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. Adopted on first reading on 7/21/2026, public hearing scheduled for 9/9/2026 before the Recreation, Tourism, and Resiliency Committee. File Number 261214. Prime Sponsor Juan Carlos Bermudez. Countywide scope. No specific project site, address, parcel, acreage, or dollar amount stated. 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 power source under 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 above-ground storage facility approved per section 24-15(5) with double-walled tanks and 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 per section 24-18. Background states that currently a variance via public hearing before the Environmental Quality Control Board (EQCB) is required, and that from 2020 to 2025 approximately eight variances were granted related to emergency generators for healthcare facilities within wellfield protection areas. No public comment or stakeholder sentiment is stated in the document.