Legislation Details

File #: 2026-22805   
Type: Consent Status: Agenda Ready
File created: 4/23/2026 Meeting Body Board of County Commissioners
On agenda: 5/5/2026 Final action:
Title: Request Approval of Bid Exemption: 26BE-087 Long-Term Gopher Tortoise Recipient Site - Atlantic Ecological Services, St. Augustine, FL (Budget Impact - Neutral; expenditure of $312,500)
Attachments: 1. 26BE-087 Solicitation Waiver

 

SUBJECT:

Title

Request Approval of Bid Exemption: 26BE-087 Long-Term Gopher Tortoise Recipient Site - Atlantic Ecological Services, St. Augustine, FL (Budget Impact - Neutral; expenditure of $312,500)

Body

 

INITIATOR:

DEPARTMENT:

Susan Olsen, Director

Procurement Services

 

DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND:

On behalf of Marion County Parks & Recreation, Procurement Services is requesting a bid exemption to authorize Atlantic Ecological Services to provide recipient site services for the relocation of up to 69 gopher tortoises in support of the Taxiway A project.

 

Relocation of the tortoises is required to facilitate construction. While Hoyle Tanner’s design scope included environmental services for identification, it did not include the cost for a permitted recipient site, and this gap was not identified prior to solicitation and award of construction. A permitted recipient site is required under regulatory guidelines, and relocation cannot occur without it.

 

To maintain compliance and avoid impacts to the project schedule, Atlantic Ecological Services was engaged to provide recipient site services. Multiple sites were evaluated, and Atlantic Ecological Services was determined to be the only option with sufficient capacity to meet project needs.

 

This project is grant-funded through the Federal Aviation Administration (90%) and Federal Department of Transportation (8%), and these services are eligible within the overall funding structure.

 

Attached for review and approval is the solicitation waiver. Upon approval at today's meeting, the waiver will be presented to the Chairman for signatures. Payment requests associated with the permitted relocation services will be processed in accordance with the services provided.

 

BUDGET/IMPACT:

Neutral; expenditure of $312,500. Funding comes from BQ415542-563102 (Marion County Airport Fund).

 

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Recommended action

Motion to approve the bid exemption and allow staff to process payment requests, and upon approval, authorize the Chairman to execute the solicitation waiver under 26BE-087.

end