Waste Management, Inc., of Florida ("WMIF") is the owner and operator of the Monarch Hill landfill, located at 2600 Wiles Road in unincorporated Broward County. Broward County owns and operates the Broward Interim Contingency Landfill ("BIC Landfill"), located at 7101 S.W. 205 Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. Broward County also owns the land at 4400 South State Road 7 in Fort Lauderdale, upon which the Wheelabrator South Broward energy-from-waste facility ("Wheelabrator Facility"), operated by Wheelabrator Technologies, Inc., is located.
The Monarch Hill landfill is required to hold and currently holds various State and County permits and licenses for the operation of the landfill. The Monarch Hill landfill has been the subject of complaints by the surrounding neighborhood regarding odors, vultures, and traffic related to the landfill operations. Additionally, County enforcement action has been taken related to odors emanating from the landfill.
WMIF is also the owner and operator of a landfill in the Town of Medley in Miami-Dade County ("Medley landfill"). In 2015, WMIF entered into a 20 year agreement with Miami-Dade County ("Agreement") whereby WMIF is required to pay Miami-Dade County a "Disposal Surcharge Fee" of $2.34, subject to an annual CPI increase, per ton of waste WMIF delivers to its Medley landfill. The purpose of the Disposal Surcharge Fee, as stated in the Agreement, is "to mitigate the adverse financial impact to Miami-Dade County from [l]andfill operation." The Agreement also provides that the Disposal Surcharge Fee is not assessed on waste delivered by or on behalf of Miami-Dade County.
WMIF also commits in the Agreement to provide Miami-Dade County with 1,250,000 tons of disposal capacity as follows: 500,000 tons of capacity per year at the Medley landfill, 250,000 tons of capacity per year at the Monarch Hill landfill, and 500,000 tons of capacity per year at the Okeechobee County landfill. When the Agreement was considered in Miami-Dade County, the fiscal impact analysis stated that the foregoing guaranteed capacity would "help preserve higher value County-owned landfill capacity."
This agenda item provides direction to County staff, in consultation with the Office of the County Attorney, to perform or have an evaluation performed of the impacts, whether environmental or economic, on the County and its residents of the Monarch Hill, BIC Landfill, and Wheelabrator Facility, and directs administrative and legal staff to analyze the feasibility of actions to mitigate the demonstrated impacts including, potentially, through the imposition of a disposal surcharge.
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