Council watch

Whether the sparseness of this week's agenda is due to the council holding meetings on two consecutive weeks or just a sign that everything is perfect with the world, we can't be sure. Still, out on the fray, some drainage easements needed to be addressed and some playgrounds needed to be rebuilt. This fool's paradise doesn't hold itself together. Oh, look! Citrus Bowl news!

The city authorizes the committee ranking of, and authorizes the chief procurement officer to execute a contract for, RFP13-0161, which will designate the program services manager for the Florida Citrus Bowl renovation.
Translation: So, the latest is that the Citrus Bowl is going to turn into a giant glass house for throwing things, one with an "Orlando flavor" to it, according to the mayor. In order to accomplish this $175 million boom of architectural taste, the city put out a request for proposals that would give some lucky company $2.4 million over the next two years to oversee the transformation. The winning company is Orlando's own Hunt Construction Group, "the nation's No. 1 sports builder," according to its own website (and Engineering News-Record); Hunt was also the construction manager for the Amway Center, so take that for what it's worth.

The city approves a University of Central Florida transportation mitigation development agreement.
Translation: This one was going to be on the consent agenda (an easy yes), but instead was moved to "hearings." Contentious! Under the agreement, UCF – which bought 37 acres of Lake Nona's medical "cluster" to build a hospital and a clinic – will pay the city $1.675 million to offset transportation needs for the medical campus. Additionally, UCF will be exempt from future traffic improvement costs. UCF always gets its way.

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