People are calling out managers of downtown Miami’s federal detention center for parking a truck trailer with noisy air conditioner chillers near neighbors’ windows. A spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons said it is temporary and necessary.
“The Federal Detention Center (FDC) Miami currently has one portable chiller stationed in the rear of the institution,” Donald Murphy, of the federal Bureau of Prisons’ Office of Public Affairs, said in an email to CBS News Miami Investigates. “The chiller has been stationed in this location for multiple years due to ongoing malfunctions within our chiller systems.”
On North 5th Street at North Miami Avenue, renters and people passing by hear the noise. “It’s non-stop constantly,” said Gianna, a woman living in the area who only provided her first name. Charlie Argueta, who also lives nearby, said, “You get used to it. If they don’t know about it, it’s cause they never lived downtown.”
Gianna, who moved in last year, said the noise has been keeping her and her dog up. “I pay a lot of money to live there. So, I thought it was going to be worth my money at least. But, I don’t know.”
Prison reports said that those air conditioning units are outdated and need to be replaced, but the city says it has no plans to
The FDC Miami houses 1,400 inmates being held by U.S. Marshals, in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, or awaiting trial in the U.S. Southern District of Florida courthouse. Hundreds of people work there as well.
A Bureau of Prisons report in 2020 found problems with the facility’s air conditioning chillers, noting one had a leaking seal and another did not work with a central control system that was “outdated” and needed “to be replaced.” The portable chiller system became the temporary fix. Six years later, CBS News Miami Investigates found records showing the bureau was still considering construction bids as recently as Feb. 11.
City Commissioner Damian Pardo, who represents District 2, which includes downtown, told CBS News Miami Investigates that the city has no jurisdiction to quiet or move the portable chiller system. Melo Construction, which owns two apartment buildings across the street from the chiller, filed civil complaints years ago. The group’s lawyer said the Bureau of Prisons has been less than transparent.
A bureau spokesperson told CBS News Miami Investigates in an email that they secured a contract to replace all chillers inside the complex. “As of Feb. 28, 2026, a contract has been secured for the replacement of all chillers within the building, and this process is ongoing due to contract logistics,” Murphy said. “At this time, FDC Miami must utilize the portable chiller to maintain comfortable temperatures within the building.”
It is not clear when construction will begin or how long replacing the chillers will take. “That’s what’s going to be the problem, cause [N. 5th Street gets] congested, traffic, [with] people trying to get through,” Argueta said.
While some neighbors said they will get used to the noise, Gianna is ready to walk away when her lease expires.
