The Broward County Commission narrowly voted Tuesday to agree to a series of proposals that will allow for the expansion of the Monarch Hill Landfill horizontally by 24 acres and vertically by 100 feet.
Three of the four proposals passed 5-3, with Mayor Beam Furr and Commissioners Nan Rich, Steve Geller, Michael Udine, and Hazelle Rogers voting in the affirmative with Vice Mayor Mark Bogen and commissioners Lamar Fisher and Alexandra Davis voting in opposition. A motion that prevented municipal solid waste, sometimes referred to as “organics” from entering the landfill passed unanimously.
The vote had been delayed at commission meetings on Nov. 12 and Jan. 28.
One of the reasons cited for the delays was the county’s Solid Waste Authority is currently developing a Regional Solid Waste and Recycling Master Plan that will assess the capability of the current waste disposal system in the county and recommend improvements over the next 40 years. That master plan was originally slated to be released late last year before its release was delayed to February and again to August.
READ MORE: After a decade of impasses, Broward faces showdown vote over contentious landfill expansion
Commissioners who voted in favor of the proposals cited the need to serve the county’s waste disposal needs as a whole, rather than the communities who are directly around the landfill.
“ This is one of those really horrible votes that we get asked to take up here on the county commission,” said Udine. “ Now we're left with the repercussions — to piss off a large number of people that live around the landfill.”
Those who dissented asked for the vote to be delayed until the Solid Waste Authority’s master plan was finished.
“What is the harm? 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,” said Bogen.
The cities of Coconut Creek and Deerfield Beach, which border the landfill site, were among the most outspoken opponents to the proposals. At each meeting, residents and the elected officials of those cities spoke out in opposition.
“ It's disgusting quite frankly. I don't think any of the answers that we were requesting were given to us. We had a lot of questions and the answers just weren't provided. It was avoided, it was rushed, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to me,” said Deerfield Beach Mayor Bill Ganz after the votes were cast.
Public comment at the meetings in November and January were hours long, with more than 40 speakers at each. Tuesday's public turnout was lessened considerably because the meeting was fewer than 30 days after the meeting on Jan 28. That meant that members of the public who spoke in January were unable to speak at the latest meeting.
“They made sure that this extension was done within 30 days. That way they didn't have to open up for everyone else to show up to make it more uncomfortable for them. I think it was a way to try to squash the feelings of the citizenry,” said Ganz.
Speakers at the meeting Tuesday were joined by three members of the Florida House of Representatives, state Rep. Dan Daley, D-Coral Springs, state Rep. Christine Hunchovsky, D-Parkland, and state Rep. Mitch Rosenwald, D-Oakland Park, who also urged the commission to delay the decision.
“ There is no rush to move ahead with this. These are things that need to be addressed because they are not only addressing our environment, but the quality of life of all our residents,” said Hunchovsky.
The fight will now move from the commission chambers to the courtroom. Lawyers from the city of Coconut Creek informed the county that they will be suing to prevent the proposals from taking effect.
