Coconut Creek City Commission {Bryan Boggiano}
By Bryan Boggiano
The Coconut Creek City Commission approved a deal with Broward County to extend the lease of a county-owned public safety answering point (PSAP) through 2025.
The commission approved the agreement Thursday after struggling through negotiations with the county to extend the lease of the 6,175 square-foot space at the city’s Public Works/Emergency Operations Center.
On Aug. 29, 2013, the city commission originally approved a five-year lease agreement with the county to lease space in the City’s Public Works/Emergency Operations Center for a 911 emergency dispatch center, according to an ordinance.
The commission renewed the lease in 2018 for an additional five years. That lease expires on Sept. 30. The new lease runs through Sept. 30, 2025.
At that time, Coconut Creek also joined the Coral Springs PSAP system.
At their Sept. 14 meeting, the city commission tentatively approved a new lease agreement that would charge the county $14,516 per month between Oct. 2023 and Sept. 2024, coming out to $174,192 for the year. Between Oct. 2024 and Sept. 2025, Broward would pay $14,282 monthly or $171,384 yearly.
Officials note these values are below fair market value.
After that, the county can stay for up to six months, with a hefty bill. Broward would pay $14,282 monthly, plus a $10,000 monthly escalator. The Oct. 2025 bill would be $24,282, which would increase to $34,282, and so on.
Still, the commission slammed the deal for being too lenient and the county for not planning beyond the deal’s eventual expiration and having a representative to discuss with them at the commission meeting.
“I think this agreement is too generous,” said Mayor Joshua Rydell. “Staff has bent over backward to make this cost neutral….We’re handing them a gift for the smallest negotiable amount.”
On the second reading, the new monthly rate between Oct. 2023 and Sept. 2023 was reduced to $12,683 per month or $152,000 per year. Between Oct. 2024 and Sept. 2025, the new figure is $12,433.33 per month or $149,200 per year.
If the county is still in the facility after Sept. 30, 2025, they will owe Coconut Creek $60,000. Additionally, there will be an escalator cost reflecting a 3.5 percent consumer price index. Broward County will have to pay the city’s actual cost for rent and monthly operating expenses for the Coconut Creek Fire Administration Office.
Other fees the county is responsible for include $295,000 for HVAC systems, paid by Oct. 1, and any eviction-related costs.
The city commission welcomed the revised deal, saying it is more financially whole.
“All in all, this is a well-rounded deal,” Rydell said.
Commissioner Jeffrey Wasserman moved to approve the agreement, which Commissioner John Brodie seconded. It passed unanimously.
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