A critical juncture on where to build the new trash incinerator for Miami-Dade County resulted in a deferral Tuesday evening, as commissioners grappled with busloads of opposition to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s site selection at the Opa-locka West Airport.
Throughout the Sept. 17 commission meeting, the debate on the new waste-to-energy facility’s location sparked many discrepancies, as developers proposed swapping the West Airport site for Medley. Commissioners fluctuated between resistance to both the developer’s and Levine Cava's proposals, leading some to believe that it was still too soon to make a final decision.
“What has been presented to us is a 10-year litigation,” said Commissioner Raquel Regalado, referring to threatened lawsuits over a lengthy development timeframe. “The decision we are making today will not provide a solution within the next five years.
Commissioner Keon Hardemon supported the push for a deferral, stating that people deserve a location with all the facts on the table. Others, including Commissioners Juan Carlos Bermudez and Eileen Higgins seemed prepared to vote in favor of Levine Cava’s proposal.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade residents respond to potential sites for a new incinerator
The commission ultimately voted to bring the matter back Nov. 6 with additional facts and a financially viable plan.
The need for a replacement incinerator became pressing after the old facility in Doral burned down in a nearly three-week blaze starting in February 2023, leaving the county with the task of transporting its waste more 100 miles north.
“We need a system that adapts to our growth and response to the reality of a changing climate and a vulnerable environment,” said Levine Cava in her opening remarks.
Miami-Dade plans to build the largest incinerator in the country that will process 4,000 tons of trash a day(Courtesy of Miami-Dade County)
On Aug. 6, AtkinsRéalis, the county's consulting firm, unveiled preliminary designs for the proposed $1.5 billion incinerator. The new facility is expected to handle 4,000 tons of trash daily, significantly more than its predecessor. It would potentially include carbon capture technology in order to achieve a "net zero" emissions goal and generate clean electricity to reduce the county’s current energy consumption. It’s expected to be built over a 10-year period.
Opposition from every corner
Initially, the county had identified four potential sites for the new incinerator: the original Doral location, the defunct Opa-locka West Airport near Miramar’s western border, an industrial area in Medley, and a tree farm owned by Miami-Dade developer David Martin.
On Sep. 13, Levine Cava recommended the Airport West site, citing its cost-effectiveness and long-term sustainability. Many have criticized the decision, viewing it as dismissive of the significant concerns raised by affected minority communities and environmental advocates.
The City of Miramar commission and city administration, led by Mayor Wayne M. Messam, have expressed serious concerns about air and water quality, environmental degradation, and the potential health risks to the city’s residents — some of whom live just two miles from the Opa-locka site — as well as the threat to endangered species in the nearby Everglades National Park.
“We’re here today fighting for our homes, our children, and our quality of life,” Messam told The Miami Times during a protest before Tuesday’s meeting commenced. “Miami-Dade County should not rush to invest over $1.5 billion in technology that is not environmentally sensitive, it's not sustainable, and it definitely is not the right approach and definitely not the right location.”
READ MORE: ‘Nobody wants it’: Community speaks out in hearing ahead of Miami-Dade incinerator vote
Miramar City officials also have threatened to sue Miami-Dade County if it locates the incinerator at the site.
“We're prepared to fight this at the permitting and regulatory process,” Messam said. “We feel that this site is not permeable. There are so many violations against the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act.”
On the other hand, Selma Garcia, a Doral resident who was exposed to the burned incinerator, told the Miami Times why Doral should not be considered for the new waste-to-energy facility.
“The only community that lies to the west of the proposed incinerator site is Doral; no other communities are positioned westward,” Garcia said. “Given that prevailing winds typically blow from the east, it is highly unlikely that other areas would experience the same level of exposure to emissions as Doral.”
Approximately 100 residents and advocates ensured their voices were heard during the BCC meeting. Miramar residents wore green shirts with the message “not in our backyard.” Florida Rising advocates were also wearing green, while Doral residents wore blue shirts.
The commission heard from Sebastian Caicedo, the regional director of Florida Rising in Miami.
“We are against the commissioners picking a side because no community should have an incinerator,” he said.
Then, from Doral Mayor Christi Fraga: "We have lived with the shadow of this for many years.”
She noted that Miramar would have the incinerator located less than a mile away, while Doral is only a few feet away from residents' backyards.
Town hall
Before the BCC meeting, Levine Cava held a public town hall on Sept. 16 so that residents could voice their concerns. During the three-hour meeting, she explained how the Opa-locka West recommendation came after a rigorous analysis conducted by the Department of Solid Waste Management and her team over the last year and a half.
“We visited all around the world, not just up the road in Palm Beach but more modern facilities in Japan and Europe,” she said. “We wanted to see how those facilities work and how they protect residents.”
Aneisha Daniel, the Director of the Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) in Miami-Dade County, gave a presentation to help the audience better understand the plan.
“Florida produces nearly twice the waste as the national average of 4.4 pounds per day,” Daniel said, later listing pros and cons for each site.
Doral, where the old incinerator was located, offers the shortest development schedule of seven years and nine months and the lowest cost of $1.5 billion, she noted, but it’s also close to residential neighborhoods and the Everglades National Park, raising permitting concerns.
Medley provides adequate space and is within the Urban Development Boundary (UDB), but has high land costs ($260 million), additional annual host fees ($5-10 million), and complex geotechnical and air modeling challenges due to its proximity to a landfill, alongside significant relocation costs for existing departments.
Okeechobee is a privately owned site on which a developer offered to build. However, instead of 74 acres, the developer wanted to provide the county with 65 acres. The county also has many operations around that area that would have been impacted, Daniel said.
Lastly, she explained that West Airport provides ample space (416 acres, with 100 usable acres), promising air modeling results. It is county-owned, minimizing disruption, and it’s the second lowest in total cost and time. It is, however, outside the Urban Development Boundary, raising environmental concerns due to its proximity to agricultural zones and the C-9 Canal, and half a mile from residential areas.
“Airport West side offers the balance on all the factors we had to consider: time, money, environment, and social impact,” Daniel said.
This story was produced by The Miami Times, one of the oldest Black-owned newspapers in the country, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. Read more at .
