R9AI - Select Location for Fire Station No. 1

Discussion Items - R9 AI

R9 AI DISCUSS AND TAKE ACTION ON THE SELECTION OF THE LOCATION FOR FIRE STATION NO. 1, UPON CONSIDERING POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE SITES AND THE RESULTS OF THE REQUEST FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST (RFLI) INTENDED TO IDENTIFY PROPERTY OWNERS INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH THE CITY TO INCLUDE A FIRE STATION AS PART OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. Applicable Area:

COMMISSION MEMORANDUM

RECOMMENDATION

The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission (City Commission) discuss and provide direction on the next steps to finalize the location for Fire Station No. 1.

BACKGROUND/HISTORY

The existing Fire Station 1 located at 1051 Jefferson Avenue, was built in 1967 and serves the areas south of 15th Street including Star Island, Hibiscus Island, Palm Island, MacArthur Causeway up to Watson Island and Terminal Island. In 1992, the existing Fire Station 1 underwent a major renovation of the existing interior spaces which included upgrades to the mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. An addition was also constructed, providing additional space for Fire Rescue, increasing the size of the facility to 12,836 square feet.

The project for design and construction to replace the existing Fire Station 1 (the Project) received funding under the 2018 General Obligation Bond, which initiated the design process. The proposed facility shall be designed as a critical facility complying with the required FEMA flood elevation, to meet the requirements of the current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, to withstand a Category 5 hurricane and other natural disasters, as well as security threats/risks, while addressing current operational needs of the Fire Department.

On July 31, 2019, pursuant to Request for Qualifications (RFQ) No. 2019-208-ND, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2019-30913 approving and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an Agreement with Wannemacher Jensen Architects, Inc. (WJA), for Architectural and Engineering Design Services, for the new Fire Station 1 facility (Fire Station) to be located at the South Shore Community Center, 833 6th Street (SSCC), in the Flamingo Park Neighborhood. The Project includes a new facility with four drive-thru apparatus bays, living spaces, offices, a kitchen, a gym, support facilities and 34 parking spaces (Exhibit A). Construction for the new Fire Station1 required the demolition of the existing SSCC.

Between October 2022 and April 2023, the City Commission approved two amendments to the agreement with WJA to include additional professional services related to offsite improvements, changes required by the Historic Preservation Board (HPB), coordination with the franchise utilities, and the integration of the Apollo Mural into the facade of the Fire Station. The design reached 90% completion, and documents were submitted to obtain required permits for construction.

On September 13, 2023, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2023-32775, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute Amendment No. 2 to the Agreement with the Construction Manager at Risk (CMR), Kaufman Lynn, for the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the construction of the Fire Station, the temporary Daycare and the infrastructure for the future installation of the Apollo Mural. Upon approval of the required permits, and the relocation of the Daycare from the SSCC, construction was scheduled to begin and was scheduled to be substantially completed in November 2025.

At the December 13, 2023 meeting of the City Commission, item C7 R, which proposed stopping the demolition of the SSCC, was presented and discussed. The City Commission deferred the item and discussion to the next meeting on January 31, 2024, to afford Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez the opportunity to identify alternative locations for the Fire Station.

On January 31, 2024, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-32903, directing the Administration to pursue two parallel paths for the Fire Station: (1) continue to execute the Project at the SSCC site and (2) continue to explore alternative sites for the Project.

On February 21, 2024 the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-32927, item C7 W, directing the City Administration to study the possible relocation of the Project to a City-owned site located at the western boundary of Flamingo Park at Alton Road between 11th and 12th Streets (Flamingo Park Site), taking into account response times, portability of state grant, time and cost impacts of moving the Project to the Flamingo Park Site and community input; and further, directing the administration to determine the requirements for a countywide voter referendum pursuant to Article 7 of the Miami-Dade County Charter in August 2024, should the City Commission wish to relocate the Fire Station 1 to the Flamingo Park Site.

Also, during the February 21, 2024 City Commission meeting, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-32928, as amended from item C7 X, pausing the SSCC’s demolition pending the Administration’s thorough analysis and recommendations on the options and viability of alternate sites, to be presented during the City Commission meeting on May 15, 2024, and further, confirming consensus and approval of the Flamingo Park Site from the Flamingo Park Neighborhood Association.

