public Works (the east side of the beachwalk). On
June 1, 2022, the Urban Forester verified that the items listed on the failed inspection report had
been complied with and issued a “pass” for the project. As has been previously reported to the
Commission, the trees were alive in May 2023, which marked the expiration of the one-year
warranty period. The cost of the trees was $195,998.24.
The conclusion of the Environment and Sustainability Assistant Director is the following:
The dunes' environment is a harsh environment with the combination of heavy
winds with salt spray, sand particle movement, high temperatures, and only
seasonal natural rainfall to provide water to the trees. The trees that have not
fared as well adjacent to NBOSP include pigeon plums, calophyllums, gumbo
limbos, and green buttonwoods. Over time, these species have shown to not
withstand the direct constant pressure of salt, wind, and temperatures without the
protection of the large seagrapes seen throughout South Florida coastlines. The
typical tree conditions are green healthy growth below the top height of the
adjacent protective seagrapes and no growth above the top of the
seagrapes. Also, proximity to the sand makes a difference-- the farther away from
dunes equates to healthier trees overall. The rainy summer season brings
regenerative growth to the trees but in many cases does not address their overall
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decline. Trees like silver buttonwoods and seagrapes have mostly tolerated the
above-noted conditions well.
The City continues to re-evaluate the approximately 180 trees that have more than 70% leaf
loss/defoliation. There could be a rebound as the rainy season approaches.
Project Update
Marine Patrol Facility
The Marine Patrol Facility is currently in design. The original project budget was $2.7 million and
the original construction budget was $1.6 million. After the Design Review Board made its
recommendations, the construction budget increased to $4.6 million. In June 2024, M.C. Harry &
Associates, the A/E Consultant, provided the City with 90% construction documents. The 90%
construction documents increased the estimated construction budget to $9,314,212 making the
total budget estimate $13,433,792. The amount budgeted for the project is $8,800,056. The 90%
construction documents have been submitted for permits by Miami-Dade County DERM, the City
Building Department, FDEP and Army Corps. Given the latest estimates submitted by the A/E
consultant and the independent cost estimator, the permitting is on pause. Currently, staff is
analyzing value engineering strategies and cost reduction options to reduce the budget shortfall
and move the project forward. The project is scheduled to begin construction in the third quarter
of 2025.
Scope Changes
North Beach Oceanfront Center
Due to unforeseen structural issues, additional scope was added. The Commission approved an
accrued interest appropriation for the structural unforeseen issues that were discovered late last
year.
Flamingo Park Lodge
The existing roof and floor structures were found to be severely damaged by termites,
compromising the structural integrity of both the roof and flooring. As a result, a complete
replacement of the wooden roof structure and flooring became necessary. This depleted the
majority of the owner's contingency funds. At the March 19, 2025, Commission meeting, item C7C
was approved to increase the contract time by 272 calendar days and to replenish the project
contingency in the amount of
$65,000 to address the structural issues.
41st Street Corridor
The budget for this project is $15,000,000. The estimated construction budget is $10,600,000.
This quarter, at 60% design, additional scope was added to the project by the Commission that
has increased the budget to over $20,000,000. Previously, the design review board
recommended light fixtures to illuminate the tree canopies and trunks along the corridor. The
integration of new tree lighting and the required infrastructure was not included in the AECOM
Conceptual Design, the GOB Project scope, or the project budget. The cost for this additional
scope is $1,700,000.
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The Design Review board also recommended the replacement of City-owned pedestrian level
acorn light fixtures and poles with more contemporary fixtures. This adds an additional $1,200,000
to the project. (The OIG commends staff for recommending against this change in scope
identifying it as a waste of G.O. Bond funds because the fixtures were renovated by the Public
Works Department in 2020.)
Finally, infrastructure for license plate readers ($807,000) was also added. There are currently no
cameras or security facilities within the 41st Street corridor. The Police Department has requested
that new infrastructure with new service points and several poles be provided as for future License
Plate Reader (LPR) installations. FDOT has indicated, through the coordination of the scope of
work, that separate poles are required for mounting LPRs within FDOT’s right of way. At the
December 11, 2024, Commission meeting, the additional scope was approved in its entirety. The
scope changes will delay the project’s schedule and add an additional $5,000,000 to the project’s
budget.
At its September 2024 meeting, the G.O. Bond Oversight Committee considered the additional
scope but did not have an opinion since an expanded scope may not be funded with GOB dollars.
