Visitors to Miami International Airport will soon have access to the Miami Rental Car Center, a 3.4-million square foot, four-level facility that houses 16 rental-car companies and 6,500 vehicles.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held July 12 at the consolidated rental facility, hosted by three major community-wide business organizations - the Beacon Council, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos and other dignitaries will inaugurate the car rental center with a 9:30 a.m. ceremony at 3900 NW 25th St., just east of the airport.

The rental facility officially opens for business at 3 a.m. July 13.

The first three levels of the center are dedicated to storage and maintenance operations and the top floor is a spacious customer service lobby where customers can compare offers and choose the best option - a rental-car shopping mall. All rental-car companies currently operating inside the airport, and many located nearby, will relocate to the center, where each will have its own transaction counter.

The center also has a quick turnaround area for washing and refueling. It has to the capacity to wash and refuel 300 vehicles per hour, or 7,200 vehicles per day. There are 120 fueling positions - the first multilevel fueling system in nation - and 42 washing bays.

Built by the Florida Department of Transportation as the first major structure of the intermodal complex, the rental car center will be turned over to Miami-Dade County and be operated and maintained by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.