The fire at the waste recycling and electricity generation plant managed by the COVANTA firm, which occurred in February, brought to the fore the urgency of meeting the constant requirements of the community so that this center can be moved to another area of Miami. -Dade.
After the incident, the administrative and legislative authorities of the County, together with the municipal government of Doral, began a series of procedures that allowed at least four places to be preselected where the new plant could be erected.
One of the options contemplated by the mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, is build a waste-to-energy campus about eight miles north of the county, in a space at the old Opa-locka airport. The land is owned by the County and is primarily rural, remote from residents, according to studies.
The Miami-Dade Board of Commissioners later voted to approve a $65 million contract with the firm AtkinsRealis, which will provide advice to the County on its plans to build a new facility.
As approved, the contractor must complete the design plans by 30% once the County has selected the final site where the plant will be built and then open a tender that would lead to awarding a contract for the design, construction and operation of the new center.
The plant consumed by the fire in Doral was responsible for processing around 50% of the garbage produced in Miami-Dade, and has been out of service since the serious incident. Studies show that rebuilding it could be very costly for the County.
Pension plan
The Doral City Council approved suspending an ordinance that granted lifetime pensions to elected officials who served two terms in the municipality.
The controversial ordinance was suspended by three votes in favor and two against, under the argument that the benefits for officials had been approved irregularly and would be affecting the city’s finances.
“The ordinance granted former officials a pension for the rest of their livesin addition to their salary, health insurance and benefits,” explained Mayor Christi Fraga, who in her campaign had promised to repeal the measure that she considered unfair.
According to Fraga, pension payments represented $355,000 of the City budget.
“Projected over 10 years, it would represent more than three million dollars that we are saving the City with this decision,” said Rafael Pineyro, vice mayor of Doral.
Mayor vs. former mayor
Mayor Fraga and the commissioner of District 12 of Miami-Dade and former mayor of that municipality, Juan Carlos Bermúdez, were involved in a controversy that arose after the repeal of the lifetime pension plan for former officials of that Miami-Dade locality.
DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS spoke with the councilor of Doral, who asked Bermúdez to withdraw from a lawsuit he filed against the City to restore retirement fees or otherwise resign from his position.
Bermúdez issued a statement at the request of our newspaper in which he urged Fraga dedicate himself to issues such as the growth of crime which according to the former mayor is observed in this municipality.
Meanwhile, Mayor Fraga also questioned that requests for annexation of two new County territories for the city of Doral would be “held up” in Bermúdez’s office.
Budget
The City of Doral’s new budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, which began October 1, was adopted with a millage rate of 1.17166, the lowest in Miami-Dade County.
The municipal fund approved “ensures no tax increases for Doral residents and businesses and at the same time prioritizes: public safety, transportation, exceptional services and parks and recreation,” said Councilor Fraga.
The largest portion of the municipal allocation was allocated to public safety for the hiring of thirty new police officers. Resources were also included to improve mobility, the Doral Trolley service and door-to-door transit.
Biodiesel plant
With an estimated annual production capacity of 7.5 million gallons of biodiesel ready to enter the market and satisfy Florida’s demand, the private BioDiesel Las Americas (BDLA) plant began operations in the city of Doral.
The company’s CEO, José Alberto De Antonio, said the facility has been designed to process used cooking oil (UCO) generated in the region, without discarding other raw materials, and transform it into biodiesel, an ecological alternative “compatible with all engines” that use that fuel.
In this way, BDLA became the only biodiesel company in active operation in the state of Florida.
Sweetwater y Homestead
The excommissioned count José ‘Pepe’ Díaz was elected without opposition to the position of mayor from the city of Sweetwater.
Díaz began his second term as mayor of that town after serving as mayor between 1999 and 2003, and then becoming commissioner of Greater Miami.
Mayor Díaz left the County Commission in 2022 after serving the two consecutive terms set by the county code as a limit. His last role in the Miami-Dade legislative body had been that of president.
Homestead voters, meanwhile, opted to keep the mayor Steven Losner in office for another four-year termafter defeating Vice Mayor Julio Guzmán at the polls by a wide margin.
Losner received 60% of the vote compared to Guzmán’s 35%. Thomas B. Davis, Sean L. Fletcher, Larry Roth and Clemente Canabal won seats on the City Council.
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@danielcastrope
