[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6476446,"mediaKeyId","5729997-c89fca8b168dbcf46aed965957302c61","parentId",5729997,"title","Miami-Dade panel adopts ordinance to require transparency, agreements from municipal utilities serving areas outside city limits","audioSeconds",4302,"startMs",1484000,"endMs",5786000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5729997-c89fca8b168dbcf46aed965957302c61&start=1484&end=5786","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5729997-c89fca8b168dbcf46aed965957302c61/thumbnail_1484000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6476446/Miami-Dade-County/Florida/Miami-Dade-panel-adopts-ordinance-to-require-transparency-agreements-from-municipal-utilities-serving-areas-outside-city-limits","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476446-b8388ce20ce5c5c023a96d9d5f35bb61/orig.mp4?Expires=1770706055&Signature=eprsZmvUBvujiFfVvfkIBzvvtJFcU3UupHDyYlcPcngNEygvF--X2g9LEwCMOshTNmcmmQfdj1OFe~2Kt8kfXi21MgcGJfthP68TIL-U93NboQLllUIPYL9j1pj8cRNBoDfdUnum9pImMIsEQM-RJ8TQif53HP2XqDtHZeUsrAV6uHqsKhbwD820jw-akgnHeTUNnkyXXb50oPfEMhyfZnfZCDEacr6DPj7MX86vwn8vIIHA7BLc5IoXAp3uODzpnxHzh~aBW-vhN6k5cQKFCGBvhcnmi34pSHEvAchYID0lWJGmzvYN2aASAFAEtdxkN5aeouBor53ECw2V6uRydQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Miami-Dade County","date","2025-09-08T00:00:00Z","article","Miami-Dade County's Infrastructure Innovations and Technology Committee voted 4-1 to adopt an ordinance (1G1) that requires municipal utilities operating outside their city limits to meet minimum standards, provide written agreements with jurisdictions they serve and disclose how surcharges are used.

The ordinance, which the committee said implements existing Florida statutory requirements, passed after public hearings in which elected officials from North Miami Beach and Miami Gardens, legal counsel and county staff debated whether the county had authority and whether the measure would affect utility finances.

Supporters, including Sonia Dickens, city attorney for Miami Gardens, told the committee the county has authority under the county charter to require fairness and parity for customers across municipalities. \"What this ordinance proposes to do is what exactly your authority allows you to do,\" Dickens said. Miami Gardens Vice Mayor Robert Stevens said the measure provides \"accountability\" and is needed to protect residents who receive service from utilities outside their municipal boundaries.

Opponents from North Miami Beach said the ordinance unfairly targets their municipal utility. Mayor Michael Joseph said the proposal \"unfairly target[s] N and B Water\" and risked duplicating oversight already performed by state and federal agencies. Kendall Coffey, an attorney and registered lobbyist representing North Miami Beach interests, cautioned the county to avoid actions that would conflict with Florida law, saying section 180.191 \"has established that this rate is perfectly authorized\" and that challenges to the 25% surcharge could be legally fraught.

Committee members pressed for specifics on how the ordinance would be enforced and how compliance reviews would be carried out. Roy (last name not provided), director of the county's water and sewer department, described a compliance process: \"We have a compliance team at the water and sewer department that would be charged with reviewing these submissions. If somebody doesn't comply, we report back to the commission.\" The committee also said civil penalties are available under the ordinance for noncompliance.

Commission auditor staff flagged the financial scale of the surcharge for North Miami Beach. Yinka Majakoto, Office of the Commission Auditor, cited the city of North Miami Beach's 2023 audited financial statements and said the county's review found the 25% surcharge produced about $9.9 million in the referenced year. Commissioners used that figure in the debate over whether the ordinance's penalties were proportionate.

Chairman Alberto Gilbert (role given in transcript) framed the ordinance as a transparency and accountability measure rather than a prohibition on surcharges. \"The surcharge is something completely separate that they can and they have been taking into their general fund,\" Gilbert said, adding the ordinance aims to ensure that charges used for municipal general-fund purposes are clearly disclosed to the county and affected residents. The chair said municipalities that demonstrate the surcharge is kept within their utility (a proprietary approach) would have a lighter compliance requirement.

