Broward County Commission Meeting - January 31, 2025: Landfill Expansion and Waste Management Debate
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Broward County Commission Meeting - January 31, 2025
The Broward County Board of County Commissioners held a lengthy meeting on January 31, 2025, primarily focused on proposed expansions to the Monarch Hill landfill, including a land use amendment for 24 acres (Item 57), a small-scale comprehensive plan amendment (Item 58), an ordinance to limit landfilling of certain waste (Item 59), and an ordinance to increase landfill height limits from 225 to 325 feet (Item 60). The board also discussed a supplemental agenda item (Item 73) directing staff to ensure contingency landfill capacity. After extensive public testimony and deliberation, the board voted to continue Items 57–60 to the February 25, 2025 meeting and deferred Item 73 indefinitely.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the Consent Agenda consisting of Items 1 through 51 (including transfers of Regular Items 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70) by a unanimous 8-0 vote (Commissioner Davis inaudible). Items included board appointments, aviation agreements, human services funding, port equipment MOUs, grant agreements, budget resolutions, and routine approvals.
- Items pulled and considered separately: Item 22 (Climate Change Action Plan) and Item 43 (Broward Bridge Scholarship Program audit) were approved 8-0 after discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Eric Power (Director of Plan Development, Deerfield Beach) opposed the landfill expansion, noting waste management closed the waste-to-energy plant in 2014 despite claiming insufficient waste, and argued the county should wait for the Solid Waste Authority master plan.
- Rodney Brimlow (Deerfield Beach City Manager) questioned the purchase option’s feasibility, noted lack of assurance against future expansions, and demanded quality-of-life protections for Deerfield Beach and Coconut Creek residents.
- Commissioners Michael Hudak (Deerfield Beach District 1) and Ben Preston (District 2) urged deferral, citing adverse impacts on thousands of residents and the need for a long-term plan.
- Commissioner Bernie Parness (Deerfield Beach District 3) noted the Broward County Planning Council voted 18-0 twice against the land use amendment and urged the commission to heed that advice.
- Vice Mayor Todd Drosky (Deerfield Beach) called the proposed agreement a “midnight special” and argued the rush benefits waste management profits, not residents.
- Ricardo Kugier (resident) raised environmental and transparency concerns about height increase and groundwater impacts.
- Tammy Letieri (Coconut Creek) highlighted PFAS dangers and accused the commission of ignoring toxic pollution for 10 years.
- Dr. Hillel Cohen (public health professor) warned of groundwater contamination from deteriorating liners and compared waste management to “big tobacco” and “big pharma.”
- Stephanie Pearson (League of Women Voters) urged waiting for the master plan and questioned waste management’s composting commitments.
- Lisa Aronson (resident) requested denial, noting nearby parks and wildlife.
- Lawrence J. Stein (attorney) supported deferral and called for technology-based solutions.
- Lena Metheric (9-year-old resident) spoke against the expansion, asking for the landfill to be turned into a park.
- Laura McDermott (Coconut Creek resident) shared personal stories of health impacts from the landfill.
- Thomas Plout (Deerfield Beach Planning and Zoning Board chair) opposed the height increase, stating closed landfills can become parks.
- Don Miller (Hillsborough Beach mayor) urged deferral to await the Solid Waste Authority master plan.
- Commissioner Joshua Rydell (Fort Lauderdale) argued partnership is lacking and the board should let the Solid Waste Authority complete its work.
- Mayor Mike Ryan (Sunrise/Solid Waste Authority chair) requested a 6-9 month deferral to allow completion of the master plan, noting the 24 acres should not be removed from consideration.
- Mayor Sandy Welch (Coconut Creek) pointed out restrictive covenants would limit competition and fail to compensate affected communities.
- Vice Mayor Jackie Rayleigh (Coconut Creek) appealed to social justice and health concerns.
- Commissioner John Brody (Coconut Creek) argued the urgency is manufactured by waste management.
- Mayor Steve Breitkreuz (Southwest Ranches) asked for a 90-day deadline for the Solid Waste Authority to give a recommendation.
- Nancy Frye (resident) listed vulnerable communities and natural resources within three miles of the landfill.
- Elizabeth Roberts (Deerfield Beach) cited campaign contributions and urged the board to vote for residents, not waste management.
- Michael Routberg (Century Village) opposed the rush and repeated structural concerns.
Discussion Items
- County Administration (Monica Cepero, Kevin Callahar) presented data on waste trends (50% increase from 2013 to 2023), current landfill capacity (Monarch Hill has ~2 years of constructed airspace, 6 years of permitted), and the financial implications of not approving the expansion (diversion costs estimated at $8.1 million annually for municipal waste alone). They emphasized the county’s statutory obligation to ensure disposal capacity and recommended approval of the voluntary commitments from waste management.
