BRADENTON, Fla. – Florida Gov. Rick Scott has appointed six members of the seven-member task force that will recommend a uniform process for establishing public-private partnerships.
The task force is an element of House Bill 85 passed earlier this year to provide a comprehensive law governing P3s, including their use at the local government level.
The law is designed to bring uniformity to regulations, which enhances prospects for the P3 industry, investors and lenders, according to attorney Lee Weintraub with Becker & Poliakoff, who drafted the law.
The task force will recommend to the Legislature guidelines for establishing P3s, including the types of factors public entities at all levels should review and consider when processing projects. A report is due by July 1, 2014.
Scott appointed George Burgess, who has been the chief operating officer at Becker & Poliakoff since 2011, as one of the task force’s members.
Prior to joining the law firm, Burgess was Miami-Dade County manager for eight years where he was involved in the Port of Miami Tunnel project, one of Florida’s largest P3 projects. Burgess also spearheaded a public campaign that led voters to approve the county’s $2.9 billion Building Better Communities Bond Program.
Other members of the task force are Tampa Chief Financial Officer Sonya Little, Osceola County Commissioner Frank Attkisson, Highlands County School Board Member Andy Tuck, and two members who work for contracting firms - Michael Olenick with the Morganti Group and John “Jay” Smith with the Ajax Building Corp.
The seventh member of the task for is the secretary of the Department of Management Services.
