At the December 13, 2023 City Commission meeting, at the request of Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, the Mayor and City Commission (“City Commission”) referred an item (R9 V) to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee (“PSNQLC” or “Committee”) to discuss the City of Miami Beach (“City”) contract for bus shelters with Outfront Media Group LLC (“Outfront”) including possible termination.
On September 2, 2021, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2021-31853 authorizing the City to enter into a revenue-sharing agreement (“Agreement”) with Outfront for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of bus shelters and other street furniture at designated locations within the City. The Agreement was executed on October 1, 2021 and covers a 20-year term with a 5-year renewal option. The goal of the bus shelter Agreement is to install a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 250 bus shelters throughout the City such that every existing bus stop in the City (currently over 200) will have a bus shelter. The estimated revenue share to the City over a 20-year contract term is estimated between $44 million and $48 million; and between $62 million and $69 million for a 25-year term. The total value to the City, including capital expenditure, revenue share, and operating/maintenance costs, is estimated to be between $82 million (for a 20-year term with 200 shelters) and $119 million (for a 25-year term with 250 shelters).
On May 4, 2022, the City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2022-32156 (Attachment A), approving, in concept, the bus shelter design pursuant to the Agreement with Outfront. Design concept approval was obtained from the Historic Preservation Board (“HPB”) on September 13, 2022, and from the Design Review Board (“DRB”) on November 1, 2022, with the final bus shelter design, including materials and finishes, to be reviewed and approved by Planning Department staff. The bus shelter design concept required additional design and engineering, specifically: 1) manufacturing feasibility design to refine the build/deploy plan; 2) value engineering to meet the program budget; and 3) structural engineering design to meet the requirements of the Florida Building Code. The result of this design refinement for the new “standard” bus shelter is shown on Attachment B. Planning Department staff reviewed and administratively approved the final bus shelter design and determined it was consistent with the design concept previously approved by HPB and DRB. It is worth noting that Outfront has designed three (3) variations of the new bus shelter based on size and amenities (standard, enhanced, and minimal). Furthermore, every bus shelter is anticipated to be equipped with digital “next bus” estimated time of arrival signs, either incorporated as part of the new bus shelter structure or as a stand-alone sign.