Commissioners divided over location of Miami-Dade’s replacement incinerator

Tensions flared during a recent meeting of the Miami-Dade County Commissioners as officials engaged in a vigorous debate with representatives from Florida Power & Light over plans to build a new trash incinerator for South Florida.

The proposed waste-to-energy facility has become a central issue dividing residents across county lines, with commissioners clashing over where the incinerator should be located. Commissioner Juan Carlos Bernudez made his position clear during the meeting, insisting the facility should not be placed near any Miami-Dade residents. Fellow Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez acknowledged the tension but stressed the need to identify a site. “There needs to be a site that is identified,” he said, noting growing frustration over delays.

The debate comes three years after a massive fire destroyed the county’s waste-to-energy facility, prompting renewed urgency to build a replacement. Commissioners voted to direct county administrators to negotiate an interim agreement with Florida Power & Light and Spain-based FCC Environmental Services, with plans to return to the board in April. According to Miami-Dade Chief Utilities and Regulator Services Officer Roy Coley, negotiations will continue through the coming months to finalise the interim agreement.

Several potential sites remain under consideration, including privately owned land with purchase prices estimated at about US$1 million per acre. Some commissioners are also still exploring county-owned properties, including a site in west Opa-locka near the Broward County border. Meanwhile, commissioners voted to eliminate previously proposed royalty fees tied to the project, arguing that such charges would ultimately burden taxpayers.

The location of the incinerator has long been the most contentious aspect of the project, predating the 2023 fire that destroyed the county’s original 1981 facility. Plans once considered rebuilding at a county-owned site in Doral before shifting attention to an idle airstrip known as Opa-locka West. That proposal triggered strong opposition from nearby communities, particularly in Miramar, where leaders warned that proximity to densely populated areas — affecting roughly 250,000 residents — could pose serious public health risks.

Last year, commissioners voted to eliminate both the Doral and Opa-locka West sites and invited two private consortiums to propose alternative locations. One consortium, led by FCC Environmental Services, secured an option to purchase a 78-acre truck yard near Hialeah, while Florida Power & Light obtained rights to a 65-acre vacant plot off Okeechobee Road. Both locations are situated among industrial properties and rock quarries, rather than near residential communities.

However, commissioners are now grappling with the higher costs associated with purchasing private land instead of using county-owned sites. The rising price tag has prompted some officials to consider scrapping current plans and restarting the search for a suitable location, underscoring the ongoing challenge of balancing cost, environmental concerns and community opposition in the effort to replace the destroyed facility.