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. File Number 261214. Introduced 6/30/2026. Adopted on first reading by the Board of County Commissioners on 7/21/2026, agenda item 4H. Set for public hearing before the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee on 9/9/2026. Prime Sponsor: Juan Carlos Bermudez. Requester: Regulatory and Economic Resources. The ordinance revises the definition of health care facilities, adds facilities with emergency generators within a wellfield protection area to the list of facilities 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, subject to conditions 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 Northwest Wellfield protection area or West Wellfield Interim protection area; located within the Urban Development Boundary; fuels contained in an approved above-ground storage facility with double-walled tanks and double-walled piping; food stores fuel not exceeding 1,500 gallons per facility; health care facilities fuel volume not exceeding volume required to comply with emergency power supply system requirements; groundwater monitoring plan approved by the Director for tanks exposed to the environment; and an operating permit obtained pursuant to section 24-18. Scope is countywide. No negative fiscal impact 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. The ordinance is intended to allow administrative approval in lieu of public hearings before the Environmental Quality Control Board.