An active resident and longtime observer of Cocoa, FL politics has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming procedure was violated when the council allowed a building that housed the old police station and site of council chambers to be demolished.

In the lawsuit, David Golding contends that when the city council authorized a purchase order in December to demolish the 43-year-old building and former Cocoa police station on Brunson Boulevard, they pushed through the purchase order while out-of-contract with demolition company DBI Inc.

But City Attorney Anthony Garganese, who is working on a response to Golding's suit, said the city's contract is legitimate.

"The council did authorize the demolition of the building, and the city has a contract with the demolition company," he said. "There was an agenda item to extend the term of the contract. It was understood by everyone that the building was going to be demolished to make way for the City Hall."

Construction on the new, 42,000-square-foot city hall is expected to begin later this year and cost roughly $12 million.

But Golding said the city extended what was an expired contract. The city should have opened the bidding process to include other companies for a new contract.

Deputy City Manager Wendy Widmann said there's a misunderstanding.
"We do bids, and we extend them," she said. "Sometimes that's part of the package. If we feel the contractor's done a good job, and there's a provision to extend it, that's allowed."

Golding said he hopes the lawsuit will prompt the council to form a committee to find out if something went wrong.

"I don't want good-old-boy contracts," he said.