Two contracts worth $171.5 million would build drainage pipes and pump stations in Riverland and Melrose Manors within about two years. The vote is Oct. 20.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission votes Tuesday on two contracts worth a combined $171.5 million to build drainage systems in Riverland and Melrose Manors. Both neighborhoods flood in moderate to heavy rain because they have no comprehensive stormwater system, city staff said in the agenda memos.
The items are M-2 and M-3 on the agenda for the regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. Staff recommends approving both.
The two contracts
| Neighborhood | Contractor | Contract price | Boundaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverland | David Mancini & Sons Inc. | $79,643,846 | Broward Boulevard to Davie Boulevard, SW 27th Avenue to I-95 |
| Melrose Manors | Man-Con Inc. | $91,840,159 | Broward Boulevard to Davie Boulevard, SW 31st Avenue to SW 27th Avenue |
Each project also carries $1 million for city project management and $2 million for construction engineering and inspection. That puts the full cost at about $177.5 million, according to the Riverland memo and the Melrose Manors memo.
Both neighborhoods are in Commission District 3. The work was first planned and designed as one project in the city’s Fortify Lauderdale program.
What would be built
The scope in both memos includes:
- drainage pipe and structures
- stormwater force mains and pump stations
- exfiltration trenches and water quality structures
- relocated water and sewer lines
- restoration of roads, driveways and swales dug up for the work
Substantial completion is estimated at about two years from the contractor’s second notice to proceed. Each contractor would pay the city $2,500 a day for unexcused delays. The city would own the system and take over its upkeep once the one-year warranty ends.
How the city got here
The contractors approached the city, not the other way around. Florida law lets a company send a local government an unsolicited proposal for a public project, and the memos set out the steps:
- Dec. 23, 2025: the city received the two proposals, one for each neighborhood.
- May 5, 2026: the commission accepted them and opened a 21-day window for rival bids.
- June 4: the window closed. No other proposals came in.
- June 16: the commission told staff to negotiate final agreements.
When the proposals arrived, city engineers put the combined project at $134.1 million to $171.4 million at 60% design. The two contract prices together come to $171,484,005, at the top of that range.
The memos say each contractor carries the risk of rising labor, material and tariff costs. Unused contingency money and savings go back to the city, and change order markups are capped at 10% for overhead and 5% for profit.
The spending also depends on the commission approving a consolidated budget amendment, which the memos list for Nov. 6.
What it means for you
If you live or own property in Riverland or Melrose Manors, a yes vote starts roughly two years of open-trench drainage work on your streets, with driveways and swales restored afterward. The memos say the city will lead community outreach during construction.
You can speak on M-2 or M-3 Tuesday. Sign up in the lobby of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, 1300 W. Broward Blvd., where the commission meets in Community Room 1004. The meeting is also shown on FLTV, Comcast Channel 78, AT&T U-verse Channel 99 and the city’s YouTube channel.
For the neighborhood itself, see our Riverland guide. For current street closures across the city, see road construction and closures. Our king tides page covers the coastal flooding expected later this month, and who to call at City Hall lists the departments behind this work.
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