MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — Monday’s meeting of Miami-Dade County commissioners led to a vigorous back-and-forth between some on the commission and members of Florida Power & Light.

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The exchange was pertaining to a new trash incinerator for South Florida.

It has been one of the central issues that has pitted residents of two counties against each other and fueled passionate debate about where to build the new incinerator.

“I am going to be adamant, it should not be by any resident of Miami-Dade County,” said Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez.

Added Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez: “At the same time, the frustration that was happening today and the back and forth was that there needs to be a site that is identified.”

It was three years ago when a massive fire torched Miami-Dade County’s waste-to-energy facility, and on Wednesday, the county commission decided to move forward with directing county administration to negotiate an interim agreement with FPL, which currently does not have an incinerator in its portfolio, and Spain-based FCC group – FCC Environmental Services – to come back before the board in April.

“What we are going to be doing between now and April is negotiating the interim agreement,” said Miami-Dade Chief Utilities and Regulator Services Officer Roy Coley.

On the table remains potential sites with a stunning private land purchase price of $1 million per acre.

Some commissioners are still floating the idea of building on county-owned land, which would include a site in west Opa-locka near the border of Broward County.

Off the table, thanks to a commission vote, are previously pitched royalty fees.

“I think the message today is clear: we will not allow tax payers to be taken advantage of just to make sure that there is not going to be royalty fees in perpetuity, because at the end of the day, the ones that would bear the brunt of the cost would be the taxpayer,” said Gonzalez.

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