Delayed Vote on $1M Vending Machine County Contract Raises Questions About Keon Hardemon’s Biggest Donor

Keon Hardemon News

Sep 19

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On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners was set to award a five-year, $1 million vending machine county contract to RQ Vending. The company is embroiled in controversy over years of unpaid taxes and a bid protest, yet has made significant political donations to multiple county commissioners. In fact, the Roversi Family, owners of RQ Vending, are one of Commissioner Keon Hardemon’s largest donors.

RQ Vending and the Roversi family members are Commissioner Hardemon’s largest donors. Two Roversi-owned companies House Park Investments LLC, a land developer, and RQ Vending, a vending machine operator, both heavily depend on county contracts. (Read our in-depth coverage about RQ Vending and the Roversi family here).

This year, Miami-Dade County’s existing vending machine contract was set to expire. On November 29, 2023, the county issued an invitation to bid on the vending machine contract under “full and open competition.” Twelve companies bid on the contract, and the county administration made a recommendation to award it to RQ Vending.

Excerpt of the resolution which was set for a vote on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

Initially, the Board of County Commissioners was set to vote on the contract at their June 11 meeting, but a bid protest temporarily halted the $1 million contract. And now, the award was unexpectedly pulled again from the agenda at the September 17th board meeting, with no explanation given. Vending machine contracts rarely make waves, but with over $318,000 in political donations to various commissioners, RQ Vending has drawn scrutiny.

Questionable Financial Practices

Since our initial report, Florida Politics has delved deeper into RQ Vending's questionable financial practices, reporting that RQ Vending was delinquent on its property taxes for four years. Owner Guillermo Roversi claimed the issue stemmed from a billing error with a similarly named business, "RQ Vending Inc." However, no such entity exists in state records, where only RQ Vending LLC is registered.

RQ Vending settled four years' worth of overdue taxes, totaling $25,313, on September 10, 2024—just one week before the contract was set for a final vote at the county commission. These last-minute property tax payments raised further concerns about the company’s financial stability and the county’s decision to qualify it as a “responsible” bidder.

Political Contributions and Influence

Since 2020, the Roversi family and their companies have donated $318,500 to various Miami-Dade County Commissioners' campaigns and political committees. Commissioner Keon Hardemon’s campaign and committees have been the largest recipients of the Roversi generosity, receiving $172,000 in political donations. Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert's campaign and committees received $76,500. The third greatest recipient, at $40,000 is Commissioner Kevin Cabrera's political committee.

Political donations from the Roversi family and their companies to various county commissioners and their political committees.

According to reporting from Florida Politics, RQ Vending asserts that these contributions were not made to garner preferential treatment but rather out of support for the commissioners' policy positions. However, the optics of the situation—where a company is set to win a lucrative contract following significant donations to decision-makers—have sparked concerns.

With the contract still awaiting a final vote, the future of RQ Vending’s $1 million deal remains uncertain. The company’s recent tax issues and the political donations linked to the contract raise serious concerns. Whether RQ Vending will ultimately secure the contract—and if it can deliver on its promises without further financial or operational setbacks—remains to be seen. All eyes will be on the commissioners as this decision looms.

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