Miami-Dade County agreed in principle to purchase a Fisher Island fuel terminal property from the HRP Group for $400 million, prompting multiple legal challenges and criticism over the use of public funds. The property at 1 Fisher Island Drive includes a Depression-era fuel depot that services Miami’s cruise industry, and its sale has sparked debate over port operations and public spending.
TransMontaigne Partners first put the Fisher Island property on the market in May 2024. The HRP Group acquired it for $180 million in late September 2024 and announced plans to build $2 billion in condominium towers, agreeing to demolish the fueling facility and perform environmental cleanup. Under that original purchase agreement, HRP also committed to transferring four acres of land to the Fisher Island Community Association (Fica).
Miami-Dade County later considered using eminent domain to take over the site, citing public interest, and reportedly reached an agreement to buy it for $400 million. On September 18, the Miami-Dade County Commission held an emergency meeting and narrowly voted to ask Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to initiate legal proceedings to halt the land transfer. Both the mayor’s office and Hydi Webb, director of the Port of Miami, declined to comment, as did the HRP Group.
In January 2025, Fica and the Fisher Island Club (FIC) filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of any eminent domain seizure. Miami-Dade County filed a motion to dismiss that suit in March 2025. On Thursday morning, the two groups filed a second lawsuit seeking to invalidate the agreement between HRP Group and the county.
"HRP came to Fisher Island promising to clean up a century-old hazard and build a residential community," said James L Ferraro, the Fica chairman, in a written statement. "Instead, they saw a pile of taxpayer cash, sold out our residents, and decided to leave a dangerous fuel farm sitting right next to our homes."
"The only people that have been screwed here are the citizens of Miami-Dade county," said Joe Garcia, a former congressman and prominent community leader. "There are only three explanations for this. Massive incompetence, criminal negligence or corruption. Knowing Miami-Dade county, all three are more than possible at the same time." Garcia added, "You can’t have a port without a fuel depot, and everyone involved here knew this was an indispensable asset. We’re paying someone $220m for something that we couldn’t have lived without. Anywhere else but Miami-Dade county, that would be a criminal act."