MIA PASSENGER LOUNGE

Board of County Commissioners · 2026-07-21 · resolution

The Board of County Commissioners adopted Resolution R-647-26, File Number 260874, approving the award of Contract No. EVN0002968 for a Passenger Lounge at Miami International Airport (MIA) to AD Partnership, LLC. The contract is for a 15-year term with projected revenue of $93,800,000.00 to the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. The lounge will be located on the third floor of Concourse E, above Gate E7, at MIA. The proposed concept is the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club, a common-use and membership-based premium passenger lounge. The vendor will be responsible for all capital investment and build-out costs, including installation of a new passenger elevator. The vendor offered 40 percent of gross revenues across applicable revenue categories and an annual privilege fee of approximately $3.46 million. The item was introduced on 5/14/2026, forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a favorable recommendation by the Aviation and Seaport Committee on 6/8/2026, and adopted on 7/21/2026. The applicant, AD Partnership, LLC, is located at 7950 Legacy Drive Suite 700, Plano, TX, 75204. The principal is Nancy Knipp. The vendor is non-local with 0% employee residents in Miami-Dade County. The RFP was issued on July 14, 2025, with a closing date of October 7, 2025. Seven proposals were received, and four were deemed non-responsive by the County Attorney's Office on November 12, 2025. Negotiations commenced on December 10, 2025, and concluded on April 17, 2026. The contract requires the vendor to compensate the County through annual rent based on the prevailing Class II Terminal rental rate, a guaranteed annual privilege fee, and percentage rent. The fiscal impact is $93,800,000 over the 15-year term. The project is located in District 6, represented by Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis, but the impact is countywide. Public comment: Chairwoman Cohen Higgins asked whether the applicant was amenable to entering into a labor peace agreement. Mr. Les Pantin, appearing on behalf of the applicant, Airport Dimensions, confirmed the applicant was amenable and willing to work with the airport and labor partners. ACA Murray advised that labor peace was a contractual requirement, so if the applicant was not compliant by the time of the award, it would not be awarded the agreement. Mr. Pantin added that the applicant had submitted a letter affirming it would meet all requirements. Commissioner Gilbert III stated he would ensure the applicant met all requirements, and if an agreement was not reached, he would defer the item at the commission meeting.