Miami‑Dade County commissioners approved a five‑year contract for beach cleaning and sargassum removal, awarding the work to incumbent Beach Raker at a price matched to the second‑ranked bidder and directing the administration to report back at midyear on service adequacy.

Commissioners debated the procurement after staff said the incumbent’s bid was substantially higher than an alternate vendor’s price. Beach Raker said it historically has operated on Miami‑Dade beaches year‑round and had provided more frequent service than the minimums set in the RFP. Beach Raker’s CEO told commissioners the company runs upper‑beach sifting and sargassum pickup daily during the March‑Oct season and that the company had for years performed more work than the minimum contractual baseline.

To capture savings while addressing service concerns, the board accepted a motion to award the contract to Beach Raker at the second‑ranked bidder’s price, with a directive that the administration return at midyear with a report on whether contracted service was sufficient as sargassum patterns develop (the administration indicated a May timeframe for midyear review). The commissioners also asked that the procurement and parks staff monitor performance and be prepared to adjust service during upcoming busy tourism and event periods.

County staff noted that the RFP requires certain permit and experience thresholds: bidders must demonstrate prior work on Florida beaches and comply with sea‑turtle protection rules; one competing vendor lacked prior sargassum removal experience and therefore scored lower on technical evaluation. Commissioners warned that using an inexperienced operator could trigger regulatory restrictions (for example, a moratorium if turtle nesting is harmed).

The board’s action included a direction to return with a midyear evaluation; commissioners said they would revisit contract scope or spending if the lower price resulted in materially reduced service. The contract funding source for beach cleaning was cited on the dais as tourist development tax (TDT) funds.