Broward County, FL: A School District’s Construction Challenges

It seems like every week that I read something new in the Sun Sentinel, the South Florida local newspaper, about the challenges around school construction in Broward County. As teachers and staff are laid off and school programs like physical education, art and music are cut, the growing frustration over school building projects that are over budget and behind schedule grows. Some school board employees are even under federal investigation.

While this may sound like an extreme case, what’s happening in Broward County is going on all across America. The following newspaper excerpts tell the ugly story of just how catastrophic construction management issues can be for facility owners like the School Board.

Beachside Montessori Village, which is now under construction on 2.5 acres in Lincoln Park just northwest of downtown, has been plagued with delays, cost overruns and resistance from local residents. … The initial cost of the building contract was $16.2 million. The school’s price tag is now closer to $19 million. – Johnson, Akilah. (2010, July 15). Hollywood’s new school won’t open on first day. Sun Sentinel

In the case of Dillard High School, auditors wrote that the price of a 2,500-seat bleacher expansion project ballooned from $500,000 to $1 million. They discovered that a subcontractor, Seating Constructors, USA of Brooksville, Fla., was paid twice – by the district and by the general contractor, Grace & Naeem Uddin Inc., a Sunrise firm. – O’Matz, Megan. (2010, March 17). Broward Schools audit reveals double billing, payroll abuses in construction department. Sun Sentinel

These are just a few examples in the news of the problems plaguing Broward County Schools. While shocking, these problems are not uncommon; unfortunately there are many similar stories around the country. The good news is that there are ways to leverage construction management technology to address these challenges with solutions that are specifically designed for facility owners like county school boards. In the next post, I will share a few examples.