MIAMI – The trash talk continues in Miami-Dade County as commissioners held a special meeting to discuss the future of a proposed incinerator.
“If you put in an incinerator, they’re going to be smelling toxic fumes from Miami’s garbage on my doorstep and I didn’t sign up for that,” said Alberto Salvi, a Broward County resident who has lived in southwestern Broward for 10 years.
Salvi spent the day in Downtown Miami voicing his concerns to Miami-Dade commissioners about the county’s looming decision on how to manage its trash.
“That’s going to change our whole landscape, what it means to live in Broward. The quality of life we know won’t exist anymore,” he said.
Despite Salvi’s concerns, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has shifted her stance. She now opposes building a new incinerator and is instead advocating for a landfill.
“We understand the costs of building any of these sites are very high,” Levine Cava said. “So we dug down more, we really understood, and we looked at some additional sites. We did our due diligence.”
Even with that shift, Broward residents, along with the mayors of Miramar and Doral, showed up at county hall to ensure their voices were heard.
“Financially, it’s going to affect every resident of Miami-Dade County, so it’s a big decision,” said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga. “I would be more concerned if it were a hasty decision made without considering everyone impacted.”
Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam echoed that sentiment.
“It doesn’t matter how many times we have to come downtown. We will continue to come until this issue is put to rest,” he said.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, the plan is for the issue to go before a committee.
If approved, commissioners are expected to make a final decision at their February meeting, where both the Miramar and Doral mayors say they will be in attendance.
