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Board directs staff to issue RFP for Benoist Farms parcel and study equestrian waste management
Summary
The Solid Waste Authority directed staff to issue an RFP and appraisal for a 5.25‑acre parcel on Benoist Farms Road with a preference for proposals addressing waste management, and asked staff to study equestrian waste disposal options after hearing estimates that county demand outstrips current permitted capacity.
The Solid Waste Authority directed staff to issue an RFP and commission an appraisal for a 5.25‑acre parcel on Benoist Farms Road and to weigh proposals that address solid‑waste needs, including a stated preference for uses that would reduce or process waste. The board also directed staff to research the county’s equestrian-waste volumes and management options and return with findings.
Staff told the board the parcel sits on a former landfill complex and that an earlier 20‑year lease to Horizon 880 (later assigned to High Point Agro Bedding) failed to produce necessary permits; the authority terminated that lease after more than four years without permitting progress. Staff said the authority previously invested roughly $560,000 in site improvements, a figure that includes about $60,000 in county road work.
Commissioner Weiss moved to issue an RFP and proceed with an appraisal; Mayor Marino seconded the motion, which the clerk recorded as carrying 6-0. The board specified a preference for proposals that include solid‑waste management solutions but did not limit responses to a single use.
Commissioner Sachs separately moved that staff gather information on environmentally and affordable options for disposing of equestrian waste in Palm Beach County; Commissioner Flores seconded. Staff told the board the authority accepts some equestrian waste at its waste‑to‑energy plant but is currently permit‑limited to roughly 50,000 tons per year, while staff estimated county equestrian waste at about 200,000 tons per year. The motion to study disposal options carried 5-0 (Commissioner Weiss had stepped away).
Members said the county’s large equestrian industry — notably in Wellington — produces substantial volumes of bedding and manure that currently move by a mix of on‑site composting, transfer facilities and application to agricultural fields. Commissioners asked staff to consult experts and other counties with substantial equestrian activity and to return with options that protect nearby residents and minimize odor and traffic impacts.
Staff will draft the RFP with language preserving the board’s discretion on awards and will return with proposals and the equestrian‑waste study for further direction.
