Six specific asks, each backed by the City’s own record.

At a glance

The six asks in brief

1. Assess interim stabilization within 30 days, at the October 20 or November 6 meeting, with emergency procurement if the assessment supports it.
2. Move the money forward. Shift the $7,983,841 programmed for FY 2030 into FY 2027, and bring the $2,967,364 FIND agreement and its match to the Commission by December 2, 2026.
3. No further design extensions. Hold the December 5, 2026 completion date, publish a construction schedule, and advertise the construction bid in early 2027.
4. Publish a written plan for the 9/11 Monument, covering storage, how the monument will be honored in the meantime, and a target date for reinstalling the base.
5. Publish the record: the inspection reports, any post-collapse assessment, the Army Corps permit status, the basis for the $12 million estimate, and monthly updates.
6. Seek state and federal help. Request a 2027 state appropriation before the session convenes on March 2, 2027, and raise the project with the member of Congress who represents the site from January 2027.

Source: Section 11.2 of our report. See the evidence for each ask.

What, why, and who can act

The asks in full

Our report makes six requests. The first five are directed to the City Commission and the Acting City Manager. The sixth is also directed to the state and federal delegation.

1. 1Assess interim stabilization now

   At its October 20 or November 6, 2026 meeting, the Commission should consider a resolution directing the City Manager to have the engineer of record assess interim stabilization of the failed section within 30 days and, if the assessment supports it, to use emergency procurement under Section 255.20 of the Florida Statutes and the City Code.

   Why: The City told a state agency that the catwalk “may be on the verge of collapse,” part of the walkway collapsed by August 12, 2026, and construction is not expected to begin until summer 2027.^{[5, 6, 7, 13]} State law exempts repairs to public works damaged by a sudden, unexpected event that creates an immediate danger, and the City used emergency purchasing for design work on this same seawall in 2017.^{[57, 26]} Whether the collapse meets the legal test is for the City to determine.

   Who can do it: The City Commission, by resolution, and Acting City Manager Christopher Cooper.

2. 2Move the money forward

   The Commission should consider a budget amendment moving the $7,983,841 now programmed for FY 2030 into FY 2027, and staff should bring the $2,967,364 FIND agreement and its match to the Commission no later than December 2, 2026.

   Why: The adopted capital plan shows no new funds in FY 2027 through FY 2029, while a summer 2027 construction start falls in FY 2027 and the two FIND awards require $4,000,000 in local match, more than the project’s unspent balance at the end of May 2026.^{[14, 15, 16, 23]} As of October 6, 2026, no agreement for the second award had appeared on a Commission agenda.^[20]

   Who can do it: The City Commission, by budget amendment, and the Acting City Manager and City staff, who place the FIND agreement on the agenda.

3. 3No further design extensions

   The City should hold HBC Engineering to the December 5, 2026 completion date, publish a construction schedule, and advertise the construction bid in early 2027.

   Why: The design contract has lapsed twice and been revived twice by retroactive agreement, its value has risen by about 80 percent, and its completion date has moved two years.^{[10, 33]}

   Who can do it: The Acting City Manager, who administers the contract, and the City Commission, which approves any changes to it.

4. 4A written plan for the 9/11 Monument

   The City should publish how the removed base is being stored, how the monument will be honored in the meantime, and a target date for putting the base back.

   Why: The City removed and stored part of the monument’s base, and no reinstallation date has been published. Under the current schedule, that work would follow a construction start in summer 2027.^{[8, 13]}

   Who can do it: The Acting City Manager, and the City Commission, which can request the plan.

5. 5Publish the record

   The City should publish the inspection reports behind its structural findings, including the 2016 survey and the FDOT Bridge Management Inventory System determination, along with any engineering assessment made after the collapse, the status of the Army Corps of Engineers permit, the basis for the $12 million estimate, and monthly progress updates.

   Why: None of these documents is in the public record our report reviewed: the 2016 survey report is not attached, the Corps permit was last described as pending in early 2026, and the record does not contain the basis for the $12 million figure.^{[25, 15, 23, 13]}

   Who can do it: The Acting City Manager and City staff, and the City Commission, which can direct that the documents be released.

6. 6Ask the state and federal delegation for help

   The City should seek a 2027 state appropriation through the Broward legislative delegation, including Senator Rosalind Osgood and the members elected to House Districts 99 and 100 in November 2026, before the regular session convenes on March 2, 2027, and should raise the project with the member of Congress who will represent the site from January 2027.

   Why: The project has not appeared in any Resilient Florida statewide plan for 2024 through 2027.^{[17, 18, 19]} Representative Chip LaMarca’s House service ends in November 2026 under the eight-year limit, so the request must go to the delegation that will sit in the 2027 session.^{[55, 71, 75, 76]}

   Who can do it: The City Commission and Acting City Manager, who make the request; Senator Osgood and the House District 99 and 100 members elected in November 2026; and the member of Congress for the site from January 2027, whose district our report could not verify.^{[70, 73, 74]}

These six requests are taken from Section 11.2 of our report.

Following the money

The funding gap

A construction start in summer 2027 falls in FY 2027, but the adopted capital plan shows no new funds until FY 2030, and the two FIND awards require $4,000,000 in local match, more than the project’s unspent balance at the end of May 2026.^{[14, 15, 16, 23]}

Written for you

Messages for specific leaders

What we don’t know yet

Questions the City can answer

We try to be careful about the limits of what we know. The public record we reviewed doesn’t answer these questions, and the City could answer each of them with information it already has:

• What is the current status of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit?^{[15, 23]}
• How would a summer 2027 construction start be funded, when the adopted plan shows no new funds until FY 2030?
• What do the underlying inspection reports say, including the 2016 condition survey and the FDOT Bridge Management Inventory System findings?
• Will the new wall be built waterward or landward of the existing wall?
• Has any engineering assessment been made since the August 2026 collapse, and what did it recommend for the interim period?
• When will the removed portion of the 9/11 Monument base be reinstalled?
• Did the City ever apply to the Resilient Florida program for this project, and if not, why not?
• What was the outcome of the City’s 2024 FIND application for $3,000,000?

Source: Section 12 of our report.

The decision record

Who decided

This section lists the formal Commission actions on this seawall and directly related matters, as recorded in the City’s Legistar system. It reproduces Table 5 of our report.

This table reproduces Table 5 of our report. Movers and seconders are as recorded in the City’s Legistar system; “not recorded” means Legistar shows no seconder. Vote tallies are not recorded in the Legistar data reviewed and are not reported here.^[21]

Officials relevant to the site

This table reproduces Table 6 of our report.

The November 2025 and June 2026 project memos were issued by City Manager Rickelle Williams, whose separation took effect on July 3, 2026.^{[10, 41]}