Seven firms submitted proposals Wednesday to take a lead role promoting Key Biscayne’s massive “Big Dig” projects to protect the barrier island from sea level rise.
The projects – ranging from building a new pressurized drainage system to raising streets to burying power lines – are expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars over the next 15 to 20 years.
Village procurement officials did not specify a dollar amount for the communications contract, but instead told bidders the communications funding would be drawn from both the capital improvement and communications budgets.
The firms, however, provided their estimates of what a communications strategy program would cost, based on the Village’s specifications.
| Firm | Bid Amount |
| Balsera Communications | $210,000 |
| HML Public Outreach | $200,555 |
| Media Relations Group | Hourly rates provided |
| Rocketdog Creative Studio | $160,000 |
| SA Nelson and Associates | $184,733 |
| M Network | $186,413 |
| The Merchant Strategy, Inc. | $162, 675 |
The Village advertised for proposals to develop a 12-month “strategy and action plan” that would build “buy-in” from the community. The contract involves conducting community meetings as well as creating materials to engage residents.
The proposals are scheduled to be evaluated by Village staff in the coming weeks with a final recommendation expected in mid-December, documents show. Any contract would require approval by the Village Council.
At least two of the firms have worked with the Village before. Media Relations Group helped the Village’s Undergrounding Task Force develop communications about burying power lines in conjunction with contractor Kimley-Horn in 2018.
Also in 2018, the M Network created a short-duration messaging and community campaign to oppose locating the Ultra Music Festival on Virginia Key.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Thom Mozloom, the owner of the M Network, is a member of Miami Fourth Estate board of directors and occasionally appears as a co-host of the Anti-Social podcast. Tony Winton, the KBI editor-in-chief, was the principal of Key Content, now inactive, which consulted on the Undergrounding and Ultra projects in 2018.
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.