MIAMI
Miami Beach’s long-time procurement director has resigned, creating a delay on the redevelopment of the Miami Beach Convention Center and 52 surrounding acres, and raising questions about the city’s process of selecting qualified developers.
Gus Lopez submitted a letter of resignation Friday after he was told he would be fired due to “lost confidence” in his ability to do his job, “inappropriate” handling of a “personnel matter,” and “insubordination” according to city officials. City Manager Jorge Gonzalez would not comment on whether he had concerns that Lopez had acted inappropriately in the handling of the ongoing process to short-list a group of development teams to compete for the ability to redevelop what the city is calling the Miami Beach Convention Center District.
As a result of Lopez’s resignation, a March 29 deadline for developers to submit proof of qualifications in a sealed package was pushed back to April 23.
Miami Beach is in the middle of a push to redevelop its convention center and surrounding acreage, which includes the old Jackie Gleason Theater, City Hall and the 17th Street parking garage. City officials hope to lure prominent development teams to redesign and rebuild the area and largely finance the rejuvenation of its aging convention center, which has been steadily losing business for more than a decade.
Courtesy of The Miami Herald
