EMERGENCY GENERATORS INSTEAD OF EQCB

Board of County Commissioners · 2026-07-21 · ordinance

Ordinance amending Miami-Dade County Code sections 24-5, 24-18, and 24-43 to authorize administrative approval of emergency generators for healthcare facilities and food stores within wellfield protection areas, subject to conditions, instead of requiring a public hearing before the Environmental Quality Control Board (EQCB). The ordinance was adopted on first reading on 7/21/2026 and forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners with a favorable recommendation following a public hearing on 9/9/2026. Second reading is scheduled for 10/6/2026. The scope is countywide. No negative fiscal impact to the County is anticipated. The ordinance is part of efforts to streamline regulations and reduce permitting timeframes. The ordinance allows administrative approval for emergency generators for healthcare facilities and food stores within wellfield protection areas, in lieu of public hearings before the EQCB. Conditions include: property served by utility water and sanitary sewers; property located more than 30 days travel time from any utility potable water supply well; property not located within the Northwest Wellfield protection area or West Wellfield Interim protection area; property located within the Urban Development Boundary; fuels contained within an above-ground storage facility approved pursuant to section 24-15(5); secondary containment system with double-walled tanks and piping; for food stores, fuels not exceeding 1,500 gallons per facility; for healthcare facilities, fuel volume not exceeding that required by regulations; a groundwater monitoring plan approved by the Director for tanks exposed to the environment; and an operating permit obtained pursuant to section 24-18. The ordinance revises the definition of health care facilities to include health maintenance organizations and doctor's offices. The ordinance is sponsored by Juan Carlos Bermudez. The staff recommendation is to approve the ordinance. The ordinance is expected to benefit property owners and the development community by reducing development costs associated with administrative versus public hearing processes. A review of EQCB cases from 2020 to 2025 indicated approximately eight variances were granted related to the placement of emergency generators for healthcare facilities within wellfield protection areas. The ordinance would not impact the overall health, welfare, and safety of the County's potable supply within wellfield protection areas.