FIRETHORN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS - STREET LIGHTS Manatee County, Florida The Firethorn Community Development District ("District") hereby requests proposals ("RFP") from firms to provide 132 solar street lighting packages (poles/fixtures/solar panels/embedded controls/photometrics) ("Street Lights") for streets within the Firethorn community. The District is a special purpose unit of local government established under Chapter 190, Florida Statutes, for the purpose of financing, acquiring, constructing, installing, operating and maintaining community infrastructure improvements for the Firethorn community, which is located in Manatee County. The District is requesting proposals from suppliers who are able to manufacture, deliver and install the Street Lights, which will be installed in phases. Proposers will be required to hold pricing through the course of the installation. To be eligible to submit a proposal, and in addition to any other requirements set forth in the project manual ("Project Manual"), an interested firm must hold all required local, state and federal licenses in good standing and be authorized to do business in Manatee County and the State of Florida. The Project Manual will be available for public inspection and may be obtained via e-mail beginning Friday, January 23, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. from the District Manager, JPWard & Associates, LLC, 2301 NE 37th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308, 954-658-4900, at jimward@jpwardassociates.com. Proposers must request the Project Manual via e-mail and shall provide contact information in the e-mail. The District reserves the right in its sole discretion to make changes to the Project Manual up until the time of the bid opening, and to provide notice of such changes only to those proposers who have obtained a Project Manual. Each firm desiring to submit a proposal for the Project must submit a PDF proposal no later than Monday, February 16, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. to the District Manager, at jimward@jpwardassociates.com. Each proposal shall provide pricing for the Street Lights, information about the quality of the Street Lights, engineering specifications/certifications, information about the distributor, manufacturer, and installer for the Street Lights, delivery schedule, insurance information, warranty information, and any other information that the Proposer desires for the District to consider. The District Manager shall publicly open the proposals at that time (contact the District Manager for more information about how to view the public opening). Pursuant to provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting is asked to advise the District Office at least forty-eight (48) hours before the meeting by contacting the District Manager. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Service at 1 (800) 955-8770, who can aid you in contacting the District Office. Except for announcing the names and pricing for the individual proposals, the proposals otherwise may be maintained on a confidential basis throughout the procurement process and to the extent permitted by Florida law. Each proposal shall remain binding for a minimum of one hundred twenty (120) days after the proposal opening. The District's Board of Supervisors shall rank and select a proposal based on the pricing and quality of the proposed Street Lights, delivery schedule, and any other criteria that the Board deems relevant, in its sole discretion. Proposals will be evaluated by the District's Board of Supervisors using its sole discretion and, in the District's best interests. The District reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, make modifications to the work, award the contract in whole or in part with or without cause, provide for the delivery of the project in phases, and waive minor or technical irregularities in any proposal, as it deems appropriate, and if the District determines in its discretion that it is in the District's best interests to do so. ANY PROTEST OF THIS PROJECT MANUAL MUST BE FILED WITH THE DISTRICT WITHIN 72 HOURS OF PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE, TOGETHER WITH A PROTEST BOND IN A FORM ACCEPTABLE TO THE DISTRICT AND IN THE AMOUNT OF $100,000, AND FOLLOWED WITHIN SEVEN (7) CALENDAR DAYS BY A FORMAL WRITTEN PROTEST STATING WITH PARTICULARLITY THE FACTS AND LAW UPON WHICH SUCH PROTEST IS BASED. FAILURE TO TIMELY FILE A PROTEST, OR FAILURE TO TIMELY POST A PROTEST BOND, WILL RESULT IN A WAIVER OF PROCEEDINGS UNDER CHAPTER 190, FLORIDA STATUTES, AND OTHER LAW. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FILING A PROTEST CAN BE FOUND IN THE DISTRICT'S RULES OF PROCEDURE, WHICH ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. In the event the protest is successful, the protest bond shall be refunded to the protestor. In the event the protest is unsuccessful, the protest bond shall be applied towards the District's costs, expenses and attorney's fees associated with hearing and defending the protest. Any and all questions related to this Request for Proposals or the project shall be directed in writing by e-mail only to the District Manager. No phone inquiries please. James P. Ward, District Manager IPL0307011 Jan 23 2026