By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org
In a split 5-3 vote, the Broward County Commission Tuesday approved Waste Management’s request to increase the allowable height of its already mountainous Monarch Hill dump astride Florida’s Turnpike another 10 stories.
The highly controversial decision, sponsored by Broward Mayor Beam Furr, specifically raised the maximum height for landfills in Broward from 125 to 325 feet. Monarch Hill, opened in 1965 when the area was sparsely populated, is already nearly 225 feet high due to past variances. Another 10 stories would make its final height 20 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.
The change in the law also affects Broward’s second dump, the lesser used Broward County Landfill. The 588 parcel is located at 7101 SW 205th Ave. near the intersection of Sheridan Street and U.S. 27.
Joining Furr in approving the ordinance change were Commissioners Steve Geller, Nan Rich, Michael Udine and Hazelle Rogers. Opposed were Vice Mayor Mark Bogen and Commissioners Lamar Fisher and Alexandra Davis.
Commissioner Robert McKinzie was absent.
County Attorney Andrew Meyers told commissioners he anticipates legal action will be taken by Coconut Creek to block the height increase.
At the same time, the commission unanimously passed Waste Management’s proposal to add 24.6 acres to the landfill’s footprint, along with a change to prevent Monarch Hill from accepting municipal garbage once the current 225-foot limit is reached. The lone exception would be for Pompano Beach’s garbage, which Waste Management has a contract to dispose of until Sept. 30, 2027. Municipal solid waste largely accounts for the dump’s unpleasant odor.
Above 225 feet, the Monarch Hill landfill will be used only for the disposal of construction and demolition debris.
NO MORE DELAYS
The vote followed months of indecision by commissioners as nearby residents of Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach rallied opposition to the height increase. In November about four dozen speakers – a mix of public officials, residents and representatives of business and environmental groups – appeared before the commission to argue against the proposal.
Opponents wanted yet another delay until the recently constituted Solid Waste Disposal and Recyclable Materials Processing Authority of Broward, also known at the Broward SWA, produces a comprehensive 40-year Master Plan, to include what to do about the county’s failed recycling programs.
The SWA is composed of the county and 28 cities.
Despite more discussion at Tuesday’s meeting, it soon became apparent that most of the commissioners present would vote to approve the changes.
Commissioner Geller went through with staff a check list of objections to passage raised by opponents to determine if they’d been addressed. That included asking about the status of the Broward SWA’s Master Plan. He was told that following repeated delays, its initial report was now expected in August. He obtained satisfactory answers to each of his inquiries.
Seeing where things were headed, Commissioner Bogen, whose north Broward district includes Coconut Creek, tried one last emotional appeal to his colleagues.
“Let’s wait till August,” he said. “I don’t get it, What is the harm in that, please. You know, if there’s no harm why can’t we defer this and why can’t we vote no or say we’ll bring it back? I just don’t get it. All we’ve heard is from our voters saying please don’t, so why can’t we?”
Commissioners also approved additional incentives proposed last October by Waste Management, including the prohibition on accepting more municipal garbage, to get the deal done.
They include: assuming until 2033 the cost to transport 35,000 tons per year of the county’s residential and commercial solid waste to alternate waste disposal sites; paying a per ton “host fee” of between $3.50 and $6 per ton to the county for every ton of waste disposed of at Monarch Hill; making an “in-kind contribution” to the Broward SWA’s recycling education program for 10 years, beginning with $500,000 in year one and decreasing gradually until a minimum contribution of $150,000 annually is reached for the duration.
The 500-acre Monarch Hill site in unincorporated Broward is bounded on the north by Wiles Road, on the south by Sample Road, on the east by Powerline Road and on the west by Florida’s Turnpike. When it was opened in a sparsely populated area in 1965, Coconut Creek was still two years away from incorporation.
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