- December 16, 2025
The City Commission has agreed to send a letter to state legislators in Tallahassee, asking them to not adopt an ordinance that would prevent cities from having a local preference for awarding contracts to private companies.
At the recent meeting, City Manager Joyce Shanahan said that in 2010, the commission approved an ordinance that allows the city to award a contract to a local vendor, even if they are “a little bit” higher than the lowest bid. Currently, representatives in the House Government Operations Committee are discussing a new ordinance that would take away that ability. To become law, the ordinance would need to be passed by both the State House of Representatives and the Senate.
“We believe it is important to maintain that local preference,” Shanahan said.
Mayor Ed Kelley said he had asked Shanahan to create a letter.
“It basically states that we want the right to do that and we don’t need the state telling us what we can do on our local projects,” he said.
Current law prevents the city from having a local preference for state-funded or transportation projects.
