North Bay Village weighs $19 million stormwater bond and $2.3 million drainage change order

North Bay Village commissioners on Wednesday will be asked to approve a change order of up to $2.3 million on the village’s North Bay Island drainage project, after talks to buy an easement from a private property owner fell through, and to borrow up to $19 million from JPMorgan Chase Bank to keep its voter-approved stormwater program going, according to the agenda packet for the Nov. 4 meeting.

Why the drainage job got more expensive

The village hired David Mancini & Sons in November 2025 to build Phase 1 of the North Bay Island stormwater project, a new pump station, drainage wells, pipes and rebuilt roads, for a bid of $11.6 million, including a $600,000 contingency, the staff memo says. The village had sought a permanent easement on a private parcel for the pump station, by negotiation or if necessary eminent domain, but months of talks did not produce a deal.

To avoid a condemnation case, engineers moved the station’s electrical and control equipment off the private land. That moved its Florida Power & Light hookup to a point about 2,500 feet away, according to the contractor’s proposal, far enough that voltage could drop too low when the pumps start. The fix: drilling for about 1,650 feet of new conduit, pulling 40,000 feet of copper cable, new FPL manholes and upgraded control panels. The contractor priced it at $2,234,492.63 and noted that its copper pricing was tied to the commodity market.

The memo calls it a “cardinal change” to the contract. It follows a $168,572 change order approved Oct. 20 after test digs found utility lines in the way of the planned drainage wells. If approved, about $1.1 million would remain in the project’s budget, according to the finance section.

The bond

Voters in 2022 authorized up to $60 million in stormwater bonds. The new borrowing, up for a second reading as an ordinance and a companion resolution, would pay off a line of credit, add about $10 million for new stormwater work and cover issuance costs, according to Chase’s term sheet in the packet, which offers indicative fixed tax-exempt rates of 4.59% or 4.83%, depending on whether the village can repay early.

The meeting also opens with the swearing-in of Mayor Rachel Streitfeld, At-Large Commissioner Goran Cuk and Harbor Island Commissioner Jorge Gonzalez, and the selection of a vice mayor. It starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at 1666 Kennedy Causeway, Suite 101. Written comments go to [email protected], according to the village’s hearing notice.