City attorney says Coconut Creek filed administrative and court actions over landfill expansion

City Attorney Pieburn told the commission that the city filed two legal actions challenging Broward County’s ordinances authorizing the horizontal and vertical expansion of the county landfill, asserting those ordinances are inconsistent with Coconut Creek’s comprehensive plan.

Pieburn said the city filed a Chapter 120 petition with the Division of Administrative Hearings and a complaint in Broward County Circuit Court under section 163.3215 of the Florida Statutes, and that the city also initiated the Chapter 164 intergovernmental dispute-resolution process. "Today, we filed a chapter 120 petition with the division of administrative hearings and a complaint with Broward County Circuit Court under section 163.3215 both challenging the consistency of... the ordinances providing the horizontal and vertical expansion with the comprehensive plan," Pieburn said. He added the filings reserve the city’s rights and that additional actions are possible if the intergovernmental process does not resolve the dispute.

Pieburn framed the filings as part of the city’s ongoing legal strategy: staff intends to pursue statutory dispute-resolution procedures and court remedies as needed to protect the city’s comprehensive-plan interests. The commission received the report and did not direct immediate additional action at the meeting.

Authorities cited in the meeting include Chapter 120 (administrative hearings), section 163.3215 of the Florida Statutes (governing local government comprehensive plan consistency challenges) and Chapter 164 (intergovernmental dispute process). The city clerk’s minutes will reflect the filings and the commission’s awareness of them.