OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Miami-Dade Infrastructure, Innovation & Technology Committee Meeting – July 7, 2025

BCC Committee Meetings — Monday, July 7, 2025
BodyMiami Dade County, Florida
SessionBCC Committee Meetings
DateMonday, July 7, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:16

For me, please.

0:17

Thank you.

0:22

Reverencing yourself before God today, God, we come to you first saying thank you.

0:27

Thank you for the breath in our lungs, the sun on our face, the ability to stand up, stand up for your people and do good.

0:35

Thank you for giving us this wonderful community.

0:37

Thank you for allowing us as commissioners to serve your people, help us make good decisions, good decisions that are worthy, worthy of you, decisions that are worthy and serve them.

0:49

Amen.

0:51

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:55

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.

1:06

Okay.

1:11

So let's go with the reasonable opportunity to be heard, right?

1:15

So reasonable opportunity to be heard.

1:17

I'm gonna call your name, see how many cards I have here.

1:21

Oh, roll call.

1:22

Go ahead.

1:23

Everybody's here, but okay.

1:25

Good morning, Commissioner Colin Higgins.

1:28

Good morning, President.

1:29

Commissioner Regalado.

1:32

Commissioner Steinberg.

1:34

Vice Chairwoman Higgins.

1:36

Good morning, I'm here.

1:37

Chairman Gilbert.

1:39

We have five members present.

1:41

We have a quorum.

1:49

Reasonable opportunity to be heard.

1:50

So I'm gonna call your name when you when I call your name.

1:53

You're going to come to the microphone, and you're going to give me your name, your address, and you're going to speak for two minutes.

2:00

At some point, probably not right at the two-minute mark, but somewhere around there, I'm going to say thank you.

2:06

When I say thank you, that's my way of my polite way of saying your time is up.

2:11

So let's just practice.

2:12

I say thank you, and that means your time is up.

2:14

So you stop talking and we go on to the next person.

2:17

That's how we're going to do this.

2:18

I'm going to call out some names now.

2:21

Noel Cleland.

2:25

Katrina Bernabi.

2:32

Priscilla Carolyn Schmidt.

2:37

Marcelo Valadores.

2:44

Maddie Kaufman.

2:47

Catherine Accarty.

2:50

And Bernice.

2:53

Yeah, Bernice, you don't have the best handwriting.

2:57

Bernice with the Y.

2:59

Bernice.

3:00

All right.

3:01

Let's go.

3:03

Good morning.

3:04

Thank you, Commissioners.

3:05

My name is Noel Cleeland.

3:06

I live 5990 Southwest 50th Street.

3:10

And I'm here to speak in favor of our item 2B.

3:14

And it's nice to be speaking in favor of something.

3:20

Glad to see the commission is taking this matters of uh innovation seriously.

3:25

It's important to realize that our choices for what to do with our waste stream is more than just incineration and landfilling.

3:33

And all these methods we have of trying to come up with ways to reduce the amount of waste that goes into our landfill is important.

3:40

And the idea of trying to be able to incentivize this, it works very well.

3:45

We're a capitalist society, and we want to get people to pay attention to something.

3:52

So if if you're interested in getting people to drive more fuel efficient cars, you increase the cost of fuel.

3:58

You're interested in getting people to reduce the amount of water that they use, you increase the cost of water.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Waste Management███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████11%
Technology and Innovation███████████11%
Procedural████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Public Works██████6%
Procurement████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Miami-Dade Infrastructure, Innovation & Technology Committee Meeting – July 7, 2025

The committee convened at 11:00 AM on July 7, 2025, to discuss multiple solid waste management items, including a proposed 1% fee increase, several resolutions advancing zero-waste initiatives, and two Water & Sewer Department contracts. The meeting featured extensive public testimony and commissioner debate on funding, efficiency, and environmental goals.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Noel Cleeland (5990 SW 50th St) spoke in favor of Item 2B (pay-as-you-throw), emphasizing that a capitalist incentive model can reduce waste, noting Miami-Dade produces twice the national average of waste.
  • Katrina Bernabi (1713 SW 103rd Pl) expressed support for Item 2B and advocated for composting over incineration, stressing stewardship of the planet.
  • Priscilla Carolyn Schmidt (1595 NE 141st St) voiced support for Item 2B, noting she has composted for nearly two decades and that businesses currently pay extra to do the right thing; she thanked Commissioner Regalado for the District 7 composting program.
  • Marcella Bay Daris (Sierra Club Florida) expressed support for Item 2B and other zero-waste items, commending the commission’s commitment.
  • Maddie Kaufman (Debris Free Oceans) spoke in favor of Item 2B, citing Gainesville’s pay-as-you-throw program that reduced solid waste by 18% and increased recycling by 25% in the first year.
  • Bernice Yannis (100 NE 29th St) expressed support for Item 2B, noting she pays $20/month to compost and wants the county to recognize those reducing waste.
  • Katherine Accarty (816 NW 11th St) spoke in favor of Item 2B, hoping for a zero-waste future and reduction of incineration.
  • Stephen Leidner (Bay Harbor Islands) spoke in favor of 2B and other items, noting pay-as-you-throw can reduce garbage by up to 40%; he also suggested on-site mulching at mini-dumps and named the department “Department of Resource Recovery.”