At the same meeting, the Oversight Committee made a motion that was transmitted to the
Commission via LTC 427-2024 recommending the creation of a policy for G.O. Bond projects to
mirror the “Stop the Pause” Ordinance. Specifically, the Committee sought to require a 5/7 vote
of the City Commission before the Commission could take any action that has the effect of
pausing, delaying, stopping or materially modifying a G.O. Bond project having an estimated
construction cost of $1,000,000 or more and is at least at 60% design. The policy would have
applied to this project had the Committee’s recommendation been accepted. The Commission, to
date, has not applied the Stop the Pause ordinance to G.O. Bond projects.
On January 17, 2025, the City requested an additional $5,000,000 for the project as part of the
2026 budget process. The estimated cost of the project is now $20,365,479. On February 14,
2025, funding for the additional design was approved by the Commission as a part of the 4th
capital budget amendment in the amount of $391,278,000. The fiscal year 2026 request has been
reduced by this amount.
72nd Street Community Complex
The project is at 30% design with the 60% design expected in July 2025. The total budget for the
project is $101,242,327. Of the $10,800,000 from the G.O. Bond, $3,832,908 has been spent and
$5,326,864 has been encumbered. Approximately $5,000,000 has been spent in design services.
At the December 11th Commission meeting, the Commission approved additional scope for the
project, adding a new level of parking in an amount not to exceed $4,5000,000. A budget request
has been submitted for the fiscal year 2026 budget process.
Delayed Construction
Two projects, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park Lighting and the 23rd St. Streetscape, were
scheduled to commence this quarter but have been rescheduled for commencement in the
second quarter. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Park project’s original scope included updated
playground equipment other improvements to include sidewalk renovations and turtle friendly
lighting. All parts of the project were completed except for the lighting. Last quarter, it was reported
that the project had insufficient funding to meet the original scope of the lighting project and,
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consequently, the scope was being revised to work within budget. This quarter, the project
manager from the Parks Department has advised that the scope has, in fact, been reduced to
only replace the light fixtures in the park. The fixtures have been ordered and will be installed next
quarter.
With respect to the 23rd Street Streetscape Project, the Invitation to Bid (1TB) for the selection of
a contractor was issued on March 20, 2023. Two bids were received, one in the amount of
$4,020,791 and the other in the amount of $3,407.000. The bids were found to be non-responsive.
The City initiated the Job Order Contracting (JOC) process and on September 25, 2023, the JOC
contractor submitted a Cost Proposal in the total amount of $3,450,511. This proposal was
reviewed by staff and the project Engineer of Record and rejected. The selection of a contractor
via the JOC contract was unsuccessful.
Subsequently, on June 10, 2024, Invitation-to-Bid (ITB 2024-419-ND) was issued and on July 26,
2024, three (3) bids were received. The lowest responsive, responsible bidder submitted a
proposal in the total amount of $3,392,956. The available construction budget was $1,910,802.00.
Consequently, the City recommended and the Commission approved the transfer of $1,282,154
from accrued interest income within the infrastructure category to the project. A Notice to proceed
was issued in January 2025 and the City is currently reviewing documents and drawings in
response to the Notice to Proceed.
Funding Shortfalls
The OIG requested from the Program Director the following list of projects that are facing budget
shortfalls:
Project Current Estimated
Short-fall
Managing Dept Notes
2018 BOND
41st St Corridor 4,740,600 CIP Additional scope as a result of DRB, community input and
Commission direction.
72nd St Complex 4,499,351 CIP Additional scope requested by City Commission -
additional parking level.
Baywalk
Bay Garden
Manor Link
1,517,034 CIP Based on feasibility study/conceptual design estimates
Bayview Link 4,132,680 CIP Based on feasibility study/conceptual design estimates
South Bay Link 15,305,88
7
CIP Based on feasibility study/conceptual design estimates
Log Cabin 1,047,279 CIP Based on recent comparable cost/sf
Flamingo Park
(Baseball Field)
5,252,673 CIP Insufficient funding originally allocated for the completion
of all remaining
master plan elements / high current construction costs
Marine Patrol
Facility
4,633,735 CIP Based on latest estimates from A/E and independent cost
estimator. V/E
and cost reduction options are being considered
Skate Park 2,535,284 Parks Based on 30% design documents
Police HQ TBD FAC Redesign based on new program requirements underway
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Log Cabin Project
The OIG is aware of complaints and concerns expressed by residents regarding the delays in the
City’s plans to utilize the stored remnants of the log cabin formerly located in the North Beach
Oceanside Park to construct a new log cabin structure in that vicinity. A review of the project
conducted by the OIG will be provided to the City and Oversight Committee in a separate report.
OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, City of Miami Beach
1130 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Miami Beach, FL 33139 Tel:
305.673.7020 • Hotline: 786.897.1111
Email: CityofMiamiBeachOIG@miamibeachfl.gov Website:
www.mbinspectorgeneral.com
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4/11/2025 | 2:33 PM EDT