Hialeah council members question plan to hire a contractor tied to the police chief

The Hialeah City Council has tabled a proposal to bypass the bidding process and hire six companies to install and service fire alarms in several buildings in the city.

One of the companies seeking the work is G&R Electric Corp. According to municipal documents, the company is linked to the head of the Hialeah Police Department, Sergio Velázquez.

Velázquez was not available for comment.

Council members Jesus Tundidor and Oscar de la Rosa said they were puzzled by the way in which the request was intended to be approved without bids to compare prices.

“What worries me is that these companies do not have the proper licenses,” said Tundidor. “The hiring must be previously approved by the council.”

The mayor of Hialeah, Carlos Hernández, explained that in previous years companies were hired without organizing bids and without major problems. The mayor called Vicente Rodríguez, construction director of Hialeah, to the podium to explain how the hiring of fire alarm companies was planned.

Rodríguez explained that the companies would be responsible for installing the alarms and keeping them functioning, in addition to monitoring the systems.

”It’s not about giving them a blank check,” said Hernandez.

Cost of the plan was estimated at $100,000.

The debate was postponed to the next public session on Tuesday, March 10.