Riviera's key decisions

Riviera Beach Councilman Edward Rodgers likens his city to a pretty girl with problems that all the fellas think they can deal with if they can just get a date. Last week, four major developer teams told the city that they'd really like a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship, and have plenty of money to help finance it. "They feel they can polish us up and make us into something nice," Councilman Rodgers said, "and I believe them."

On Sept. 14, he and his four council colleagues, serving as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, will select one of the suitors and become chaperones for the multibillion-dollar waterfront redevelopment that is supposed to define Riviera Beach for the rest of the century. The CRA members will choose among Riviera Beach Waterfront Developers, Republic Properties, Cypress Realty and Viking Inlet Harbor Properties, which spent up to $1 million each preparing their bids.

All of the bidders bring attributes and expertise. But the bigger issue for Riviera Beach has been its own team. The CRA board members will have to be properly informed before they make the "master developer" selection. Similarly, the city must be prepared for subsequent contract negotiations. Beyond all the pretty pictures, all the promises of affordable housing for displaced residents, of new jobs and training opportunities with preferences for residents and existing business, of a balanced, mixed-use approach extending benefits to the broader community, Councilman Rodgers is correct that "nobody on the dais is any competition for any of those developers."

Just as any marriage can bring questionable new relations, the board already must examine questionable new relationships. CRA engineering consultant Kimley-Horn thought up the idea of moving U.S. 1 west to produce more valuable property, but the firm is listed as a "potential consultant" for the Waterfront Developers team. While the CRA and developer will be partners, that's like the same divorce lawyer trying to represent a husband and wife. Among other potential conflicts, the Viking team said it will pick up the costs of the CRA's project managers, PSA Constructors, as part of their proposal.

It must be noted again that as Riviera Beach prepares for this major step that has been envisioned since 1999, residents are correctly calling for a state audit of the city's finances to help institute better accountability. The chairwoman of the CRA board has insisted that even though the agency has spent $7 million with nothing to show for it, the CRA is solvent. With that in mind, the CRA board members must make sure that they and the city are armed with as much hired expertise as the developers for the crucial decisions that lie ahead.