The wait is over for the municipalities that joined together to sue Broward County over how much they were owed regarding the assets of a countywide garbage disposal system created pursuant to an Interlocal Agreement that expired in July 2013. Managing Director, Jamie Cole, this week sent checks to 21 Broward municipalities totaling over $29 million. The amount each municipality received was dependent upon their pro rata share of solid waste sent to the County system in 2012. Mr. Cole, Partner Dan Abbott, and Associate Justin Luger handled the litigation portion of the case. In addition, Mr. Cole, who along with partner Anthony Soroka represented the cities in connection with the settlement, notes that the proposed settlement will be “a major step toward improving relations between the cities and Broward County.” A second payment will be made in the future after a 22-acre property known as the Alpha 250 property in North Broward County is sold. The Alpha 250 site is currently undeveloped and the land has been appraised by the Broward County Property Appraiser at nearly $7 million.
The cities argued that the Interlocal Agreement required millions of dollars in assets to be shared with the 26 cities who were partners in the system. At stake was the cash and real property assets of the system that the County was holding. The cities that are plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Sunrise, Weston, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lighthouse Point, Tamarac, Davie, Plantation, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Miramar, Margate, Coral Springs, Cooper City, North Lauderdale and Southwest Ranches.
