Broward County commissioners have approved a development team to expand the county’s convention center in Fort Lauderdale and build a hotel there, but they have concerns about a member of the team, construction company Tutor Perini Corporation.
The county is in a dispute with Tutor Perini over delays in building a county courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale and tunnels beneath the new elevated runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Former county aviation director Kent George, who continues to work for the county to resolve the dispute with Tutor Perinin, told the Sun-Sentinel, “They feel the county owes them money. We feel they owe us money.”
County commissioners will get an update on the convention center project at their meeting on Tuesday. The county commission on April 26 approved the development team of Matthews Southwest Holdings Inc. But commissioners said want to discuss whether Tutor Perini should remain on the team.
Construction of the county courthouse is nearly done but it is a year behind schedule. In a memo to commissioners, Fort Lauderdale public works director Tom Hutka said the primary causes of the delay include courtroom redesigns requested by judges and other courthouse users.
Tutor Perini claims that the county owes it $11.3 million for extra work on the courthouse project and $40 million for changes to the tunnel project at the airport. [Sun-Sentinel] — Mike Seemuth