- County Attorney Andrew Meyers explained that the most substantial benefits from waste management’s proposal are contingent on approval of both the horizontal and vertical expansions. He noted no legal obstacles to approval but highlighted timing concerns: any delay beyond 30 days would risk diversion costs and loss of key concessions.
- Commissioner Steve Geller questioned the timeline for the Solid Waste Authority master plan, noting the consultant stated landfill capacity will always be needed. He expressed skepticism that zero waste is achievable and argued recycling alone cannot solve the capacity gap in the next 4–6 years.
- Commissioner Michael Udine emphasized the need for more information on health impacts and supported a 60-day deferral to hear from consultants.
- Mayor Beam Furr noted the county’s climate change action plan calls for organic waste diversion, and the waste management proposal includes composting and methane capture, aligning with environmental goals.
- Vice Mayor Mark D. Bogen opposed the expansion, citing seepage into groundwater (even if within federal standards) and questioning the rush given only 14% of county waste currently goes to Monarch Hill. He suggested deferring to let the Solid Waste Authority complete its work.
- Commissioner Lamar P. Fisher initially proposed 120-day deferral but later amended to support a 30-day continuance after waste management representatives stated they could maintain voluntary commitments for only 30 days.
- Commissioner Nan Rich opposed Item 73 (supplemental), arguing it was premature and lacked community input, leading to a successful motion to defer indefinitely.
Key Outcomes
- Items 57, 58, 59, 60 (Public Hearings): Continued to the February 25, 2025, commission meeting at 10:00 AM to obtain input from the Solid Waste Work Group and allow attendance of consultants. Vote: 9-0 (Commissioners Davis and Rich participated telephonically).
- Item 73 (Landfill Capacity Directive): Deferred indefinitely by unanimous consent after Commissioner Rich objected to proceeding without notice.
- Item 22 (Climate Change Action Plan): Approved 8-0 after being pulled from consent.
- Item 43 (Broward Bridge Scholarship Audit): Approved 8-0 after pull.
- All other Consent Agenda items approved 8-0 or 9-0.
- Resolutions and ordinances passed: See minutes for details on budgeting and administrative code amendments.
- Next steps: The board will revisit the landfill expansion items on February 25, 2025, with a report from the Solid Waste Authority’s consultants.
Meeting Transcript
If everybody would uh grab a sea, we're gonna get started in just a minute. Oh you really have to do this. Okay, but I don't know. Unfortunately. Oh, we got everybody. His drew back? Okay. One, two, three, four, five, six. Where did Lamar go? I know. I think we should just leave now. Okay. Okay, we're gonna call this meeting back to order. If everybody please have a seat. Drew, you ready? Where's uh McKinsey? Okay. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the Broward County Commission for today. Um today we are going to revisit the land use application from waste management to return twenty-four acres back to its original category of industrial before it was designed as a power plant at the request of the county. We're also considering allowing for an increase in the height of a of the landfill. Why? It's important for the public to know why we are considering this. Currently, it is literally surrounded on all sides by the same designation, industrial, and our staff has determined the land use is consistent with the surrounding up properties. But in this case, the use is also significant because we have delegate delegated part of our responsibility. Currently approximately ten billion pounds a year. Not only for our immediate needs, but for the foreseeable future, and also for unforeseen catastrophic events like hurricanes. And it currently cannot guarantee cannot guarantee that it can be used in an emergency situation because of its limit because of those limitations. Because we're out of time, we cannot delay any further, and decisions have to be made. Hard ones. Decisions that only we can make. And this is our responsibility. And when you think about permitting and preparation, those things take a lot of time. We're in the middle of permitting now, and it's taken forever. It was about 10 years ago, I was new to the county commission, as was Commissioner Bogan, when waste management requested to close the North Waste Energy Plant. The plant on which this land we are considering is locally located. I was new to the County Commission at the time, but I wasn't new to the issue. I had been on the resource recovery board for many, many years as a Hollywood City Commissioner, and I knew the importance of that facility and the overall system. And back then I pleaded with my fellow commissioners to deny that request. I spoke of how important it was to the county. I suggested we take it by imminent domain. I said whatever we could to keep that billion dollar asset from being dismantled, do it. I lost that vote eight to one. And ever since, our landfill rates have doubled, our recycling rates have been cut in half, and we have spent the last 10 years trying to put a solid waste system back together again. And I can tell you, as your representative on this issue for the last 10 years, it has been a long slog to slate to say the least. So the land that is up for discussion today is the land where the power plant was sited. There was a time where I really hoped that we might be able to reopen that waste energy plant. The planning council bought us some time while we explored those possibilities. Unfortunately, that's that ship is sailed, and that facility has since been completely dismantled. Furthermore, I think history has taught us that an asset that is so vital to the health and welfare of a community, an asset that our community absolutely depends on, should probably be in the public hands and immune from the ups and downs of the marketplace.
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