EQCB Seeking Volunteer Members

Environmental Quality Control Board members help their community by making decisions on applications requesting variances and extensions of time from the environmental regulations of Miami-Dade County. The board also reviews appeals of decisions of the Director of the Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM). Miami-Dade County is currently seeking interested candidates to be considered for appointment by the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners (BCC).

Candidates:

• Must be a permanent resident of Miami-Dade County.
• Cannot hold political office or be a candidate for political office.
• Must have a Ph.D. or be a licensed professional engineer in chemical, civil or environmental engineering;
• Or have a Ph.D. in geology or hydrogeology or be a licensed professional geologist;
• Or have a Ph.D. in biology or marine biology.

EQCB members are prohibited from serving on more than one decision making board.

EQCB meetings are held:

• Monthly, on the second Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m.
• At 701 NW 1st Court, Miami, FL 33136.

Interested candidates can submit their resume by July 30, 2021: [email protected]

For more information, please call 305-372-6764.

Application

Prior to filing an application, applicants are encouraged to meet with staff to obtain information on the hearing process, filing requirements, filing fees and to review completed applications and forms. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted or scheduled for a hearing. To schedule an appointment please call (305) 372-6764.

• View the EQCB application package 
• Submit EQCB application and supporting documents

Advertising and Notices

The agenda for the EQCB hearing will be published prior to the hearing date in the Miami Daily Business Review and posted on the Miami-Dade County EQCB website.

The Clerk of the Board will send a Notice of the Hearing (Agenda) via email to the email address provided in the application. Please include email addresses in your application of all parties to receive Notice of the Hearing.

For interim sewage treatment plants only: A notice will be posted on the subject property to inform the public of the purpose, time and place of hearing for the proposed interim sewage treatment plant. 

Emergency Hearings

An applicant may request an emergency hearing before the EQCB. It is up to the EQCB to decide to hear emergency cases. Please contact the Clerk of the Board for further information with regard to this procedure.

Petitions Heard by Board

Section 24-8 of the Miami-Dade County Code provides that the Environmental Quality Control Board may hear:

• An appeal of any person aggrieved by any action or decision of the Director of the Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM). An appeal may be filed within 15 days from the date of action or decision.
• A request for a variance from Chapter 24 of the Code of Miami-Dade County.
• A request for an extension of time for compliance with the provisions of Chapter 24 of the Code of Miami-Dade County.
• A request to modify an existing Board Order.
• A request for approval of an Interim Package Sewage Treatment Plant.
• An appeal from the decisions of the Director of DERM pursuant to a denial of an administration request for a variance to the requirements of the Federal Flood Insurance Program as established under Chapter 11C of the Miami-Dade County Code.
• An application by private and/or public water or sewer service utilities for a statement of approved water quality or approved sewage service.

Meeting Agendas, Memos and Rulings

Environmental Quality Control Board
Thursday, Oct. 21, at 1:15 p.m.
Overtown Transit Village Building
2nd Floor Training Room
Agenda Information

Zoom Registration

• Surfrider Foundation, Miami Chapter (2021-EQCB-00052)

2021 EQCB Hearing Dates

• Jan. 21 – Canceled
• Feb. 11 – Canceled
• March 11 – Rescheduled for March 25
• March 25 – Rescheduled for April 1
• April 8 – Rescheduled for April 29
• May 13 – Rescheduled for May 27
• June 10 - Canceled
• July 8 - Rescheduled for July 22 at 10 a.m.
• Aug. 12
• Sept. 9 - Rescheduled for Sept. 30
• Oct. 14
• Oct. 21 - Special Set Hearing
• Nov. 18
• Dec. 9

2022 EQCB Hearing Dates

• Jan. 13
• Feb. 10
• Mar. 17
• Apr. 14
• May 12
• Jun. 9
• Jul. 7
• Aug. 11
• Sep. 8
• Oct. 13
• Nov. 10
• Dec. 8

Accessing Virtual Meetings

Access

The public may listen or observe the meeting as follows:

• Call in live to listen to the meeting at:
  US: +1-786-635-1003 or 877-853-5247 (Toll Free) or 888-788-0099 (Toll Free)
  Webinar ID: 969 9111 6708
• Join the meeting live via Zoom to observe and listen by registering in advance for the meeting
• If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you may participate in the meeting using Florida Relay Service by dialing 711 on your telephone
• If you need a sign language interpreter, or any accommodation to participate in the meeting, or to request materials in accessible format, please contact Alain Donderiz at 305-372-6779 or 786-442-4778 or via email at [email protected], at least five days in advance of the meeting to initiate your request.

Opportunity to Be Heard

Interested parties that have a matter on the agenda may participate and may present witnesses during the public hearing on the item, as follows:

• Join the meeting live via Zoom to speak on an item, when permissible, by registering in advance of the meeting
• Join the meeting live by phone to speak on an item, when permissible, by registering in advance of the meeting
• If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you may participate in the meeting using Florida Relay Service by dialing 711 on your telephone
• If you need a sign language interpreter, or any accommodation to participate in the meeting, or to request materials in accessible format, please contact Alain Donderiz at 305-372-6779 or 786-442-4778 or via email at [email protected], at least five days in advance of the meeting to initiate your request.

Procedures for use of documentary or audiovisual evidence through remote means

The following procedures apply only to the electronic use and entry of documentary, photographic, audiovisual and other evidence (other than live witness testimony) that is reasonably able to be provided and shared electronically at the virtual meeting (collectively referred to as “electronic evidence”), and does not apply to physical evidence that cannot be properly examined through the use of the means listed herein.

• All counsel or self-represented parties, including interested parties, shall, by October 5, 2020, submit to [email protected] all electronic evidence sought to be introduced, files not to exceed 50MB. Files exceeding 50MB shall be divided into two or more files (less than 50MB each) and attached to separate emails and should be marked to indicate number sequence of emails (E.g., “email 1 of 2,” “email 2 of 2,” etc.).  All exhibits shall be pre-marked for identification (using a consecutive numbering or lettering system) and shall include an index listing all proposed exhibits with the exhibit numbers or letters, and where an exhibit is stipulated to be admitted, it shall so indicate on the exhibit and on the index; and
• Prior to submission of electronic evidence pursuant to paragraph 1, all counsel or self-represented parties, including interested parties, that seek to use electronic evidence in the virtual hearing, should contact all known parties, including the County’s Division of Environmental Resources Management, at Christine Velazquez, [email protected], in an effort to stipulate to authenticity and admissibility of said evidence; and
• Nothing in this procedure limits the EQCB’s ability to designate supplemental procedures (for example, requiring exhibits to be saved using a different software program and re-transmitted to EQCB in advance of the hearing); and
• Similarly, nothing in this procedure limits the EQCB’s discretion to admit, admit for a limited purpose, or deny entry or use of such evidence, or fashion whatever relief is appropriate under the circumstances, based on lack of compliance with these procedures; and
• If the parties comply in good faith with this procedure but technological issues prevent a meaningful review of the evidence through remote means, the EQCB may defer the matter at its discretion; and
• Where physical evidence, material to the cause, is proffered and cannot be properly examined through electronic means, parties should wait for in-person hearings to be scheduled and should request that the matter be continued.

EQCB Online Records

EQCB case files and transcripts of prior EQCB hearings are available in our online records system. To search EQCB case files, type ''EQCB'' in the case number field. To search for EQCB transcripts, type ''EQCB transcripts'' in the facility name field.

• Online Records System