The Miami‑Dade County Airport Committee on March 12 advanced a proposal to extend and reconcept concessions agreements at Miami International Airport, approving a motion to move item 2C out of committee and to the full board after more than an hour of discussion about investment terms, competitive bidding and equity.

The proposal, negotiated by airport staff and concessionaire representatives, would establish a 15‑year framework (a 12‑year base term including a three‑year construction period plus an optional three‑year extension) and set a minimum aggregate investment by the concessionaire consortium at $215,000,000. Director Couture told the committee the deal also requires a mid‑term additional investment of $52,000,000 and, if the three‑year option is exercised at the outset, an additional 30 percent commitment (about $65,000,000), bringing the total estimated investment to roughly $332,000,000. Couture said the county projects about $1.1 billion in revenue to the airport over the 12‑year base term.

Why it matters: Committee members said the package would speed upgrades at one of the county’s largest economic assets and protect local, minority and family‑owned businesses that operate concessions at MIA, while critics warned that long extensions without full competitive rebidding risk perpetuating incumbency and limit opportunity for new entrants.

Key details of the agreement
- Term and money: Director Couture described the structure as a 12‑year base term with a 3‑year construction period; the concessionaires must invest at least $215 million up front, add $52 million at midterm and would commit to an additional roughly $65 million if they exercise a 3‑year option to make the term 15 years.
- Revenue and performance: Couture said the package is projected to generate about $1.1 billion to the airport over the 12‑year base term. He also said the airport’s concessions program currently generates about $91 million annually and that the new agreements are expected to push annual receipts above $100 million.
- Rent and fees: The lease terms level rents among concessionaires and include an 8 percent floor (Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales corrected an earlier remark that called it an “8 percent ceiling,” saying “it’s an 8% floor”). The contract requires the concessionaires to incrementally raise rent after the three‑year construction phase to reach an industry average around 13–14 percent. The agreement also includes a 0.5 percent customer experience fee, an infrastructure maintenance fee and a marketing fee that would fund activities including a “secret shopper” program.
- Space and programming: The concession mix would be shifted from about 46% food and beverage / 54% retail toward an industry target of roughly 65% food and beverage and 35% retail. Couture said two‑thirds of the required investment will go to brick‑and‑mortar improvements and ~35% to equipment. The airport maps and staff review will govern the reconcepting of spaces; Couture said a 75‑day period at the start of the agreement will allow staff to determine which spaces are reconcepted and who will occupy them.
- Build‑out safeguards: Concessionaires get a three‑year construction period to build out spaces; if a space is not complete within 120 days after that period, county staff can reclaim the space. The agreement contains liquidated‑damages provisions and deadlines staff said are designed to hold concessionaires to their commitments.
- Minimum square‑foot investment standards: Staff said minimum investment requirements are written into the lease: for food & beverage, $1,000 per square foot for the first 1,500 square feet and $500 per square foot for space above that; for retail, a minimum of $850 per square foot. These are minimums, Couture said.
- Labor and inclusion: Commissioner Cohen Higgins said concessionaires agreed to continue paying a living wage for the next 15 years; she and staff also said the negotiation teams included minority representatives and that the package is intended to preserve the airport’s local flavors.

Committee debate and requests for more information
Commissioner Hardiman questioned long extensions and the effect on competition and generational incumbency, saying “we are in fact choosing winners and losers” if the county extends contracts without competition; he asked for more time and information about square footage being reconcepted and historical impacts on Black‑owned businesses. Couture and other commissioners noted that many current concessionaires have operated at MIA for decades and that prior competitive procurements were held in the early 2000s.

Morales corrected a staff characterization about rent, saying, “I think Ralph referred to it as an 8% ceiling. It’s an 8% floor.” Chair Cabrera and Commissioner Gonzalez (spelled in the transcript both “Gonzales” and “Gonzalez”) emphasized urgency and the practical need for multi‑year terms to justify the large capital investments: “If I’m on a year to year lease … I’m not gonna throw my money into somebody else’s property,” Gonzalez said.

Several commissioners asked staff to provide additional data before the full board vote, including: current percentage of minority partnerships among concessionaires, total square footage that will be reconcepted from retail to food and beverage, and a historical accounting of prior extensions and their dollar amounts. Couture and airport staff agreed to supply that information; Couture said staff will deliver a minority‑partnership breakdown “today.”

Committee action and next steps
Commissioner Cohen Higgins moved the item. After discussion the committee voted to advance item 2C to the full board; the motion passed by voice vote in committee and there was no roll‑call tally recorded in the transcript. The item will return for a final hearing before the full Miami‑Dade County Commission, where commissioners said they expect further conversation and possibly additional contractual modifications aimed at increasing inclusion and protections for the county.

What supporters and critics said
Supporters, including Chair Cabrera and Commissioner Cohen Higgins, framed the agreement as a way to accelerate capital improvements at MIA and preserve the airport’s locally representative concessions. Cohen Higgins urged that the negotiations had included minority concessionaire representatives and noted the living‑wage commitment. Hardiman and other commissioners pressed for stronger, written equity measures, greater direct‑lease or joint‑venture opportunities for new vendors, and clearer metrics showing how the extension would expand ownership and equity for Black‑ and minority‑owned businesses.

Evidence and documentation requested
Committee members asked airport staff to provide: the number and percentage of current minority partnerships across concession agreements; a list of vacant spaces and the square footage that would be reconcepted to food and beverage; and a historical breakdown of prior extensions (the director said the COVID extension was approved in December 2021 and that earlier procurement rounds were in the mid‑2000s). Staff committed to providing the minority‑partnership percentage and additional data before the full board hearing.

Ending note
Committee members agreed to advance the item to the full board while continuing negotiations and information exchanges between the airport, commissioners and concessionaires. Commissioners signaled they expect further work on equity provisions, transparency on space reconcepting and enforceable performance deadlines before a final countywide decision.