Days after ousting her port director, Miami-Dade mayor loses another one

Less than a week after ousting her PortMiami director, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is also losing the port deputy she promoted to the top job.

Frederick Wong, who was announced as interim PortMiami director on June 4, turned in his resignation letter on Tuesday, telling Levine Cava he was retiring effective June 30.

The mayor’s office said Levine Cava wanted Wong to stay on the job, and it’s not known what prompted him to leave so quickly after accepting a promotion to interim director.

“Interim Director Wong’s retirement was a personal decision,” Levine Cava’s office said in a statement. “While we would have welcomed the opportunity for him to continue serving, we respect his decision and thank him for his many years of dedicated service to Miami-Dade County. We wish him all the best in retirement.”

Recruited from the Jacksonville port four years ago, Wong had been the deputy to the former port director, Hydi Webb, and was earning $302,000 a year. Webb was ousted by Levine Cava last week over fallout from Miami-Dade failing to purchase the private port fuel yard that’s now at risk of being converted to a condominium complex on Fisher Island.

Wong’s departure adds to the headache Levine Cava is facing from the fuel yard imbroglio, which also led her to force out her longest-serving deputy, Jimmy Morales, who oversaw the port.

Morales and Webb negotiated a deal reportedly worth $400 million over 20 years to purchase the fuel yard from its new owners, who paid less than $200 million for it a year ago. Last week, Levine Cava called the deal too expensive for Miami-Dade, which would pay for the acquisition using port dollars that can’t be used for other government expenses.

Instead of accepting the deal her administration negotiated, Levine Cava announced Miami-Dade would try to force a sale at a lower price through an eminent domain proceeding in court. That kind of legal tactic is used by governments to force a purchase of private land deemed vital to the public interest.

Wong did not mention the fuel yard situation in his resignation letter or say why he wanted to depart Port Miami so soon after being put in charge of the operation. It is also unknown if Wong got some guidance from Levine Cava on who she wanted to hire as permanent port director. Wong was not immediately available for comment.

“It has been a tremendous honor to serve the residents of Miami-Dade County and contribute to the success of PortMiami, an organization that plays a vital role in our local economy and the supply chain of the United States,” Wong wrote in his resignation letter. “I am deeply proud of the work we have accomplished and the impact PortMiami continues to have on our community and nation.”