{"id":1346,"date":"2026-06-04T16:01:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1346"},"modified":"2026-06-04T16:01:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:01:45","slug":"miami-dade-mayor-forces-out-top-deputy-port-director-over-fuel-depot-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1346","title":{"rendered":"Miami-Dade mayor forces out top deputy, port director over fuel depot mess"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Miami-Dade\u2019s mayor is forcing out both her top deputy and the PortMiami director as her administration faces a costly and messy real estate deal to prevent the port\u2019s fuel depot from being lost to a luxury condo development.<\/p>\n

Read more Former state senator Shevrin Jones running to succeed Frederica Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n

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Jimmy Morales, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava\u2019s longest-serving deputy after her election in 2020, resigned abruptly Wednesday, citing friction over the county\u2019s pending purchase of the privately owned fuel depot on Fisher Island that the port relies on to keep cargo and cruise ships running.<\/p>\n

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When the depot on the island next to PortMiami came up for sale in 2024, the county didn\u2019t buy it \u2014 allowing a development partnership to scoop it up for $180 million and then announce plans to close the fuel operation and build condos instead. Now, the county is reportedly close to a deal to buy the site from the developer for a cost of $400 million \u2014 some of it to be paid over 20 years \u2014 and the premium has brought national attention and local scorn to Levine Cava for the situation.<\/p>\n

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The departures of Morales and PortMiami Director Hydi Webb were first reported Thursday morning by the Political Cortadito blog.<\/p>\n

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In a resignation email provided to the Miami Herald, Morales describes the pending deal as a friction point with the mayor, even though both appear to back the purchase.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI acknowledge that you and I have a difference of opinion with respect to the purchase and sale transaction of the fuel facility on Fisher Island,\u201d Morales wrote in the email. Morales said the mayor had asked him and port leadership to negotiate a deal to keep fuel flowing at the port without damaging port finances. \u201cI firmly believe that the proposed agreement that we have reached with the current owners of the fuel facility accomplishes those goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The email by Morales does not describe the difference of opinion, but it suggests the framework of the pending deal has been known to the mayor throughout the negotiations. That would raise the question of why Morales is being forced out now, rather than when the fuel depot matter first surfaced.<\/p>\n

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Morales said the county did offer to purchase the property in 2024, but Miami-Dade didn\u2019t pursue a deal once that initial bid was declined. That left the administration scrambling to play catch-up once the private deal closed and the new owners announced fuel operations would end. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be here this late,\u201d Morales told commissioners last fall.<\/p>\n

Read more Former state senator Shevrin Jones running to succeed Frederica Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The issue with the fuel depot first became public last fall when county commissioners authorized the administration to pursue an eminent domain claim against the property, which could result in a court forcing developers to sell to the county at a price set by a judge.<\/p>\n

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But after learning of the planned sale to the county that would keep the depot intact, Fisher Island residents sued. The situation has now gotten national media attention, including a report from the Wall Street Journal on the reported $400 million county purchase. The flap has also brought harsh criticism from prominent people in Miami, including former Democratic congressman Joe Garcia.<\/p>\n

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While the port is county owned, it does not receive tax dollars. Any funds to purchase the depot would come from fees generated by cargo and cruise ships.<\/p>\n

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In a memo released Thursday morning, Levine Cava did not mention the fuel depot mess in announcing the immediate departures of Morales and Webb. She said Webb\u2019s deputy director, Frederick Wong, would take over as interim director.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With the departure of Morales, who oversaw PortMiami, Miami International Airport and other county agencies, Levine Cava is promoting a top deputy to serve as the No. 2 in her administration. Roy Coley, whose current title is chief of utilities and regulatory services, will now serve as Levine Cava\u2019s first deputy mayor. That will give Coley oversight of most of the agencies Morales oversaw, including transit, the port and airport.<\/p>\n

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Levine Cava is also moving her chief of staff, Christopher Hudtwalcker, to an administrative role, overseeing two agencies that were under Morales\u2019 portfolio: Library and Cultural Affairs.<\/p>\n

Read more A Publix and a Miami supermarket sold Wednesday\u2019s lottery jackpot tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava ousts top deputy and PortMiami director amid controversy over plan to buy Fisher Island fuel depot for about $400 million<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miami-dade-county"],"yoast_head":"\nMiami-Dade mayor forces out top deputy, port director over fuel depot mess - Florida Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1346\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Miami-Dade mayor forces out top deputy, port director over fuel depot mess - 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