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 allow 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. Adopted on first reading on 7/21/2026, set for public hearing before the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on 9/9/2026. No specific project site, address, parcel, or size is stated; the scope is countywide. The ordinance revises the definition of health care facilities, adds facilities with emergency generators within a wellfield protection area to operating permit requirements, and allows fuels for emergency generators for health care facilities and food stores (required to maintain alternate power under section 8B-17) within the basic wellfield protection area, provided conditions are met including: property served by utility water and sanitary sewers, located more than 30 days travel time from any utility water supply well, not within Northwest Wellfield protection area or West Wellfield Interim protection area, within the Urban Development Boundary, fuels in an approved above-ground storage facility with double-walled tanks and piping, food store fuel not exceeding 1,500 gallons per facility, health care facility fuel not exceeding volume required by regulations, groundwater monitoring plan for exposed tanks, and an operating permit. Background states that from 2020 to 2025 approximately eight variances were granted by the EQCB for emergency generators for healthcare facilities within wellfield protection areas. No public comment or stakeholder sentiment is stated.