![\"Cruise](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_MIA_COVID_Cruise_MJO_3_1_12K7QCH7_L640888879.JPG\" "\\"Cruise")
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Cruise ships at PortMiami rely on fuel from a privately owned fuel yard on posh Fisher Island. That land is now set for a condo development, with Miami-Dade trying to purchase the land instead. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on June 5, 2026, announced she was rejecting a purchase deal negotiated by her administration. <\/p>\n
Matias Ocner<\/p>\n
Miami<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Friday rejected a deal to purchase the fuel yard that serves PortMiami, a move that risks seeing the vital facility on Fisher Island converted into luxury condominiums.<\/p>\n
A day after firing two deputies<\/a> who negotiated the deal with a development group that bought the fuel yard, Levine Cava said a reported $400 million deal to purchase the site was too costly for the county. Instead, she said county lawyers will try to force a sale at a lower price using a government\u2019s eminent domain authority to obtain land deemed vital for the public.<\/p>\n In a memo, Levine Cava acknowledged the deal negotiated by Jimmy Morales, her former chief operating officer, and Hydi Webb, her port director, would pay for itself over 20 years with revenue from fuel sales and other fees related to port operations. \u201cIn the end,\u201d she wrote, \u201cthe price tag is simply too high.\u201d<\/p>\n Levine Cava, a Democrat, and the would-be deal have received harsh criticism in recent weeks. Former Democratic congressman Joe Garcia called the financials a \u201cpunch to the jaw\u201d<\/a> and said Miami-Dade shouldn\u2019t let the developers make a huge profit on a fuel depot sale. When the privately owned facility came up for sale in 2024, the county failed to buy it. That left the development group, including Miami\u2019s Related Group and Russell Galbut, to purchase the land for about $180 million. They then announced plans for a condo complex there \u2014 a project backed by Fisher Island residents.<\/p>\n With the county seemingly close to a deal to purchase the land instead \u2014 at a significant profit for the new owners \u2014 Fisher Island sued to block the acquisition. One of the objections was questioning the county\u2019s ability to win an eminent domain proceeding.<\/p>\n With Levine Cava vowing a court fight, Friday\u2019s memo could just be the start of a negotiation reset if the owners want to offer better terms. Miami-Dade could also pursue constructing a fuel yard elsewhere nearby \u2014 including on the county-owned port.<\/p>\n