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Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the retirements of PortMiami Director Hydi Webb and the county's chief operating officer, Jimmy Morales, both longtime public servants, amid a number of administrative changes.
Webb and Morales' departures are linked to PortMiami's fuel depot crisis, with the residents of swanky Fisher Island recently suing to block the sale of the property to the county. Miami-Dade reportedly was close to buying the site from developer HRP Group for $400m, triggering the residents' legal action.
When the land housing the facility that stores fuel for cruise and cargo ships came up for sale in 2024, the county did not buy it and HRP Group paid $180m for the parcel, subsequently announcing the depot would close to make way for new condos.
PortMiami has no on-site bunker supply but stores hundreds of thousands of barrels on nearby Fisher Island, one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country.
The cruise industry had sounded the alarm about the impending property sale at an emergency Miami-Dade County Commission meeting the month before the HRP Group deal went through in 2025.
Cruise industry leaders repeatedly went to local officials to stress the stakes and the urgent need for a resolution. County officials considered legal proceedings to take over the fuel depot by eminent domain.
Instead, the $400m purchase emerged, which would have Miami-Dade paying more than double what the developer shelled out.
According to a local blog, the mayor is expected to pursue the eminent domain process.
In announcing a number of administration changes including Morales and Webb's retirements on Thursday, Levine Cava did not mention the fuel depot. The mayor thanked Morales for his five years of service as a key member of her leadership team. She called him a "cornerstone" of government who oversaw day-to-day operations and acknowledged his decades of public service.
Chief Utilities and Regulatory Services Officer Roy Coley will take on an expanded role as deputy mayor, overseeing a portfolio that includes the seaport, airport and a host of other areas. He'll be responsible for infrastructure investments and projects, capital improvement programs, environmental and planning, "ensuring integrated, forward-looking management of some of the county's most critical assets," Levine Cava said.
The mayor thanked Webb for her more than three decades of county service, including four years as port director overseeing the "historic growth and continued success of PortMiami."
Levine Cava promoted Webb from deputy port director following a national search. Earlier roles included assistant port director of business development and marketing, manager of business development and manager of cruise development, among others.
Deputy Port Director Frederick Wong will serve as interim director.
None of the major cruise operators contacted by Seatrade Cruise News wished to comment, but industry insiders were buzzing about these latest twists.
"Hydi and Jimmy's departure is not the end of it," a source said. "The underlying issue remains. Will the county's purchase be consummated? Will the lawsuit prevent that?
"How did it come to this?" the source continued. "I can't accept there weren't any warning signals. The fault falls on everybody. Does it go up to the mayor and commissioners? Who's going to pay the bill here?"
Fuente: sea-trade cruise
