MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has made a recommendation regarding the future location of a trash incinerator.
The mayor has recommended building the new incinerator at the existing location in Doral, where a fire led to the former plant’s ultimate destruction in February of last year, instead of using an abandoned airfield in northern Miami-Dade County near Miramar.
In a statement to Local 10 News, Levine Cava said:
“Our priority is to build a facility that is safe for people and the environment, can integrate seamlessly into the community and include our zero waste initiative, and does not create an undue burden for our rate payers. Following a final analysis of all available locations, the costs of relocating have proven to be extremely high, leading us to recommend the existing site in Doral as the location for a new Solid Waste Campus.
This has not been an easy decision and there is no perfect site for the Solid Waste Campus, but I am confident we are making the best decision we have at hand to protect our residents, our environment and our rate payers. Building a new Solid Waste Campus is a major step toward finding a sustainable long-term solution to our waste challenges while lowering emissions, reducing waste sent to landfills, and accelerating innovative zero waste technologies.”
Following the announcement, the Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam expressed gratitude for the decision.
He said, in a statement:
“Mayor Levine Cava’s willingness to listen to diverse voices from varied walks of life, experiences, and disciplines—and then recalibrate her position based on new data—is a hallmark of leadership. On behalf of our residents and colleagues on the City Commission, I thank Mayor Levine Cava for recognizing the valid concerns of Miramar’s residents and affirming the importance of protecting their health and safety. While we commend this recommendation to select an alternative site to Airport West, this is just one step in a larger process. Miramar remains resolute in our commitment to safeguarding the health of our community and advocating for sustainable solid waste solutions that do not rely on incineration.”
Ultimately, the Miami-Dade Board of Commissioners will have the final say on where the new incinerator is located. They are expected to discuss the matter at a meeting on Dec. 3.