On April 3, 2024, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-32999, requesting that Miami-Dade County place a county-wide referendum on the August 20, 2024 Primary Election ballot, regarding construction of Fire Station 1 at the western boundary of Flamingo Park, on Alton Road, between 11th and 12th Streets.

On May 21, 2024, the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners adopted Resolution No. R-457-24 approving the inclusion of the county-wide referendum in the Primary Election.

On June 26, 2024, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-33157, directing the Administration to proceed with the relocation of the Project from the South Shore Community Center to the Flamingo Park site provided that the referendum be approved by a majority of Miami- Dade County voters voting in the county- wide referendum and construction of Fire Station 1 at the Flamingo Park site is approved by a majority of the City of Miami Beach voters in the aggregate voting thereon in the referendum.

When the county-wide referendum was held on August 20, 2024, an overwhelming majority of Miami-Dade County voters voted in favor of the measure, with 75.71% voting in favor and 24.29% opposed, placing the new Fire Station at the Flamingo Park site. The results for Miami Beach precincts indicated strong support from City residents, with every Miami Beach precinct voting in favor of the new location.

On September 11, 2024, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-33259, directing the Administration to collaborate with the design consultant to explore modifications to the concept plans that could prevent shifting the running track and field, provided these changes did not

significantly affect cost or duration of the Fire Station construction.

On October 30, 2024, a schematic layout of the Fire Station 1 at Flamingo Park was presented to the City Commission indicating that the design used at the SSCC site would not fit in Flamingo Park, west of the track, without impacting the track and field. A redesign of the facility would be required to accommodate the facility at this location. During the meeting, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2024-33345, directing that the construction of the Project at the Flamingo Park site shall not result in the relocation of any portion of the running track and field, or extended interruption of its use. The City Commission also directed the Administration to negotiate additional services with WJA modifying the design and construction documents for the Project location, ensuring that the running track and field will remain where currently located. An amendment to the professional services agreement between the City and WJA was required to incorporate additional design services.

On December 11, 2024, the City Commission adopted Resolution 2024-33411 approving Amendment No. 3 to the agreement with WJA in the amount of $2,611,752.34, for the additional services for the redesign of the Fire Station at the new Flamingo Park site, with an allowance for the conceptual design of a 911 Call Center to be included in the Project.

On February 2, 2025, a design kickoff meeting was conducted between the Fire Department, WJA, and City staff to discuss programming requirements. After several conceptual design workshops were held, WJA provided the final conceptual design (Exhibit B) on May 23, 2025. Cost estimates were received by WJA on June 13, 2025, and KL on June 26, 2025. Cost estimates aligned with the previously established construction budget, but funding for the 911 Call Center would still be required.

The proposed conceptual design for Fire Station 1 included 48 parking spaces and the building entrance at grade level with the apparatus bay and supporting spaces located on the second floor, and dormitories and other living spaces on the third floor. The gym was proposed on the fourth floor of the building adjacent to approximately 4,400 square feet of space to possibly house the 911 Call Center. The conceptual design also proposed installation of the “Apollo Mural” on a screen located east of the Fire Station 1 apparatus bays, and the demolition of the existing Field House building and its reconstruction east of the existing football field. The existing scoreboard was to be demolished but reconstructed at the northwest corner of the football field and track.

On July 23, 2025, the City Commission discussed three agenda items related to the Fire Station: C7 AF - Save Flamingo Park, sponsored by Commissioner Suarez; C7 AG - Action Plan to Utilize Existing Location for Fire Station 1, sponsored by Commissioner Rosen Gonzalez and co- sponsored by Commissioner Magazine; and C7 AL - Consider Repurposing Flamingo Park Parking Lots into Green Space, sponsored by Commissioner Bhatt. After a discussion about the Project, the City Commission adopted After-the-Fact Resolution 2025-33839 directing staff to:

1. Prepare a Request for Letters of Interest (RFLI) to determine if private property owners are interested in partnering with the City and including a Fire Station as part of their development process. 2. Exclude Flamingo Park and the South Shore Community Center from further consideration as potential sites for the Fire Station. 3. Allow 60 days for receiving ideas from the community, elected officials and the Administration. 4. Following that, City staff will have an additional 60 days to explore and evaluate the feasibility of those ideas. 5. All viable options, excluding Flamingo Park and South Shore Community Center, will be brought back to the City Commission for review and a vote.

