Miami-Dade commissioners have voted to force a developer to sell a piece of property they say is critical to operations at PortMiami.
Read more Florida attorney general touts efforts to combat human trafficking in Miami
Commissioners on Tuesday approved the eminent domain process for the fuel tank farm on Fisher Island.
The facility is critical to Port Miami’s success, as barges haul fuel from the tank farm to ships.
Chicago-based developer HRP bought the bunker for $180 million, with a promise to replace tanks with high rise condos, but that hasn’t happened.
HRP offered the property to Miami-Dade for $400 million, but commissioners and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniela Levine Cava found the price to be unreasonable, so they’re forcing the land sale.
Read more Detainees at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ moved to other facilities, ICE says
In recent years, the county missed opportunities to buy the land, even after holding a special meeting last September to discuss the purchase.
In a statement, HRP said the ordeal “is a direct result of the county’s incompetence after years and frankly decades of failure to plan for PortMiami infrastructure. Seizing private property is not the solution for public failure.”
HRP added that they’re going to fight the eminent domain and move forward with their plan to build high-rise condominiums.
Read more Second brush fire burns in western Miami-Dade County