Miami-Dade Invokes Eminent Domain To Seize Land on Ultraexclusive Fisher Island

Miami-Dade County announced on Friday that it will initiate eminent domain proceedings to seize a ship fueling terminal on Fisher Island, following unsuccessful negotiations with luxury condominium developers. County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava stated that the decision was made after talks failed to yield an acceptable agreement. The nearly 10-acre waterfront property at PortMiami houses a tank farm crucial for fueling cruise and cargo ships, serving one of the world's busiest cruise hubs. Fisher Island, an exclusive community accessible only by private transport, was recently ranked as the second most expensive ZIP code in America by Realtor.com®, with a median listing price near $12 million. A group of investors, including HRP Group, purchased the site for $180 million last year, planning to demolish the fuel containers and construct two luxury condominium towers valued at $2 billion. While Fisher Island residents reportedly favored the development to remove the industrial site storing nearly 30 million gallons of fuel, cruise operators and Miami-Dade County officials raised concerns about the potential disruption to PortMiami's operations, which support over 340,000 jobs. Roberto Perez, CEO of HRP Group, argued that the county had long been aware of the property and had been approached by previous owners.