ANALYSIS

A site was recommended for consideration during the July 23, 2025 City Commission meeting, and another site was recommended by staff outside of the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) Department. Six additional sites, under single ownership and that could potentially be large enough to accommodate the fire station, were identified.

Subsequent to the July 23, 2025 City Commission meeting, the Project team initiated an evaluation of alternative sites for the Project. Two properties are City owned; all others would require an agreement with the property owner or imminent domain. The additional sites reviewed are outlined below.

1. 1020 Meridian Avenue – parking lot south of the existing Fire Station 1 at 1051 Jefferson Avenue 2. 1 Ocean Drive (City owned) 3. 524 Jefferson Avenue 4. 811-881 Commerce Street 5. 819 5th Street 6. 555 Jefferson Avenue 7. 814 6th Street 8. 512 12th Street (City owned)

The Administration directed WJA to perform a preliminary analysis of each site’s size, location, and physical layout, which are tabulated for review (Exhibit C). One site was determined to be feasible for the current plan and with minimal design changes; three sites could be feasible with changes to the design of the ramps; three sites would require a complete redesign of the facility; and one site was not feasible. The one feasible site requiring minimal changes is located at 811- 881 Commerce Street, and is currently the parking lot for Joe’s Stone Crab. While the site meets the size and access needs of the Project, the site will need to be further analyzed for compliance with NFPA and ISO standards as they relate to the maximum allowable separation between fire stations and the areas they serve. The property’s estimated market value is listed as $26,099,100 on the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s website.

In addition to the sites reviewed, any additional suggestions received prior to or during the City Commission Meeting will be included in a more in-depth review, including response times. Upon direction by the City Commission, City staff will coordinate with WJA to completely evaluate the feasibility of each site.

As directed by the City Commission, on November 6, 2025, the Administration issued a Request for Letters of Interest (RFLI) (Exhibit D) seeking letters from property owners interested in partnering with the City to include a Fire Station as a part of private development projects. The RFLI was sent directly to 92 entities, including the owners or agents of the sites currently in review, except for 814 6th St as City staff was unable to get direct contact information for the registered owner. In addition, the RFLI was posted in the City’s procurement system where 1,063 vendors were notified and 31 vendors downloaded the RFLI. The letters of interest were due to the City on or before December 2, 2025. The City is in receipt of one response to the RFLI from the owner of the parcels located at 811-881 Commerce Street (Exhibit E). This is the site noted above as viable for size and access requirements, but will require further review.

Between 2016 and 2019, the City reviewed and evaluated 17 sites before selecting the South Shore Community Center lot as the proposed location. In 2023, when directed to identify a new location, seven additional sites were reviewed, which led to the selection of Flamingo Park. Of all the sites reviewed, 15 sites were deemed not feasible due to inadequate size, layout or location, five sites were eliminated as they would require the relocation of equipment and personnel and not provide an adequate facility for operations, and two sites were eliminated because the owners were not interested in selling their properties. Following multiple exercises, the two sites that were selected as viable and feasible were the South Shore Community Center and the most recent Flamingo Park location.

Continued delays to the Project could jeopardize grant funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) totaling $10.9M. The Administration provides quarterly updates on the Project’s progress to FDEP. Upon submission of the update for the period from July 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025, FDEP indicated concern with the Project’s development, questioning the ongoing schedule setbacks.

FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT

N/A

Does this Ordinance require a Business Impact Estimate? (FOR ORDINANCES ONLY)

If applicable, the Business Impact Estimate (BIE) was published on: See BIE at: https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/city-hall/city-clerk/meeting-notices/

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

N/A

CONCLUSION

This item is presented to the City Commission for discussion and direction.

Applicable Area

South Beach

Was this Agenda Item initially requested by a lobbyist which, as defined in Code Sec. 2-481, includes a principal engaged in lobbying? No

If so, specify the name of lobbyist(s) and principal(s):

Department

Capital Improvement Projects

Sponsor(s)

Commissioner Tanya K. Bhatt Commissioner Joseph Magazine Commissioner David Suarez

Co-sponsor(s)

Condensed Title

Discuss/Action, Selection of Location for Fire Station No. 1. (Bhatt/Magazine/Suarez) CIP