<\/p>\n
Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves looks on during a city council meeting on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at city hall in Hialeah, Fla.<\/p>\n
D.A. Varela<\/p>\n
dvarela@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Even as interim Hialeah Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves campaigns on a promise to lower residents\u2019 soaring water and sewer bills, Miami-Dade County has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming it owes nearly $18 million in unpaid utility debt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m confronting the county right now,\u201d Garcia-Roves said at a press conference on Tuesday. \u201cI am disputing the $18 million they say we owe \u2014 which we don\u2019t. It\u2019s a faulty meter that\u2019s been reading our wastewater incorrectly. It\u2019s reading air instead of water, and they\u2019ve been trying to charge us for that. I refuse to pay those $18 million with our taxpayers\u2019 money.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a complaint filed July 24 in Miami-Dade circuit court, the county claims Hialeah violated its wholesale wastewater services agreement beginning in fiscal year 2020\u201321 under then-Mayor Carlos Hern\u00e1ndez and continuing through 2022\u201323 under then-Mayor Esteban \u201cSteve\u201d Bovo.<\/p>\n
The county complaint says Hialeah \u201cbegan a practice of short-paying each bill it received from the county and, instead of catching up at the close of each fiscal year, continued to let the balance accumulate.\u201d<\/p>\n
By June 2023, Hialeah\u2019s unpaid balance for wholesale sewer services had reached over $27 million, according to the lawsuit. The city made two back payments of $2.5 million each in July and August 2023, applied to overdue bills from September and October 2020. By July 2024, the unpaid balance had only dropped to $18.1 million. An additional $300,000 payment was made in early 2025, but the county says a significant balance remains for services rendered during what it calls the \u201cdisputed period.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legal battle underscores long-standing tensions between Hialeah and Miami-Dade over utility infrastructure and cost-sharing. Garcia-Roves, who was appointed interim mayor in April, is now seeking a full term in the November election. Her standoff with the county over water bills\u2014one of the top concerns for Hialeah residents\u2014has quickly become a central issue in her campaign.<\/p>\n
\u2018A disservice to all residents\u2019<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told the Miami Herald that Hialeah\u2019s refusal to pay its past-due bills is affecting not just the city\u2019s residents but customers across the county.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe City of Hialeah has chosen to walk away from its obligations\u2014both in the operation of the jointly owned Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant and in the payment of nearly $18 million owed for wholesale sewer services,\u201d Levine Cava said.<\/p>\n
She also rejected a proposal from Hialeah to relinquish its stake in the two governments\u2019 jointly operated water-treatment plant as a substitute for payment. \u201cDoing so would set a dangerous precedent and further burden our residents,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Levine Cava said the county believes Hialeah\u2019s financial challenges are largely self-inflicted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is our belief that the City faces significant financial constraints of its own making,\u201d she said, urging Hialeah to conduct a full review of its financial practices. \u201cIf water and sewer revenues are being diverted to subsidize unrelated municipal operations, that is a disservice to both their residents and ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
In March 2022, Bovo told the Herald that Hialeah\u2019s Public Works Department \u2014 which operates the city\u2019s water and sewer services \u2014 had been used \u201cas a piggy bank<\/a>,\u201d with funds diverted elsewhere, leading to a lack of maintenance and frequent system leaks that contributed to higher water bills. Last year, the city council unanimously approved setting aside $14.8 million for improvements in the system, including the construction of new pump stations, water main replacements, manhole cover cleaning and restoration, and sewer system repairs.<\/p>\n At last week\u2019s press conference, Garcia-Roves revealed a five-point proposal to reduce Hialeah\u2019s water and sewer costs:<\/p>\n \u202fUse taxpayer dollars to cover the 20% rate hike imposed by Miami-Dade \u2014 about $16 million annually, a proposal whose fate is uncertain, as the City Council is currently split 3\u20133 and lacks a seventh member to fill the seat vacated by Garcia-Roves.Refuse to pay the $18 million in debt being pursued by the county.Eliminate the $100 million reverse osmosis plant jointly operated with Miami-Dade, arguing the city \u201cdoes not need\u201d a water treatment facility. \u202fLaunch a program to allow residents to install a second water meter on their properties\u2014though it\u2019s unclear who would cover the cost. Hialeah has 58,000 water accounts.Request an independent audit of Miami-Dade\u2019s recent water and sewer rate increases.<\/p>\n The plan, particularly the refusal to pay the $18 million and eliminate the reverse osmosis plant, has drawn sharp criticism from county officials.<\/p>\n \u201cMiami-Dade Water and Sewer Department is an enterprise operation, funded solely by customer payments\u2014not by tax dollars,\u201d Levine Cava said. \u201cWhen one customer refuses to pay, every other customer across the county unfairly shoulders the cost. The city\u2019s refusal to pay its past due sewer bills is currently hurting other hard-working residents that are keeping up with their bills.\u201d<\/p>\n Hialeah bills among highest in county<\/p>\n The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department charges wholesale rates that cover only regional system costs. Each municipality, including Hialeah, sets its own local rates to cover capital needs, operations and maintenance.<\/p>\n Among the 34 municipalities in Miami-Dade County, Hialeah has the fourth highest water and sewer rates\u2014behind only North Miami Beach, Bay Harbor Islands and Medley.<\/p>\n As of October 2024, the average monthly water and sewer bill for a Miami-Dade customer was $63, based on typical household usage of 5,236 gallons. In Hialeah, customers paid an average of $78 for the same usage.<\/p>\n Its residents were also subject to a franchise fee, which critics have labeled a \u201cdouble tax.\u201d That fee generated approximately $3.7 million for the city\u2019s budget but was suspended in August 2024 under Bovo\u2019s administration, and Garcia-Roves is now proposing its permanent elimination.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile Miami-Dade has maintained significantly lower customer bills, Hialeah residents are already paying considerably more,\u201d the county said. \u201cIf Hialeah\u2019s customers are facing higher bills, the cause lies in the city\u2019s own rate-setting practices.\u201d<\/p>\n During the press conference, Garcia-Roves called for a state audit of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, citing \u201crising water costs and the fiscal impact on Hialeah residents.\u201d In response, the department said the city has the explicit contractual right to audit all County records related to the calculation of wholesale rates.<\/p>\n Esteban \u201cSteve\u201d Bovo, mayor of Hialeah at the time, speaks wich Jacqueline Garcia-Roves, the council president, on Feb. 11, 2025. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com Garcia-Roves unveils new plan<\/p>\n