Two aging entrance signs that greet drivers arriving in North Beach will get a makeover under a new city procurement, with contractors invited to tour the sites later this month before submitting proposals.

The City of Miami Beach issued Invitation to Bid 2026-486-JP for professional services to renovate entrance signs at 2057 71st St. and at Harding Avenue and 87th Street. Sealed proposals are due by 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, submitted electronically on Bidnet Direct, according to the city's legal advertisement.

A contractor site visit is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25, starting at 10 a.m. at 2057 71st St., then moving to Harding Avenue and 87th Street. Attendance is not mandatory but is recommended. A pre-bid meeting follows at 3 p.m. that same day by telephone.

The project is the city's second attempt to get the signs built. An earlier solicitation, ITB 2026-106-JP, was posted in February with an April 14 bid deadline. The city has not publicly explained why that round was restarted.

What the signs will look like

According to the earlier bid listing, the 71st Street sign sits within the Florida Department of Transportation right-of-way at the western entrance of Normandy Isle, where the John F. Kennedy Causeway, Bay Drive and Normandy Drive meet. It will replace an existing sign with large channel letters, 4 to 10 feet tall, spelling out "MIAMI BEACH" at the base of an architectural canopy. The canopy is supported by rectilinear piers with perforations that let palm trees weave through the structure.

The Harding Avenue and 87th Street sign shares a similar design with a smaller canopy.

These design specifications are from the prior solicitation; the current ITB's full scope documents are available on Bidnet Direct. Performance and payment bonds are required from the winning contractor. No project cost estimate has been made public.

North Beach CRA connection

Both sign locations fall within the 326.4-acre North Beach Community Redevelopment Area, which the City Commission established in 2021 to channel tax-increment financing into a neighborhood the city's CRA founding documents found "has not experienced comparative levels of redevelopment, revitalization, economic growth, and investment" compared to other parts of Miami Beach.

The North Beach CRA, chaired by Mayor Steven Meiner, has a 30-year life running through 2051 and draws on the 2016 North Beach Master Plan. Eric Carpenter serves as executive director.

How to participate

The ITB falls under the city's Cone of Silence (Ordinance No. 2002-3378), which restricts communication between bidders and city officials during the procurement process. Contractors must register on Bidnet Direct to receive any addenda; failure to do so may disqualify a proposal.

The North Beach CRA Advisory Committee, chaired by Ronnie Issenberg, meets next on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Normandy Shores Golf Club, 2401 Biarritz Drive, before the Sept. 24 bid deadline.