View of Miami-Dade County Incinerator PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRAMARFL.GOV

By David L. Snelling

Miami- On a day when Miami-Dade Commissioners were expected to make the long-awaited and controversial decision on whether to build a new trash and energy incinerator or use landfills, county leaders still need more time.

One hundred and twenty days to be exact.

A decision on solid waste has been delayed for two years after the incinerator in Doral was destroyed by a fire.

The county’s first option was to rebuild a $1.6 billion incinerator in Doral but residents threatened legal action and brought President Donald Trump into the fray.

The now defunct Opa-locka Airport West was another option until Miramar residents protested a waste and energy plant there, which is half a mile away from their backyards.

Both cities claim the burning fumes cause health issues, which Doral residents have been dealing with for 39 years before it was engulfed in flames in 2023.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava rescinded incinerator plans and was exploring landfills in her latest proposal to spare taxpayers from enormous costs.

At their February 19 meeting, county commissioners appeared exasperated by the delay that caused Commission Keon Hardmon to challenge President Trump.

Eric Trump, President Trump’ son, reportedly told the county his family would fight against the Doral location since new development including a 1,500-condo unit is going up about a half mile from the site and also near Trump National Doral Golf Resort.

“I’m not afraid of the big bad wolf,” Hardemon said. “The president placing fear like the boogie man is laughable. A decision should be based on what’s best for the community, and when we make that decision, let him challenge it.”

Hardemon said throwing Trump’s name around during the debate is probably the reason Levine Cava scaled back on the incinerator and postponed a vote that’s been in the making for two years.

The mayor left the dais during the discussion.

“I believe an incinerator is part of the health discussion,” he said. “We haven’t seen landfills to be the gold standard anywhere. Some communities use landfills, but it doesn’t mean it will work in Miami-Dade County.”

Hardemon said deciding on the incinerator is a prerequisite for choosing a site to build the plant.

“I think this board makes a decision in short order or decides if we are going to build an incinerator,” Hardemon said. “Once we decide to incinerate, then we can talk about the sites. But we need to make a decision to incinerate to save us a lot of time.”

But commissioners are back at square one.

They issued a 120-day deadline for county administrators to bring back a comprehensive report exploring all options including the pros and cons of building a new incinerator at several sites, using trucks and rail to haul tons of trash or buying a landfill in Central Florida.

Commissioners approved Chairman Anthony Rodriguez’s proposal to hire experts in the fields of incinerators and landfills and give them some suggestions on how the county should proceed.

The experts will include analysis and recommendations from private sectors including FPL which reached out to Miami-Dade about using landfills, and partnerships.

“Why not bring in professional experts?” Rodriguez asked. “We [the county] haven’t done something like this in 20, 40, probably 50 years. What if we decide to buy land that turns out to be a protected cemetery? That’s what I want to prevent.”

But Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins said exploring all options may take more than 120 days.

She said the experts and private sector representatives might engage in a debate of their own exceeding the 120-day deadline.

“My concern is timing, for the administration to explore every option and bring back a comprehensive report for us to make a decision,” she said. “Everyone wants to be heard but we have deadlines with financial consequences. It backs us up further.”

Higgins said complicating matters is not choosing a site if the county decides to go with the incinerator.

“Partners might say we can’t give you a proposal until you choose a site,” she said. “To come back and bring all options with more details takes more than 120 days, especially if we haven’t picked a site.”

Commissioner Jose Gonzalez said it’s time for the county to finally put the issue to bed.

“Folks are frustrated because we are not making a decision which is costing the county more money every single day,” he said. “This is time for team no sleep, folks. We need to get all the info as possible because we needed to make a decision yesterday.”