Miami-Dade Moves to Seize Fuel Depot Serving PortMiami
The 10-acre terminal just south of Miami Beach stores roughly 28 million to 30 million gallons of marine fuel and has served PortMiami for nearly a century.
Miami-Dade County is moving to use eminent domain to take control of the Fisher Island fuel depot that serves PortMiami, the Miami Herald reported, after developers who bought the property announced plans to close the yard and build luxury residences. County commissioners are seeking a forced sale at less than the $400 million the owners are asking for the facility, which is the only available fuel source for vessels operating from Miami.
The dispute puts a 10-acre marine fuel terminal at the center of PortMiami’s cruise and cargo operations. PortMiami handled a record 8,564,225 cruise passengers in fiscal 2025, up 4.02 percent from 8,233,056 a year earlier, and processed 75,201 passengers across 10 cruise ships on Nov. 30, 2025.
County sets up a court fight over price
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava requested the eminent-domain plan, and Commissioner Oliver Gilbert sponsored it. Under the plan, the county would declare itself the owner of the property, make a deposit tied to the site’s value and then go to court to complete the forced sale.
A jury would decide how much Miami-Dade must pay. The current owners acquired the facility in 2025 for $180 million, according to the Miami Herald, which identified the buyers as Miami developers Russell Galbut and the Related Group.
Commissioner Raquel Regalado cast the only vote against pursuing the plan. She cited legal risk and warned that the decision could affect the county for the next 50 years.
Fuel terminal serves a record-volume cruise port
The Fisher Island terminal stores roughly 28 million to 30 million gallons of marine fuel, including No. 6 fuel oil and ECA marine diesel, for vessel loading, offloading and barge operations. The site, just south of Miami Beach, has served PortMiami for nearly a century and remains a key supply point for cruise and cargo ships.
Port and cruise operators have warned that eliminating the depot could disrupt PortMiami operations, which are tied to more than 340,000 jobs. Port and local officials had been studying possible solutions since the dispute emerged in late 2025, when the new owners’ redevelopment plan put the future of the fuel yard in question.
Redevelopment plan and litigation surround the site
The developers plan to dismantle the fuel yard and build two luxury condominium towers on the Fisher Island property. Many Fisher Island residents have supported redevelopment, citing environmental concerns and the terminal’s proximity to homes about 700 feet away and an elementary school about 2,000 feet away.
The Fisher Island Club and Community Association has also taken legal action. The association filed a federal lawsuit to block the county’s eminent-domain effort and later filed a second suit alleging that HRP Group, part of Related Group, would violate a prior agreement if it sold the property to the county.
A previous agreement requires fuel sales at the terminal to continue through May 2027.
See cruises departing Miami on Cruise Lookup.