Discussion Items

  • Discussion Item 1F1: Solid Waste Assessment Rolls – Director Anisha Daniel presented that the department saved nearly $5 million (net) through efficiencies, but inflationary costs, fleet expenses, and collective bargaining will require future rate increases. The approved 1% increase (rather than the requested 2%) will lead to an $8 million deficit by 2028 and $56 million by year five, potentially forcing once-weekly pickup. Commissioners debated the need for innovative revenue streams (methane collection, mini-dumps, partnerships) and expressed concern about the 47% fee increase over five years.
  • Item 2A (Resolution 251039): Directs a study on improved solid waste design standards for residential establishments. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0.
  • Item 2B (Resolution 251068): Directs evaluation of incentive-based programs like pay-as-you-throw and waste reduction rebates. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0. Commissioner Higgins requested a friendly amendment to protect low-income households from disproportionate impact.
  • Item 2C (Resolution 251069): Directs enhanced reporting and compliance for recycling in multifamily, commercial, and mixed-use properties. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0.
  • Item 2D (Resolution 251344): Directs exploration of mini dumps for yard waste collection. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0.
  • Item 2E (Resolution 251389): Directs retention of easement rights for water/sewer infrastructure when conveying county-owned property. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0. (Commissioner Steinberg added as co-sponsor.)
  • Item 2F (Resolution 251463, added on): Directs coordination with municipalities via MOU for permitting of water/sewer construction to avoid conflicts. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation; Commissioner Cohen Higgins voted no citing need to review unintended consequences.
  • Item 2G (Resolution 251467, added on): Directs exploration of combined biosolids and solid waste hauling and upgrading Class B to Class A biosolids. Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation.
  • Item 3A (Resolution 251355): Award contract to RF Environmental Services, Inc. for Hialeah Filter Backwash Elevated Tank ($6,160,980; 561 calendar days). Forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0.
  • Item 3B Substitute (Resolution 251455): Award contract to David Mancini and Sons, Inc. for rehabilitation of a 54-inch force main on West Flagler Street ($5,959,981.88; 396 calendar days). Original item withdrawn; substitute forwarded to BCC with favorable recommendation 5–0.
  • Item 3C (Resolution 251353): Directs creation of “Risk and Resilience Tech Hub, Inc.” to manage federal EDA grant. Commissioners questioned employee transition, financial independence, and duplication with the Miami Data Innovation Authority. Forwarded to BCC without recommendation 5–0, with direction to amend language clarifying that no county funds will be used and that positions will not be backfilled.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee voted to forward all items except 3C to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) with favorable recommendations, most 5–0.
  • Item 3C was forwarded without recommendation pending revisions to explicitly state no county funding obligation and that staff positions will not be backfilled.
  • The committee agreed to move all solid waste and Water & Sewer items to the July 16, 2025 BCC meeting for final consideration.
  • The committee will hold a second reading on the solid waste fee increase on July 16, 2025; discussions on waste-to-energy and other innovations are scheduled for that meeting.
  • Director Daniel will provide additional data on rate scenarios (e.g., 1.5% increase) and future projections before the final vote.

Meeting Transcript

For me, please. Thank you. Reverencing yourself before God today, God, we come to you first saying thank you. Thank you for the breath in our lungs, the sun on our face, the ability to stand up, stand up for your people and do good. Thank you for giving us this wonderful community. Thank you for allowing us as commissioners to serve your people, help us make good decisions, good decisions that are worthy, worthy of you, decisions that are worthy and serve them. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all. Okay. So let's go with the reasonable opportunity to be heard, right? So reasonable opportunity to be heard. I'm gonna call your name, see how many cards I have here. Oh, roll call. Go ahead. Everybody's here, but okay. Good morning, Commissioner Colin Higgins. Good morning, President. Commissioner Regalado. Commissioner Steinberg. Vice Chairwoman Higgins. Good morning, I'm here. Chairman Gilbert. We have five members present. We have a quorum. Reasonable opportunity to be heard. So I'm gonna call your name when you when I call your name. You're going to come to the microphone, and you're going to give me your name, your address, and you're going to speak for two minutes. At some point, probably not right at the two-minute mark, but somewhere around there, I'm going to say thank you. When I say thank you, that's my way of my polite way of saying your time is up. So let's just practice. I say thank you, and that means your time is up. So you stop talking and we go on to the next person. That's how we're going to do this. I'm going to call out some names now. Noel Cleland. Katrina Bernabi. Priscilla Carolyn Schmidt. Marcelo Valadores. Maddie Kaufman. Catherine Accarty. And Bernice. Yeah, Bernice, you don't have the best handwriting. Bernice with the Y. Bernice. All right. Let's go. Good morning. Thank you, Commissioners. My name is Noel Cleeland.

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