The wait is nearly over for the municipalities that joined together to sue Broward County over how much they are owed regarding the assets of a countywide garbage disposal system created pursuant to an Interlocal Agreement that expired in July 2013. Jamie Cole represents the cities and notes that the proposed settlement would be “a major step toward improving relations between the cities and Broward County.”
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 are the cash and real property assets of the system that the County is holding. The cities that are plaintiffs in the lawsuit areSunrise, 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.
Now, if all parties approve, the cities could share in a settlement valued at close to $40 million — $32 million paid out by the county plus proceeds from the future sale of a 22-acre property known as the Alpha 250 site. The Alpha 250 site is currently undeveloped and the land has been appraised by the Broward County Property Appraiser at nearly $7 million.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, five cities must approve the settlement proposal – Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, Miramar and Hollywood. The next step then is that the proposal goes to the County Commission and then the other cities. Weston has already given it the thumbs up.
Cole’s work with cities is well known. He served as lead litigation counsel in lawsuits invalidating SB 360 which related to growth management because it violated the Florida constitution. His success in removing a proposed constitutional amendment from the 2007 statewide ballot, which would have eliminated Save Our Homes tax protection, also received significant attention throughout Florida.
