A PRR Will Cost You $150.00 In WPB

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CRA Organization Chart Information received from WPB Dept. Internal Auditor.

CRA Board Mayor Keith James, Commissioners Fox, Lambert, Peduzzi, Ward and Warren.

Executive Director Christopher Roog

RMA Principals

Deputy Director &  Administrative Assistant
Marketing Manager  &  Northwest Project Manager
Special Events Coordinator & Northwest/Pleasant City Manager
Real Estate Associate

“We note that the CRA structure has changed and the new Executive Director is now a City employee. All other personnel are employed by Redevelopment Management Associated (RMA) and are assigned to the City’s CRA by RMA.”

A resident sent a PRR on Mon, Aug 15, 2022 @ 1:00 pm which reads  “part 2 Internal Audit Report on page 5 there is a Organization Chart that includes a Real Estate Associate. Please Name of Real Estate Associate, resume and salary”   Received a response from the City, except the information he requested was not provided. See City response here.  Sunset Lounge A.L. PRR

Mayor Kith James stated it is costing the City $26,000/month to operate the vacant Sunset Lounge at a CRA meeting when discussing the  disqualified bidder (Vita) in what I believe was an attempt to push the Commissioners into a decision to decide on Mad Room. I can’t believe James is truthful and spending that amount of money on an empty building and placed a PRR.

My PRR sent 8/15/2022 @ 8:39AM. ” Please send me all invoices and receipts paid for the Sunset Lounge for the months of May, June and July for year 2022. Thank you in advance for your help.”

City responded Tue, Aug 16, 2022 @ 8:56 am with an Invoice. PRR will cost me $150.00. $75.00 deposit to start process and $75.00 on delivery. City states $200.00/per hour and apparently it will take 45 minutes. See invoice here.  Sunset Lounge Invoice $150.00

CRA Management and Staffing Contracts:

“Up until 2013, the CRA was managed and staffed by the City of West Palm Beach. In 2013, a competitively bid contract to manage and staff the WPB CRA was awarded to Redevelopment Management Associates (RMA) for a three-year term to commence on January 1, 2014 for the amount of $41,000 per month from January 1 – February 28, 2014 and increased to $78,000 per month on March 1, 2014, for the remainder of the agreement. This monthly fee was subject to a 2.5% increase, effective October 1st of each year. Per the contract, the City of West Palm Beach had the option to extend the term for up to two additional years by the execution of a written amendment to the contract. After the extensions, the first contract was set to terminate on December 31, 2018. However, in September 2018, a new contract was entered into with an effective date of October 1, 2018, and it was not competitively bid. This contract, like the prior contract, is currently in effect for three years with the option to extend for an additional two years through the execution of a written amendment. The compensation for this contract is $99,750 per month and is subject to a 3% increase, effective October 1st of each year, which comes to a cost of about $6.4 million over five year.”

I attended the meeting in 2013 and recall when the CRA contract was discussed and approved and that was the first and last time a “Request For Qualification” and not a “Request For Proposal” process, meaning that the city wouldn’t attach a specific dollar figure to the bidding process. The City automatically renewed the contract, the only difference was RMA received a substantial raise every time, and there is no need to wonder why the City ” wouldn’t attach a specific dollar figure”

At the time Mayor James was Commissioner James and voted for approval.
The City may have placed Mr. Roog as Executive Director of the CRA although 7 employees of RMA are still running the show. Where are taxpayers dollars, now gone missing?

James and Johnson, the two that run the City with an iron fist is throwing good money after bad. A City where employee moral is at a all time low, many in fear losing their job.

Commissioners I write these stories for you as well as the residents of WPB for no other reason than to bring to your attention to what is happening in our City that “Staff” conveniently leave out of presentations. If James and Johnson want it staff better sell it or become another Phyllis Brooks, fired after 38 years of service.to a City she loved.

As far as the Sunset Lounge, which belong to the black community, in my opinion only a black management firm can properly run it.

I placed a call to Mr. Roog on Tues. 8/16/22 @ 11:22AM and left a message with my name and phone no. and requested a call back. I’m still waiting for the call.

The end