HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A nearly half-million-dollar pothole patching machine purchased by the City of Hollywood is now sitting unused inside a public works facility after breaking down repeatedly and being taken out of service just months after it was delivered.

Local 10 News recently located the machine, known as the Python 5000, parked in a remote corner of a city public works lot. The large piece of equipment appeared largely discarded, sitting off to the side of the facility and collecting dust.

The $458,000 machine was purchased in 2022 with public funds and promoted by city officials as a high-tech solution that could quickly repair potholes across the city.

Instead, according to city officials, the machine was removed from service only four months after it arrived.

Now, only after Local 10 began asking questions about the costly purchase did the machine suddenly receive renewed attention.

City staff recently moved and cleaned the equipment, and officials now say they are attempting to sell it, possibly to municipalities in Canada that still operate similar machines.

The effort appears to be an attempt to recover at least some value from a purchase that ultimately failed to deliver what city leaders expected.

Hollywood took delivery of the Python 5000 in August 2022.

By December of that same year, the machine had already been taken out of service.

City officials say the equipment repeatedly broke down and never performed as promised.

The manufacturer was based in Canada.

A limited warranty provided little protection once the problems began.

For years afterward, the machine remained parked inside the public works facility.

A source familiar with the situation told Local 10 News the equipment had been sitting unused for years.

The machine had also been listed for sale, but according to the source, offers had been no more than a few thousand dollars. City officials now say it will likely be auctioned off.

The failed purchase eventually prompted city leaders to consider legal action.

In September 2023, Hollywood commissioners unanimously approved a resolution directing the city attorney to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the Python 5000.

However, that lawsuit was never filed.

When asked who made the decision not to pursue the lawsuit, JoAnn Hussey, the City of Hollywood’s Director of Communications, Marketing and Economic Development, said she could not provide a definitive answer.

“Well, it’s hard to answer that question for you as the city attorney at that time is no longer with the city,” Hussey said. “From my understanding they took a look at the facts of the case and they will probably take a look again, to be honest with you. But they took a look at that time and the contract appeared to be solid.”

The decision not to file the lawsuit was never brought back before the city commission for a public update.

Complicating matters further, the company that manufactured the Python 5000 is now out of business.

Mayor Josh Levy told Local 10 the situation has raised questions about oversight and follow-up after major purchases are approved.

“I think you bring a good point that we ought to be updated in a more quarterly fashion and a more semiannual fashion when certain things like this that we just say go, we need to hear back on what the progress is every number of months or so,” Levy said.

Levy also acknowledged that, in hindsight, additional research could have been done before the purchase was approved.

“I know they went up there and looked,” Levy said.

Levy said then Public Works Director Pete Bieniek went to Detroit to see the machine in operation before it was purchased.

“He validated it, came back with glowing reviews. ‘Wow, this thing is amazing,’” Levy said.

But Levy said additional research into how other cities were using the equipment might have revealed reliability issues.

“He should have called more municipalities in Canada that I know have a fleet of these in operation still today and really push them on understanding how reliable these machines are,” Levy said. “And so maybe, yeah, in hindsight, I think we probably could have and should have -- he should have vetted this a little further with cities that already had this in use.”

Levy said he has now directed city staff to try to recover at least some value from the machine.

“Let’s sell it to one of those cities and let them make good use of it,” Levy said.

The situation stands in sharp contrast to the enthusiasm surrounding the purchase when it was first approved.

During a February 2022 commission meeting, city leaders celebrated the decision.

“Let’s order the Python 5000. Thank you. Let’s round of applause everybody,” Levy said at the time as commissioners applauded.

Several commissioners expressed strong support for the purchase.

“This is exactly what our residents want, so I’m very excited about it,” Commissioner Caryl Shuham said.

Commissioner Kevin Biederman added, “I’m glad we found the funding for it.”

City officials were told the machine would allow a single operator to repair potholes in minutes and potentially replace a three-person road crew, saving both time and money.

At the time, then Public Works Director Pete Bieniek strongly advocated for the purchase.

“It’s a very unique machine,” Bieniek told commissioners.

He explained that the equipment could be operated from inside the vehicle using a joystick.

“It’s a person in a vehicle using a joystick running the operation,” he said.

Bieniek also told commissioners the equipment could allow the city to take a more proactive approach to repairing roads.

“This is going to allow us to be proactive,” he said.

During the same meeting, Shuham referenced earlier problems with the technology when it was tested in New York.

“They had bought one in New York City and they had Mayor Bloomberg watching a demonstration and it was supposed to, I’m sure, go smooth as silk,” Shuham said. “And it did not. And it was just so funny. I’m sure it’s come along way since then.”

According to city officials, it did not.

More than four years after the purchase was approved, the expensive pothole machine remains unused as the city now attempts to sell it.

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