Miami restaurateurs are staring down a set of grease rules that can turn one bad day in the kitchen into a full-blown financial crisis. A single breach in a grease-control device can trigger a complete system overhaul on a tight county clock, transforming what might feel like a routine fix into a bill that knocks a small business off its feet. Miami-Dade’s code sets strict deadlines and demands professional sign-offs for FOG (fats, oils and grease) generators, and commissioners have ordered a fast review to see whether enforcement has gotten out of proportion for smaller operators. For businesses that already pay for regular pumping and licensed haulers, the gap between a repair and a full replacement can be the gap between staying open and shutting the doors.
The Board of County Commissioners has not waited around. It directed the mayor’s office to study whether the FOG rules can be “implemented or enforced in a manner that is less financially burdensome” and, according to Community Newspapers, shortened the original 90-day reporting window to 60 days. The resolution instructs the mayor to work with the EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and to come back with a written report recommending any changes. The formal paperwork for that study sits in the county’s legislative record; see Miami-Dade County for the full language.
What the code requires
County law spells out the timeline once a FOG control device is breached. Temporary repairs have to be made within seven days. A plan for permanent fixes must be submitted within 30 days. Approvals and installation are supposed to be wrapped up within 90 days, unless the county allows otherwise. On top of that, every FOG generator has to file an annual certification prepared by a Florida professional engineer or licensed plumber stating that the device is working as designed. All of this lives in Section 24-42.6, which was adopted to prevent sewer overflows and protect drinking-water infrastructure, according to the Miami-Dade County Code.
The money side is where restaurant owners say the rules really bite. A Help Me Howard segment followed an owner who was told a grease interceptor upgrade could cost nearly $30,000, a number that can sink a mom-and-pop shop; WSVN aired that report. Local reporting and industry sources also estimate that routine pumping, hauler fees and the price of those annual professional certifications can add up to more than $2,000 a year for many establishments, a figure noted in Community Newspapers. That math is what has commissioners asking whether the county can still protect public health without handing every small kitchen the same heavy capital bill…