It took less than a minute for commissioners at a Public Safety and Rehabilitation Committee meeting last month to approve a resolution asking the county to finalize a deal for a fixed base operator at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

The proposed business, sandwiched between the Everglades and Biscayne Bay, could provide private aeronautical services like fueling, air cargo logistics, maintenance, flight instruction and aircraft rentals. But commissioners provided limited details on what exactly the project is about. And yet, the county commission is scheduled to vote on it at a meeting next Tuesday.

The air of secrecy surrounding this item — from the unclear language of the draft resolution to the lack of public comment during the approval process so far — has environmentalists concerned. Could the country be trying to sneakily revive plans for a commercial airport right next to Everglades and Biscayne national parks?

“I found it disconcerting that a resolution was proposed without any kind of public input and failed to recognize the years of controversy over commercial aviation at the base,” said Alan Farago of Friends of the Everglades. “The fear is that this is not just a proposal for a fixed base operator, this is the camel’s nose under the tent.”

The battle to keep commercial aviation from coming to the area, so close to two of Florida’s most iconic ecosystems, isn’t new. After Hurricane Andrew ravaged Homestead in 1992, the idea of transforming the heavily damaged base into an airport was one of the options considered to support the area’s economic recovery, but the facility was rebuilt as a reserve air base. Two decades ago, a project to convert it into a commercial airport with a large cargo facility didn’t take off amid opposition from the Department of Interior, the Air Force and other agencies.

Plans for an FBO at the Homestead base resurfaced in 2014, when Mayor Carlos Gimenez began negotiating a joint use agreement with the Air Force to find an appropriate site to be used for general aviation operations and services. In late 2015 county commissioners approved a resolution directing Gimenez to propose a deal for limited civilian use at the air base, with only small planes using the facility.

Two years ago, the county auditor issued a report listing some revenue-generating benefits of making civilian use of the base, which has extensive spare capacity.

“A joint-use Homestead Air Reserve Base would relieve congestion impacting cargo operations at Miami International Airport. This would also open MIA for additional, and more lucrative, passenger flights,” the report said. “MIA landing fees are at $1.62 per 1000 pounds for cargo aircraft. A cargo aircraft, like a Boeing 777F, has a maximum landing weight of 575,000 pounds, and $1.62 is $931.50 per aircraft.”

Now, Amazon is in the picture.

Commissioners in July voted to sell a vacant lot at 13200 SW 272nd St. in South Dade to Amazon. The site, sold for $22 million, could be the e-commerce giant’s biggest warehouse in South Florida: Plans call for the construction of a distribution center of at least one million square feet. And it’s less than three miles from the base.

Activists fear the latest proposal could be the start of a project to create a massive cargo operation at the base, including potentially the need for new roads connecting the fulfillment center to the base and to customers in Miami and beyond.

FedEx is already in the vicinity of the proposed area of the project, with a distribution center that opened in 2018.

Environmentalists are hoping commissioners will at least consider their concerns for what this project may mean for the Everglades and Biscayne Bay in the future.

“The thing to remember here is that we don’t know what’s going on, “ said Richard Grosso, a Nova Southeastern University law professor and an attorney who represented environmental organizations in prior litigation that halted plans for a major commercial airport at the air reserve base. “The potential uses this could lead to are a huge enough problem that the public deserves to know what’s going on.”

Before authorizing any negotiations, the county should be clear with the public on the limits of any activity it is pursuing there, and how it can guarantee that this will not lead to major commercial operations in the future, he added.

During the committee meeting on Sept. 9, Chairman Joe Martinez celebrated the lack of public comments on the FBO resolution.

“Having no speakers, that’s always a good start to the day,” he said. Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz then asked to co-sponsor the item with Commissioner Dennis Moss, saying the project to “have a dual-use airport at Homestead Air Base is getting close to reality.”

Moss said in emailed response to questions that commissioners haven’t identified an operator yet.

“That selection will occur in the future. The operator, when eventually selected, will provide basic aviation services and operations that are provided at our other general aviation airports such as private plane storage, fueling, landing and take off services, etc,” he said.

The commissioner added that aviation will continue to grow as the economy is expected to continue to accelerate in South Florida.

“As the gateway to the Caribbean and South America, and because of expanded tourism and business growth in Miami-Dade, it is important to add additional aviation facilities when you can, “ he said. “Homestead offers a unique opportunity, because of the infrastructure that is already there.”

Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park declined to comment on whether there are any environmental concerns about the draft resolution. They declined to comment on whether there are any plans to publicly oppose the project.

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