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The Sunshine State is known for its diverse ecosystem that stretches from the Panhandle to the Florida Keys. People will find hundreds of miles of beaches to wetlands in The Everglades.
However, beneath the beauty of Florida is a dark environmental crisis, where many battle to preserve the state’s diverse ecosystem while pollution increases.
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state produces more than 53 million tons of solid waste. A study by Florida International University found that the state is the third highest generator of plastic waste in the nation and only recycles 8% of total plastic waste.
“Plastic burns hotter than regular garbage and as a result, plastic makes the emissions control portion of the waste energy facility work harder than they would prefer it to,” said Joe Kilsheimer, the director of the Florida Waste-To-Energy Coalition.
The future of a waste-to-energy incinerator in South Florida has been a hot topic after a fire burned a renewable energy plant in Doral in 2023. The proposed sites to build a new incinerator include the current Doral location, the Opa Locka West Airport, a site in Medley or in Okeechobee. However, there has been mixed opinions among city leaders and residents due to environmental concerns.
“If the public were aware of all of the precautions and all of the safeguards that are built into the process, I think they would have a little bit of a different opinion,” said Kilsheimer.
Just days before a decisive vote on the site of the new incinerator, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released a memo on her stance. Levine Cava, who previously recommended moving the incinerator out of Doral, reversed course and urged commissioners to rebuild it where it once burned. The mayor said that keeping the incinerator in Doral would be less expensive than moving it.
“My priority is to build a safe, environmentally sustainable plant that can integrate seamlessly into the community as part of a broader Zero Waste strategy,” said Levine Cava. “Just as importantly, this plant and this Campus should not create an undue burden to any of our ratepayers. I take my role as the environmental and fiscal steward of the public’s tax dollars very seriously, and at my direction, County staff has spent countless hours analyzing the financial and environmental costs and benefits to each potential site.”
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga stands strong in her fight to keep the incinerator out of her city, saying Doral is the smallest site compared to the other options available.
“While this may seem like the easiest solution, it is not the right one because it places an undue burden on Doral residents who have already endured the environmental, health and quality-of-life impacts of hosting the facility for years,” said Fraga in a statement.
Doral residents point out these incinerators have major flaws like air pollution that could lead to health problems for people in the community.
“This is absurd,” said Angela Rodriguez, a resident nurse in Doral. “All my children are in sports programs so the air pollution from the incinerator could really affect them.”
In a Dec. 3 meeting, Miami-Dade commissioners voted to defer the vote on the new trash incinerator site. A committee discussion will be held in January and a vote on the future site is expected in February.
