Miami-Dade County sues Reworld for more than $750 million over Doral incinerator fire

Miami-Dade County filed a lawsuit today against Reworld Dade, LLC, and its parent company, Reworld Holding Corporation, seeking more than $750 million in damages stemming from the February 2023 fire that destroyed the County's Resource Recovery Facility in Doral.

The lawsuit alleges that Reworld, which received approximately $60 million annually to operate and maintain the facility, failed to address known fire safety deficiencies despite years of documented warnings. According to the complaint, the company failed to properly maintain critical fire-protection systems and shut-off control valves and/or water pumps serving multiple sprinkler systems, allowing a small fire to spread and ultimately destroy much of the facility.

Between October 2019 and September 2022, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue issued six notices of violation for fire code violations at the facility. The complaint also alleges that Reworld received repeated warnings from the County's Bond Engineer and other inspectors. At the time of the fire, at least five fire-protection systems in the garbage processing area were impaired and could not be relied upon to suppress a fire.

"The destruction of this facility has had enormous consequences for Miami-Dade. Reworld was responsible for operating and maintaining it, and the allegations in this lawsuit point to serious failures to meet those responsibilities. We are taking this action to recover the damages our County has suffered and protect our taxpayers," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

The fire began on February 12, 2023, and burned for approximately three weeks. The facility processed nearly half of Miami-Dade County's municipal solid waste and generated electricity for the County, Florida Power & Light and several municipalities. Its destruction forced the County to find alternative ways to dispose of that waste at significant additional expense.

The County's lawsuit asserts nine claims, including breach of contract, breach of guarantee, gross negligence, violations of the County's False Claims Ordinance and fraud in the inducement. The County has requested a jury trial.