Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Jonathan Daniels
Department: Port Everglades Division: Director’s Office
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO APPROVE Amendment No. 02 to the Public Transportation Grant Agreement (“PTGA”) between the Florida Department of Transportation (“FDOT”) and Broward County, increasing FDOT’s participation by $1,000,000 for expenses relating to pre-construction and construction phases of the Port Everglades’ Dredging and Widening Project, requiring a 50% match of $1,000,000 from Broward County, and effective upon execution by FDOT; authorize the County Administrator to take necessary administrative and budgetary actions to implement the grant; and authorize the Mayor and Clerk to execute same.
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Why Action is Necessary
Broward County Board of County Commissioners (“Board”) approval is required for the execution of Public Transportation Grant Agreements with the Florida Department of Transportation
What Action Accomplishes
Provides additional funding for the pre-construction and construction phases of the Port Everglades’ Dredging and Widening Project.
Is this Action Goal Related
Yes
Previous Action Taken
None.
Summary Explanation/Background
THE PORT EVERGLADES DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDS APPROVAL.
This item supports the Broward County Board of County Commissioners’ (“Board”) Value of “Ensuring economic opportunities for Broward’s diverse population and businesses” and the Goal to “Increase the economic strength and impact of revenue-generating County enterprises balancing economic, environmental, and community needs.”
The state of Florida has identified the Port Everglades Dredging and Widening Project as a high priority to encourage funds flow for the project. A Joint Participation Agreement (“JPA”) between Broward County and the Florida Department of Transportation (Financial Project No. 433414-1-94-02) for State partial funding of costs associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (“USACE”) Port Everglades Navigation Improvements (Dredging and Widening) Project was approved by the Board on April 4, 2017 (Item No. 3) for Fiscal Year 2016-2017. The JPA approved a project cost of $45,000,000 and provided grant funding in the amount of $22,500,000 to the Port Everglades Department for expenses related to the Dredging and Widening project's construction, which required matching funds from Broward County in the amount of $22,500,000.
In Fiscal Year 2017-2018, FDOT approved the disbursement of an additional $28,888,637 in the Supplemental Joint Participation Agreement (“SJPA”) No. 1, which required matching funds from Broward County in the amount of $28,888,637. SJPA No.1 was approved by the Board on June 12, 2018 (Item No. 30).
Subsequently, in Fiscal Year 2018-2019, FDOT approved the disbursement of an additional $15,000,000 under a new agreement document called a Public Transportation Grant Agreement (“PTGA”), which required matching funds from the County in the amount of $15,000,000. The PTGA was approved by the Board on March 28, 2019 (Item No. 7).
In Fiscal Year 2019-2020, FDOT approved the disbursement of an additional $23,861,363 under the PTGA Amendment No. 01, which required matching funds from the County in the amount of $23,861,363. PTGA Amendment No. 01 was approved by the Board on March 10, 2020 (Item No. 10).
FDOT has approved for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 the disbursement of an additional $1,000,000 under this PTGA Amendment No. 02, which requires matching funds from the County in the amount of $1,000,000. With the execution of this PTGA Amendment No. 02 and previous FDOT agreements and amendments, total project costs eligible for state grants are $182,500,000, with FDOT providing 50% of the funding and the County providing matching funds totaling $91,250,000. This brings FDOT's total funding to $91,250,000 of the most recent USACE total cost estimate of $509,591,000 for the Dredging and Widening Project.
Completing the project is needed for Port Everglades to create adequate capacity (depth and width) to accommodate "Neo-Panamax" vessels that call at the Port today, as well as those that traverse the widened Panama Canal. It will enable Port Everglades to remain competitive with other ports and market to ocean carriers on the East-West and North-South trade lanes.
A requirement for this additional funding is to execute this PTGA Amendment No. 02 between FDOT and Broward County prior to disbursement of any funding. This PTGA Amendment is written in the standard FDOT format and has been reviewed and approved as to form by the Office of the County Attorney. FDOT will execute the Amendment after Board approval.
Source of Additional Information
David Anderton II, PPM, AICP, Assistant Director of Port Everglades, Port Everglades Department, (954) 468-0144, danderton@broward.org
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
The Port Everglades’ Dredging and Widening Project and matching funds are budgeted in the Port's five-year capital program.