Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava changes course, now recommends new trash incinerator stay in Doral

MIAMI - Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recently issued a Memorandum stating she now recommends putting a new trash incinerator in the City of Doral at the same location where it burned down in February 2023.

"As Mayor, my objective is to always deliver critical, quality services to our residents in a financially and environmentally and responsible efficient way. In this case, my priority is to build a safe, environmentally sustainable plant that can integrate seamlessly into the community as part of a broader Zero Waste strategy," Cava said in a Memorandum.

Cava, who reversed her position, cited high costs and logistical challenges over other potential sites in her statement to County Commissioners. Originally, Cava recommended the Airport West Site in August 2023 due to its "large footprint."

"In consultation with our professional advisors, we identified additional soaring costs, including $65 million in wetlands mitigation and $108 million in hauling costs due to the 1.5-year additional construction time, at the Airport West site, making it less fiscally responsible than originally suggested," Cava added.

The Memorandum also mentioned a cost comparison of six different sites, including Doral, NW 58th Street, Airport West, Medley, Eitlejorge, and Okeechobee.

Cava also noted relocating the incinerator would have cost taxpayers more than $800 million over 20 years.

"Just as importantly, this plan and this Campus should not create an undue burden to any of our ratepayers. I take my role as the environmental and fiscal steward of the public's tax dollars very seriously, and at my direction, County staff has spent countless hours analyzing the financial and environmental costs and benefits to each potential site," Cava continued.

Previously, an abandoned airfield in northern Miami-Dade County near Miramar in Broward County was planned as the new site for the incinerator. The move received pushback from Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam in August.

“Our message is simple: Miramar says ‘no’ to the Miami-Dade incinerator,” Messam said at a press conference.“We’re taking action, and we are consulting experts and preparing to challenge the proposal in every way necessary and possible. We will not be bullied into accepting a flawed project. We are ready for a fight and determined to win.”

The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners will decide on a new location for the incinerator at its meeting on Dec. 3. According to reports, the county plans to spend $1.5 billion on the new facility.

"I firmly believe it is in the best interest of the residents of Miami-Dade County to locate the Campus on the RRF (Resource Recovery Facility) site. This location, with added capacity for other Zero Waste components on the County-owned NW 58th Street Properties, will allow us to construct a state-of-the-art WTE (Waste-to-Energy) plant that meets the Environmental Protection (DEP) regulatory standards," Cava said.