Subject:
Title
Save Our Indian River Lagoon Fish Kill Clean Up Coordination Contract Between Brevard County, Florida, and Keep Brevard Beautiful, Inc.
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Fiscal Impact:
FY20-21: Up to $100,000 from the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Fund 1260 Cost Center 271210
Dept/Office:
Natural Resources Management
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board of County Commissioners: 1) authorize the Chair to execute an agreement with Keep Brevard Beautiful, Inc to coordinate a fish kill clean up in the Indian River Lagoon in the event of a catastrophic die off event; 2) authorize the County Manager to execute any future amendments, change orders, or extensions; and 3) approve associated budget change requests.
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Summary Explanation and Background:
In August 2020, Brevard County Purchasing Services, on behalf of Natural Resources advertised a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) for fish kill cleanup services. Purchasing Services received one submission in response to the RFP from Keep Brevard Beautiful, Inc., (KBB).
Upon review of the proposal received from KBB, the selection committee motioned to enter into negotiations with KBB for the services requested in the RFP. Negotiations were held in September 2020 and again in January 2021. The result of those negotiations, as outlined in the contract, provide for KBB to be paid, for services rendered, an hourly rate of $30.00 per hour per KBB Staff member working on an approved project. That $30.00 per hour includes, staff labor time, use of vehicles and equipment, tools, and all supplies, PPE and volunteer clothing needed to complete the assigned project. The contract limits a working day to a 12-hour day and limits the amount of a daily reimbursement to $7,500.00 per day of a clean up effort. The County also agreed to a separate fee for professional fisherman utilized in a clean up effort in an amount based on actual (current) bait fish market rates (approximately $0.35 per pound of wet fish), plus actual costs per day for equipment and fuel, as determined by the County. Lastly, the County and KBB agreed that the County would pay actual costs per day for dumpster tipping fees, as determined by the County.
Due to nutrient pollution and associated harmful algal bloom events, the Indian River Lagoon remains at an elevated risk for fish kills. The proposed contract provides for a rapid response to catastrophic fish kill events. For such events, Keep Brevard Beautiful would coordinate volunteers and fishermen to harvest dead fish from the lagoon and dispose of them at the landfill. This will prevent fish decay from returning excess nutrients to the water, reduce the oxygen demand associated with decomposition, and mitigate odor and aesthetic impacts.
Timely pursuit of contracting is necessary for multiple reasons: 1) Protection of human health and lagoon water quality ; 2) Provide safe clearance and disposal of decomposing fish species, potentially on shore and/or surface water; 3) Provide relevant field data to aid in quantifying impacts of the algal bloom or cold stunning event; and 4) this contract could also be used to respond to fish kills on the St Johns River or red tide related fish kills on the ocean shoreline, although funding would need to be directed from an appropriate source rather than from the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Trust Fund.
Clerk to the Board Instructions:
Please execute two original Agreements and return to Natural Resources.