Michael Flaugh LA (Presentation)MICHAEL FLAUGH
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Good evening Mr. Mayor, Councilman Keefe, Councilwoman Clark, Councilman Jarriel, and
Councilman Abney. We are honored to be invited back. It is nice to see all of you.
My name is Mike Flaugh and I am a landscape architect. I have with me tonight Anna Morgan, a
landscape designer, and Pete Anderson, a trained designer in architecture and engineering.
Before we get into our presentation, I would like to address the fact that we did not score very well on
the RFQ, and I would like the opportunity to explain that. No disrespect or complaint about the RFQ or
how it was administered, everything was professionally done and fair. But, in reality, our score is a
reflection of our size - not our experience, skills, or talent. I have been a licensed landscape architect
for 32 years, so we definitely check the experience box. The scale and diversity of projects we have
successfully completed are staggering. The companies we are competing against are all outstanding,
experienced, and respected. We will never beat them in a standardized RFQ contest. There are only
five of us. Tonight I want to show you that we are a tenacious, passionate, and highly qualified 5.
Here are some of the big points in the RFQ.
Supporting Disciplines We do not have engineers and architects, grant writers, and environmental
consultants on our office staff, however, we do collaborate regularly with all of these professionals. This
is by design. We prefer to select the best qualified professional for a particular task. For example, an
engineer who was responsible for highrise offices in Manhattan may not have any idea how to design a
public fountain. We have excellent working relations with Captec Engineering, Architect Niki Norton,
Environmental consultant Dana Small and a local grant writing firm. Should any of these services be
needed, we are very comfortable bringing in the appropriate team.
Another topic of the RFQ was Distance- our office is just under an hour from here. This is a quick and
easy drive that would allow us to be very responsive. In 2019 and 2020 we had 5 major development
jobs in the upper and lower Keys requiring travel time of 3-4 hours. We did this regularly and our clients
are very pleased with our performance. Those projects included the United States Navy, Wreckers Cay,
and The Quarry all located in Key West, Ocean Breeze in Marathon and Seabreeze in Islamorada.
Seabreeze is a project I would like to share with you tonight. We were hired when this was bare dirt.
Our team has been a critical player in every aspect of this development. In addition to field visits, our
team has an ongoing video conference every Wednesday. There are only 4 people on that call - the
developer, the architect, the engineer and us. We have been involved with everything - the FDOT,
signage, cost projections and marketing, hardscape, walls, monuments, gates and fencing, vertical
structures, boardwalks, lighting, wayfinding, tree mitigation and code compliance. As consultants and
designers, we had an impact on each step. My point is, we are very well staffed and prepared to design
your beautiful town parks.
2877 SE Ocean Boulevard, Stuart Florida 34996 80925 Overseas Hwy., Islamorada Florida 33036
772.419.0024
www.MikeFlaughLA.com
Speaking of your parks, we already have a good head start. I hope most of you have seen our
preliminary concepts. Obviously, there is a lot yet to do, but we are excited about the direction.
understand that a landscape or park committee will be formed to guide the design of the project. We
welcome the collaboration of this committee, the public, and all stakeholders.
7 parks, 7 identities, all in a row, right downtown, in Okeechobee. I don't know of a City or County
anywhere in the US with something like that. This is why we want to be part of this project. We
understand that there are concerns about budget and maintenance, we respect that, and that is why it
is so important that these spaces are not just a mowed waste. These spaces must be sustainable,
practical, enjoyable, educational, and purposeful. These parks will be not only an asset to the
community but also a destination, a landmark, and the next chapter in the history of The City of
Okeechobee.
hope you will consider my team to help you navigate all of the steps from concept to completion.
(AAJI,
Mike Flaugh, mike(a-)mikeflaughla.com
Anna Morgan, anna@mikeflaughla.com
Pete Anderson, pete(a)mikeflaughla.com