Airport committee advances 15-year concession agreement at Miami International Airport with $215M minimum investment

The Miami‑Dade County Airport Committee voted March 12 to advance item 2C, a proposed concessionaire agreement for Miami International Airport that would set a 12‑year base term with a three‑year construction period and require a minimum $215,000,000 investment by the concessionaire consortium.

The item would allow concessionaires to convert the term to 15 years if they commit an additional 30% investment at the start of the extension; county staff estimated the package would produce roughly $332,000,000 in total investment and about $1,100,000,000 in revenue to the airport over the 12‑year base term. "That term consists of a 12 year base term, which includes a 3 year construction period within that 12 years. The minimum investment amount by the concessionaire is just $215,000,000," Director Couthiere said in presenting the proposal.

Why it matters: committee members said the plan would accelerate upgrades to passenger areas and concessions while raising guaranteed investment levels compared with some existing contracts. Commissioner Cohen Higgins, who moved the item, said the agreement also includes a living‑wage commitment for concession employees: "These concessionaires are agreeing to continue paying living wage for the next 15 years." Supporters described the package as a way to modernize spaces quickly and preserve local food‑and‑retail flavor at MIA; critics said the length of extension and bid‑waiver path risk…