MIRAMAR, FLA. (WSVN) - City leaders in Broward and Miami-Dade express concerns and opposition to new landfill sites in their counties.
City of Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar voiced his concerns Tuesday regarding a proposed incinerator project near the city, focusing on potential air quality impacts and other environmental issues.
“It’s bad for the environment, it’s bad for the public, it’s bad for the region’s supply of water, and will trigger a decade of litigation,” said Messam. “Miramar will file suit if the site is selected.”
The address took place at the Miami-Dade Commission meeting, where the construction of a new mass burn facility is being considered. The proposed incinerator, intended to replace the Doral incinerator that caught fire in February 2023, is scheduled for construction at the former Opa-locka West Airport, approximately one-eighth of a mile from west Miramar, an area known as Airport West.
Miami-Dade County’s decision to consider this site has sparked a strong response from local leadership and community members alike.
Mayor Messam discussed a recent air quality report commissioned by Miami-Dade County, which evaluates the potential risks associated with the incinerator. His support will focus on safeguarding community health, protecting the environment, and ensuring a sustainable future for residents.
“It is just incomprehensible to place this mass burn facility an eighth of a mile from the City of Miramar, impacting over a quarter million Southwest Broward residents, as well as some residents in Northwest Miami-Dade County,” Messam said.
While Miramar said a top concern is proximity to residents, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez said it’s the furthest site being considered away from people.
“The reality is that those facilities are much further away than any other Miami-Dade County residence, whether it’s Medley or Doral, and I think that if the county is going to make an investment to deal with an issue that we have in Miami-Dade County, then I think the proper thing would be to be concerned for the residents of Miami-Dade County first,” Bermudez said.
The discussion is part of a mayoral report, which includes a preliminary permit and regulatory review of three alternate waste-to-energy facility sites.
On Tuesday, the commission accepted the mayor’s 300-page report, which examines three potential sites: Medley, Doral, and the Old West Opa-locka Airport, just south of Miramar. A recommendation will be issued in September.
A Doral location would be the fastest but they don’t want the new incinerator either.
“Just because it’s the fastest doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. I think for the longevity of what they’re trying to do for the county, the services this provides, the proposal of being a campus, Doral is definitely not the right location,” said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga.
A lot of people, a lot of trash, and once it’s produced, where should it go?
“I have not seen anybody tell me what the long-term game plan is for resolving this issue,” said Michael Hudak, Commissioner of Deerfield Beach.
In Deerfield, the company waste management operates the Monarch Hill landfill, which is visible from the Turnpike near Sample Road. The property is 500 acres but the company wants to use more of its acreage within the complex to deposit mostly construction and demolition debris, to be able to increase the height of this landfill by 100 feet.
“So what if we don’t do this, what happens?” said Chris Carey, Waste Management. “The 5,000 tons a day has to go someplace.”
Waste management said no expansion would result in hundreds of trucks regularly hauling trash to another facility outside the county.
“What is an overall solution for the garbage problem we have in our county?” said Bill Ganz, Mayor of Deerfield Beach.
Residents in Deerfield Beach expressed their opposition to the landfill expansion plan to city officials on Tuesday. However, that did not stop commissioners from passing a resolution against it.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is expected to make her recommendation on where the new facility should go in September.
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