Miramar mobilizing to oppose proposed incinerator site in western Miami-Dade

MIRAMAR - Miramar leaders and residents are gearing up to formally oppose a proposed incinerator site in Miami-Dade, less than a mile from the city's western border.

The Miami-Dade Commission is considering three proposed sites. One is in Doral on the site of a former incinerator burned in February of last year. Another is in Medley and the last one is at the Opa-locka West airport site in western Miami-Dade.

In Doral, the county owns the old incinerator's property, but city residents no longer want one in their back yard. The county would have to lease or buy the land in Medley if they choose that location. The county also owns the old Opa-locka Airport West site on the Miami-Dade/Broward border.

It is the latter site that has the Miramar community mobilizing.

More than 20,000 residents have signed a petition against the plan, and more than 250 have committed to attending the upcoming Miami-Dade Commission meeting to speak out against it. The city has chartered four buses to take residents to the Sept. 4 meeting where commissioners are expected to vote on the issue.

Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam and city commissioners have been vocal in their disapproval of the airport site, stressing "the critical need to address environmental and public health issues associated with the project."

"This location is near residential neighborhoods, schools, and parks. Our primary concerns revolve around the potential adverse effects on air quality and public health. This is an environmental injustice that will impact our community which is predominantly a community of color," Messam said in a statement.

The mayor said the county should invest in cleaner, more sustainable waste management solutions.

The county said a study they commissioned debunks any claims that the incinerator would harm residents.