Broward Asked To Go In Waste Business
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward County is considering going in the garbage business once again.
County Commissioner Beam Furr is floating the idea to buy the North Broward waste-to-energy plant just east of Florida’s Turnpike next to Mount Trashmore.
The first step in Furr’s proposal will be debated tomorrow.
Furr wants county to considering buying plant to divert waste from Mount Trashmore
In the 1980s, the county helped build two waste-to-energy plants. By burning trash to generate electricity, those plants diverted millions of tons of waste from landfills.
But there was a big catch: The deal with the trash giant Waste Management was so poorly fashioned that residents and businesses overpaid for disposal for decades.
The deal expired several years ago and disposal prices immediately were cut in half. Waste Management now wants to close the North Broward plant.
Furr is stepping up with an idea to study whether it makes sense to purchase that plant.
Benefits could include continuing to divert millions of tons of waste from landfills. It could also continue to generate electricity for over 40,000 households.
Furr believes those are environmentally sound goals.
The study Furr is asking for must be completed within 90 days.
Furr wants the county, i.e., residents and businesses, to have more control over the disposal of waste. He wants to guarantee that the goal of sensibly managing the flood of trash is under the control of elected representatives rather than distant corporations.
What’s wrong with studying whether his ideas makes sense, Furr asks?
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The link to Furr’s proposal is here.
May 18th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
The county commission and garbage – I can’t wait for the comments on this blog!
May 18th, 2015 at 2:27 pm
What is the difference to taxpayers whether the landfill is controlled by corrupt local politicians or corrupt distant corporations? Either way we get screwed.
May 18th, 2015 at 6:58 pm
This idea sounds like one to create job security for County Commissioners. Very little land in Broward County is now unincorporated (within the domain of County management). Almost all land in Broward lies within city boundaries. Yet, the County holds onto having nine Commissioners who cost the taxpayers well over $100,000 each yearly.
It is way past time to cut the number of County Commissioners from nine to no more than five.
The County Commissioners deal mainly with the airport, the seaport, and the delivery of some public services. Now, a newly elected Commissioner wants to add garbage disposal to the list of responsibilities. No thanks.
There has to be a joke here somewhere about “garbage in, garbage out” but I will leave that up to quicker wits than I to address.
May 18th, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Friends:
This has all the makings of a bold and intelligent business decision that positions Broward to cost effectively deal with our trash without having to reopen landfills.
It’s too early to say, however, even though Pembroke Pines is not currently part of the county trash agreement, we’re studying this matter very carefully to determine if we should become a partner in this purchase.
Landfills are absolutely not the smart answer for Broward County. Well done, Beam. Press on.
Angelo
May 18th, 2015 at 10:32 pm
n the 1980s, the county helped build two waste-to-energy plants. By burning trash to generate electricity, those plants diverted millions of tons of waste from landfills.
NO.
No.
NO.
the county did not ‘help’. The county contributed – OUR TAX DOLLARS – toward this.
Buddy are you having a momentary lapse of reason or full fledged dementia? Maybe a misprint or proofing error.
Please confirm.
Please advice.
ps. thanks beam furr.
only you and mark bogen give a hoot for us taxpayers.
May 19th, 2015 at 7:52 pm
The Broward County Commission should be abolished. What do they do? The only county crap that is left is the “very profitable” (wink wink) airport, seaport, and garbage dump. Why do we need 9 part time “commissioners”, at over 100K a year, plus “discretionary funds in the hundreds of thousands” to handle that? BECAUSE there is money to steal, that is why. ABOLISH THE BROWARD COUNTY COMMISSION. They serve no useful purpose. If they want to be a commish, they should do it for free.
May 20th, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Angelo,
Have you lost your collective mind?
All of this prognosticating has gone to your head. First you argue that the fine people of Pembroke Pines don’t want the county to buy the former USPS facility that ran semi tractor trailers into the night because it’s next to a residential community. So was the USPS and you didn’t say anything about that. Maybe this is all about Pines getting beat out by a higher bid to buy and redevelop the property?
As for the waste plan you referenced above, Beam (although a nice guy) did not do his homework because the county cannot just “take” the property and it is NOT FOR SALE. Conveniently, these great ideas from the cities comes right after their wholesale pilfering of the RRB funds is done and the checks have cleared.
By the way, where were you during the Sheriff’s budget workshop? Maybe even our honorable Sheriff figured you out and left you back at the office?
May 20th, 2015 at 5:03 pm
@Lamberti is a criminal – I would love for you to be a commissioner for a month and then A) tell me it’s a part time job and then B) you would do the job for free!
As someone who has worked in the county government prior, I understand how demanding the position really is.. However, I can also see how the public perception could be that there really isn’t much to the job, but that would be like saying a $4 billion public corporation doesn’t need a board of directors.. Without the commission nothing would get done and what got done would be a lot of corruption and nothing good for the taxpayer
May 20th, 2015 at 8:00 pm
Of course the county are bored Jewish housewives, unsuccessful Jewish and Irish lawyers plus Caribbean Blacks who want to use county commission seats like the unsuccessful Jewish husbands of the Bored Jewish housewives. They spend their time trying to make as much as they can or dream of a congessional seat as conservative leaning White Christian n Hispanic Florida will NOT vote for middle class Blacks, Jews. Or women. Remember President Obama had an Ivy League background, a White Mother from New England ancestry related to both Presidents Bush. Richard Stone n the former Jewish statewide officials were all RICH conservatives unlike the lower middle class Geller brothers, Gunzenburgers, etc. No Black in Broward has a wealthy, partly Old Line White background. An Irish American conservative could win BUT with the Lefr wingers controlling or having a veto within the Democratic party, their chance is very limited. So the county commissioners know they will never go anywhere, so they do knowing but think of schemes like this trash deal to milk their offices for themselves, their families, and their lobby buddies
May 20th, 2015 at 9:48 pm
@7
Dear Friend,
All of Pembroke Pines opposes the idea of Broward County spending $18 million to buy a post office site on Dykes Road and build a bus depot there. To begin with, bus depots belong at the end of a line not in the middle of one and the county already owns land on Sheridan near US27. They’ve owned it for decades and will never be able to build a jail there because that makes even less sense. So they might as well put land they own to good use. It’s an ideal place for a large bus depot and a park and ride as well. They own it already so they save $18 million they don’t have to spend.
Valuable Pines Boulevard land belongs on the tax rolls to keep residential taxes low. Bus depots belong in industrial areas. Right use, right place. It’s the better approach.
Second, Commissioner Furr said buy — not take. It’s a smart move that could save Broward cities millions while helping keep landfills closed. I’m rooting for them to find a smart basis to proceeed and if you care about good government you should do the same.
I don’t protest the county, I root for their success because if they do well so does the city I represent.
So nice of you to write,
Angelo
May 21st, 2015 at 8:18 am
Burning trash to keep trash out of landfills and supplying electricity to 40,000 homes. Sounds like something to keep going but not run by the county. Why would we want to convert existing employees to county employees take on payroll, benefits, and pensions etc. Unless we do that already.