EMERGENCY GENERATORS INSTEAD OF EQCB

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

Miami-Dade County legislative item File Number 261214 is an ordinance amending Sections 24-5, 24-18, and 24-43 of the Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, to authorize administrative approval of emergency generators for healthcare facilities and food stores within wellfield protection areas, subject to certain conditions. The ordinance was introduced on 6/30/2026, adopted on first reading by the Board of County Commissioners on 7/21/2026, and set for a public hearing before the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on 9/9/2026. The scope is countywide. The ordinance revises the definition of health care facilities, adds facilities with emergency generators within a wellfield protection area to the list requiring an operating permit, and allows fuels for emergency generators for health care facilities or food stores required to maintain an alternate source of power pursuant to section 8B-17, provided conditions are met including: property served by utility water and sanitary sewers, located more than 30 days travel time from any utility potable water supply well, not within the Northwest Wellfield protection area or West Wellfield Interim protection area, within the Urban Development Boundary, fuels contained in an above-ground storage facility approved pursuant to section 24-15(5) with secondary containment (double-walled tanks and double-walled piping), fuel volume not exceeding 1,500 gallons for food stores and for health care facilities not exceeding volume required to comply with emergency power supply system requirements, 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 is sponsored by Juan Carlos Bermudez. The staff recommendation is approval. The ordinance is expected to have no negative fiscal impact. The background states that currently a property owner is required to seek a variance via a public hearing before the Environmental Quality Control Board (EQCB) for such generators, and the EQCB has routinely granted variances. 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 is part of efforts to streamline regulations and reduce permitting timeframes. No public comment or stakeholder sentiment is stated in the document.