WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The city of West Palm Beach had awarded a no-bid contract worth $7.9 million to a company. The outcry was swift from the public and the competitor filed a lawsuit.
Now, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James announced a sudden change, saying the contract would now go out for bidding after all.
"New information obtained by Interim City Administrator Faye Johnson leads me to believe that we need to take a fresh look at the process for selecting the security provider and put the contract out to bid," said James. "The public’s trust and confidence in the contract selection process and in their city government is paramount. I look forward to the process playing out, in the interest of full transparency and to ensure the contract is above reproach. I am genuinely grateful to Ms. Johnson for her review."
Contact 5 asked the city for more details on what information was obtained by Johnson, but we did not hear back.
City Administrator Jeff Green had resigned on Oct. 8.
Green did not give a reason for his sudden departure.
The controversy started in September when the mayor pressed for a no-bid award to Professional Security Consultants, owned by Willie Perez. Perez was known to socialize with the mayor, Commissioner Joe Peduzzi and former city administrator Green.
Giddens Security, the competing company, filed a lawsuit in September against the city, claiming bias, favoritism, collusion and illegal activity by the city.
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