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 a wellfield protection area, 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 forwarded to the BCC with a favorable recommendation following a public hearing by the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on 9/9/2026. The second reading is scheduled for the Board of County Commissioners on 10/6/2026. The ordinance is countywide in scope. The applicant/developer/owner is not stated; the requester is Regulatory and Economic Resources, and the prime sponsor is Juan Carlos Bermudez. The ordinance allows administrative approval for emergency generators for healthcare facilities and food stores within wellfield protection areas, in lieu of a public hearing before the Environmental Quality Control Board (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 in an above-ground storage facility approved pursuant to section 24-15(5); secondary containment with double-walled tanks and piping; for food stores, fuel not exceeding 1,500 gallons per facility; for healthcare facilities, fuel volume not exceeding that required by applicable 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 also revises the definition of health care facilities to include doctor's offices and free standing emergency facilities. No negative fiscal impact to the County is anticipated. 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. No public comment or stakeholder sentiment is stated in the document.