Miami-Dade: PortMiami’s fuel supply cannot be held hostage | Opinion

When the mayor asked me to serve as deputy mayor and take the lead on the PortMiami fuel issue, her directive was clear: “We will not allow this community to be held hostage over critical infrastructure and put the county’s economy at risk.”

So I did what any responsible public servant should do: I went to the facts.

I reviewed emails, letters, memoranda and communications surrounding the sale of the Fisher Island fuel facility. Here’s what the record shows: There is not a single communication notifying the mayor, the port director or Miami-Dade County that TransMontaigne was putting this property up for sale.

The mayor learned about this deal only after the property was already under contract to HRP. By then, the deck was stacked.

When county staff reached out to TransMontaigne in early 2025, they were directed to deal directly with HRP. Over the summer of 2025, HRP proposed a 30-year lease that would have cost more than $1 billion, with the county owning nothing at the end. That’s not how you treat a government partner. That’s how you squeeze one.

During my years in county administration, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has held every one of us to a higher standard — not just managing today’s operations but identifying tomorrow’s risks before they became today’s challenges. That’s what protecting critical infrastructure requires.

When the mayor rejected the deal, she understood that we could not let a profit-seeking developer hold a $61 billion economic engine hostage while we looked for options. We must act decisively to protect the port and this community.

That’s exactly what she’s done. By using every legal tool at her disposal, she’s positioned Miami-Dade to control this asset and protect the public’s interest.

What was this deal really about?

PortMiami drives roughly $61.4 billion in annual economic impact and supports more than 340,000 Florida jobs. It is the “Cruise Capital of the World,” one of the nation’s busiest cargo ports and a gateway that keeps global commerce moving through South Florida. None of that — not a single cruise ship, cargo vessel or job — happens without a reliable fuel supply.

The Fisher Island fuel facility has provided that fuel since Belcher Oil built it in 1927. For nearly a century, it has helped keep this port running.

In 1978, Miami-Dade County locked in a restrictive covenant on the property limiting it to fuel-related uses. Lifting that covenant requires a two-thirds vote of the Board of County Commissioners. That’s a high bar by design.

In 2014, the Florida Legislature doubled down on those protections — explicitly blocking local governments from taking land-use actions that would undermine the lawful operation of a fuel terminal. So anyone hoping to redevelop this site for something other than fuel would need to overcome state law, amend the County’s Comprehensive Development Master Plan, secure multiple rezoning approvals and obtain a supermajority vote of the county commission.

These aren’t minor obstacles. They’re walls. Deliberately built to protect infrastructure that Florida’s economy depends on.

HRP is a sophisticated developer with well-connected local partners. They reportedly paid around $180 million for this property. Sophisticated investors don’t spend $180 million on a whim.

Did HRP, in good faith, believe it could clear all these hurdles and convince the county to give up this vital infrastructure asset? Or did it know the county would ultimately have no choice but to buy it back at a steep premium? Either way, it believed it would win.

By rejecting the deal, the mayor made the tough but necessary decision to put the public’s long-term interest first and to use all available tools to ensure the county gets a fair deal.

We are committed to resolving this fairly, quickly and decisively, and ensuring that Miami-Dade’s strategic assets are secured now and for the future.

Roy Coley is deputy mayor of Miami-Dade County.