Miami approves up to $150 million to lease new ambulances, street sweepers

Miami officials have agreed to spend up to $150 million to lease dozens of new city vehicles — from street sweepers to motorcycles and ambulances — to address the city’s aging fleet.

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The City Commission voted 5-0 on Thursday to approve the proposal from Mayor Eileen Higgins, who is also the champion of a $450 million public safety bond going to voters in November that would create a new public safety building, replacing the current Miami police headquarters, as well as new fire stations.

Higgins said Thursday that the city’s police and fire vehicles are outdated, and that four out of 10 sanitation trucks “are broken and unusable every day.”

“I asked myself the question: All municipalities have to save money, but how could we be in a predicament where our vehicles are so much older than anyone else’s?” Higgins said.

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The city has opted to go the leasing route rather than purchasing a new fleet. In May, the city solicited bids from financial institutions that would finance the leasing of vehicles, selecting Regions Capital Advantage as the winner.

Records obtained by the Herald show the city’s first planned order includes 27 fire rescue vehicles for about $14.8 million; 53 solid waste vehicles, including trash trucks and automatic side loaders, for about $16.8 million; and 232 marked police vehicles for $16 million.

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