SUBJECT
title
Approve selection committee's recommendation to authorize staff enter into negotiations with GISJane LLC to provide forecasting, detection, and mitigation of harmful algal blooms (no fiscal impact).
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DESCRIPTION
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) present serious risks to public health, aquatic ecosystems, and water quality across the State of Florida, including Polk County. These blooms are primarily driven by increased nutrient inputs into water bodies, often associated with population growth and land use practices.
Polk County is home to hundreds of lakes, many of which have experienced HAB occurrences in recent years. These events have been documented and made publicly accessible via the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Algal Bloom Dashboard. Recognizing the growing impact of HABs, the State of Florida has allocated funding to support the development and implementation of innovative technologies aimed at forecasting, detecting, and mitigating these blooms.
In response to the State's initiative to better understand nutrient loading and HAB trends, Polk County was awarded a grant from FDEP under the Innovative Technology Grant Program.
To implement the grant funded project, Parks and Natural Resources requested Procurement to solicit proposals from qualified firms to conduct studies on publicly accessed lakes and streams for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) detection, monitoring, and mitigation.
Request for Proposal (RFP) 25-285, Forecasting, Detection, and Mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms was issued, and one vendor submitted a proposal. The selection committee met on Monday, July 14, 2025, and elevated the vendor to interviews. On Thursday, August 7, 2025, the selection committee interviewed the vendor. After the interview, the consensus of the selection committee was to request the Board authorize staff to enter into negotiations with GISJane LLC.
The following is a listing of the firm and their ranking:
Proposer
City
Rank
GISJa...
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