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Council designates Saga South site a brownfield to speed environmental cleanup
Summary
The council voted to designate roughly 20 acres at 8165 SW 210th Street as a brownfield under Florida Statute 376.08, enabling state remediation support; council members asked about community outreach and enforcement history.
The Town of Cutler Bay Town Council on March 19 unanimously designated the Saga South Green reuse area — a roughly 20‑acre parcel at 8165 Southwest 210th Street — as a brownfield under Section 376.08 of the Florida Statutes to facilitate environmental remediation and potential redevelopment.
Brett Brummond, attorney for the applicant Saga South Development Inc., told the council the owner has already screened about 3,000 cubic yards of soil, removed roughly 1,500 cubic yards of concrete and stone and disposed of about 300 tires. He said work is paused pending Miami‑Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources (DERM) approval for recycling some of the recovered concrete as clean fill on‑site. Brummond said the designation will help the owner leverage state funding to continue remediation.
“This is the second of two required public hearings,” Brummond said, summarizing recent cleanup steps and community outreach. He said a March 4 community meeting drew five attendees, primarily nearby residents from Club La Costa, who expressed support for cleanup and concerns about dust control.
Council members pressed the applicant and staff on oversight, enforcement history and public outreach. Council Member Lord asked about attendance and noted the applicant had published notices in the Miami Herald and Miami New Times and posted a sign at the property. Council Member Duncan asked whether outstanding town code violations existed; town staff said prior fines had been levied — approximately $710,000 in 2022 before a later reduction to $50,000 to incentivize redevelopment — and that enforcement had been coordinated with DERM due to wetlands on about 15 acres of the site. Town staff said work underway under DERM direction led town enforcement cases to be placed on hold while remediation progressed.
Brummond described dust‑control measures: a mobile dust monitor to measure total dust and a water truck on site. He said the monitoring plan requires work to stop if a threshold of 0.15 milligrams per cubic meter over three consecutive five‑minute periods is exceeded; the owner plans to place temporary sheeting over debris piles when work is paused.
The council approved the brownfield designation by motion and roll call vote. The designation does not itself approve site plan or redevelopment proposals; any future development proposals will return to the council for review and permits and remain subject to DERM oversight for wetland and remediation requirements.
