Miami-Dade County sues Reworld for more than $750 million over Doral incinerator fire
Key Points(5)
- Miami-Dade County has sued Reworld Dade LLC and its parent company, Reworld Holding Corporation, seeking more than $750 million in damages related to the February 2023 fire that destroyed the county’s Resource Recovery Facility in Doral.
- The lawsuit, filed September 28, alleges that Reworld failed to address longstanding fire-safety deficiencies at the facility despite repeated warnings and inspections.
- The county also alleges that the company failed to properly maintain critical fire-protection systems and disabled or failed to maintain shut-off control valves and water pumps serving multiple sprinkler systems.
- According to the complaint, the problems contributed to a fire that began as a relatively small blaze but spread through the facility, ultimately destroying much of the operation.
- Reworld was paid approximately $60 million annually to operate and maintain the facility, according to the county.
Miami-Dade County has sued Reworld Dade LLC and its parent company, Reworld Holding Corporation, seeking more than $750 million in damages related to the February 2023 fire that destroyed the county’s Resource Recovery Facility in Doral.
The lawsuit, filed September 28, alleges that Reworld failed to address longstanding fire-safety deficiencies at the facility despite repeated warnings and inspections. The county also alleges that the company failed to properly maintain critical fire-protection systems and disabled or failed to maintain shut-off control valves and water pumps serving multiple sprinkler systems.
According to the complaint, the problems contributed to a fire that began as a relatively small blaze but spread through the facility, ultimately destroying much of the operation.
Reworld was paid approximately $60 million annually to operate and maintain the facility, according to the county.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue issued six notices of violation for fire-code violations at the facility between October 2019 and September 2022, the lawsuit says. The county also alleges that Reworld received repeated warnings from the county’s bond engineer and other inspectors.
At the time of the fire, at least five fire-protection systems in the garbage-processing area were impaired and could not be relied upon to suppress a fire, according to the complaint.
“The destruction of this facility has had enormous consequences for Miami-Dade. Reworld was responsible for operating and maintaining it, and the allegations in this lawsuit point to serious failures to meet those responsibilities. We are taking this action to recover the damages our County has suffered and protect our taxpayers,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
The fire began on February 12, 2023, and burned for approximately three weeks. The facility processed nearly half of Miami-Dade County’s municipal solid waste and generated electricity for the county, Florida Power & Light and several municipalities.
Its destruction forced the county to find alternative ways to dispose of its municipal waste, resulting in what the lawsuit describes as significant additional costs.
The county is asserting nine claims against Reworld, including breach of contract, breach of guarantee, gross negligence, violations of the county’s False Claims Ordinance and fraud in the inducement. The county is seeking damages exceeding $750 million and has requested a jury trial.
