Miami-Dade County names new director of solid waste management

Florida's Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) announces Michael Fernandez has been named director of the DSWM. Fernandez had previously served as the deputy director of operations for DSWM.

“Mr. Fernandez exceeds the qualifications and experience for the position. He is one of the rising stars in our county administration and a perfect fit,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez says. “I am confident that Mr. Fernandez will lead the Department of Solid Waste Management to ensure that the residents of Miami-Dade County continue to receive outstanding service.”

Fernandez is replacing Alina Hudak, who will continue to serve in her capacity as Miami-Dade County deputy mayor until her retirement in July after 35 years of service.

“I am very pleased that Mayor Gimenez has chosen Mr. Fernandez to carry on the tradition of service and dedication that have become synonymous with the Miami-Dade Department of Solid Waste Management,” Hudak says. “I have every confidence that the department will continue to thrive in Mr. Fernandez’s very capable hands.”

Fernandez was first hired by the department in 2008 as the director of the transfer division, where he oversaw the operation of both the county’s three regional waste transfer stations and waste transfer operations at the North Dade and South Dade landfills as well as removal of rejects and residue from the county’s Resources Recovery Facility.

In 2014, Fernandez was promoted to assistant director of disposal operations. In that position, he was a part of the department’s senior management team that led post-Hurricane Irma cleanup efforts across the county. It was in part due to these efforts that he was again promoted to deputy director in 2018.

During Fernandez’s tenure, DSWM has implemented a number of programs to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and improve productivity, the county says. At least two of these programs—the Transfer Division Night Shift Program and the Transfer Division On-Board Scales Program—won achievement awards from the National Association of Counties.

Prior to joining Miami-Dade County and DSWM, Fernandez spent eight years in the private sector waste industry and, later, three years as a sanitation superintendent for the city of Hallandale Beach, Florida.

As director of DSWM, Fernandez will oversee one of the largest publicly owned and operated solid waste systems in the United States, with close to 1,000 employees, a budget of approximately $500 million, a customer base of 353,000 households, and a collection and disposal system including multiple landfills, regional transfer stations, 13 trash and recycling centers and the largest public waste-to-energy plant in the country.

Fernandez holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida International University along with a number of certificates in the field. He serves, and has served, on numerous boards, including the Collections and Transfer Technical Board of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the Miami-Dade County Illegal Dumping Task Force.