Recommendations delayed on Bradenton Area Convention Center hotel

Bradenton Area Convention Center hotel under evaluation

MANATEE -- The Bradenton Area Convention Center hotel evaluation committee has delayed making a recommendation on the two final proposals even though John Barnott, director of the county Building and Development Services Department, said the process is already six to eight months behind.

The committee has heard oral presentations from both developers, S. Goodman and Associates of Pleasanton, Calif., and Jiten Patel of Bradenton.

A third proposal from Hat Trick Consultants of Grapevine, Texas, was received and opened by the county on Oct. 30, but the proposal was not fit for the project because it did not include a hotel, said Christine Pearson, contracts negotiator for Manatee County's purchasing division.

The evaluation committee includes Pearson, Barnott, purchasing official Melissa Wendel and Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The evaluation committee is receiving outside consulting from Tony Peterman of Strategic Advisory Group, a Georgia-based advisory services firm. Peterman's background is in public-private deals, Falcione said.

The evaluation committee felt they need a couple more weeks to research and compare the proposals before meeting with Peterman to hear his opinion.

"We got a lot of information from the previous proposal and from this proposal," Wendel said. By the time the group meets with Peterman on Jan. 8, "the expectation is we will have done more research and we'll be able to make a decision."

The committee then will make a recommendation to Manatee County Administrator Ed Hunzeker. Hunzeker will approve the recommendation or send it to the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners. When the selected project is approved by Hunzeker or the commissioners, the purchasing division will lead negotiations and when terms of the deal are finalized, county commissioners will make a final vote.

Wendel said there are too many variables to determine a firm final deadline for the project at this point.

"We're going to work hard as a government and as a convention center to move this process down the road as quickly as possible," Falcione said.

Janelle O'Dea, business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095 or follow her on Twitter@jayohday.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 5:13 PM with the headline "Recommendations delayed on Bradenton Area Convention Center hotel ."