After discussion the committee approved the ordinance 4-1. Commissioner Steinberg voted no; other members voted in favor. The commission directed staff to implement a compliance review process through the water and sewer department and to return information on outstanding interlocal agreements as requested by committee members.

Votes at a glance
- Item 1G1 — Ordinance establishing minimum standards and enforcement authority for municipal utilities operating outside their boundaries: Passed 4-1. (Recorded opposition: Commissioner Steinberg.)

What remains
The ordinance requires municipalities that levy the 25% surcharge or otherwise provide service beyond their boundaries to submit relevant agreements and disclosures. Committee members asked county staff to track submissions and report noncompliance back to the commission; specific enforcement steps, timelines for remediation and any future amendments will be developed by staff and can be revisited by the commission.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Miami-Dade County - Infrastructure, Innovation & Technology Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Miami-Dade County's Infrastructure Innovations and Technology Committee voted 4-1 to adopt an ordinance requiring municipal utilities that serve customers outside their municipal boundaries to provide written agreements and disclosures about surcharges and how those funds are used.","taxTitle","Miami-Dade County, Florida","taxId",2864,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6476441,"Committee approves new county rules to expand community and agricultural composting",1438,5814000,7252000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5729997-c89fca8b168dbcf46aed965957302c61&start=5814&end=7252","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5729997-c89fca8b168dbcf46aed965957302c61/thumbnail_5814000.jpg","/articles/6476441/Miami-Dade-County/Florida/Committee-approves-new-county-rules-to-expand-community-and-agricultural-composting","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6476441-2fd4b706eac190cc989245fe613dea29/orig.mp4?Expires=1770706055&Signature=Mt7sMXlp-Awv2hTW~oQJ-9g2Yyw2JPa1Fc1LrOBf0MJVr8~lbHPExEG-1TQF65dKl7JbYcqFvPz427osqZTaBm4YH6R3iNzsUH28oNXXKgpK~h1plyeGL6FTz1RTDr-cu9HZZ~6U8dLq8GMfj18R6BCit-WZ2pF8dMjkVmPJDK7HPc0mhNqX-v2rHJcccWuD-8MhgK7GuNJ8CDonCIx-9oq-L9G0SmdL79iQO0~P3id4sEME9cFI~2TJDVcn0Mtg4dO2QWt461PSd4BlHNQ5N8-jhcP8vsyd1ibhcR1Dm7YDdOpU~khxmguIOhycTNK4WQrK14fDMQe1Rrk9Y2CYiA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Miami-Dade County's Infrastructure Innovations and Technology Committee unanimously approved an ordinance (1G2) to create an administrative zoning approval path, environmental control-plan requirements and an operating-permit framework for community-scale and agricultural composting.

Supporters — including farmers, compost-business operators and municipal representatives — urged the committee to keep the pathway accessible for small and community operators and to provide clear, department-level guidance on permitting timelines and fees. The committee's motion included the implementing item (2D) so staff could pair ordinance text with fee and permit procedures.

Chad Friedman, representing the Village of Pinecrest, thanked sponsors and asked that staff hold industry-facing sessions so compost operators could understand review requirements. \"We have no objection to the ordinance — we would just ask that maybe between now and second reading there could be some additional question answer sessions,\" Friedman said.

Operators testified they lost sales while awaiting clarity. Priscilla Carolyn Schmidt of Fertile Earthworm Farm said the operation \"has lost thousands of dollars in sales\" while awaiting permit direction and asked for expedited review so businesses could resume sales in the August–September growing season.

Public-health and environmental commenters backed the ordinance but asked for carefully tailored rules. Dr. Lynette Sobel (transcript: Sovle), a speaker with agricultural and soil expertise, said the new draft \"does address the issues with ground water contamination\" but urged that composters not be treated like landfills or incinerators and asked for clear director-level guidance rather than open-ended discretion.

Advocates argued composting could divert large shares of organics from landfills. Francisco Torres, founder of Compass for Life, said Miami-Dade residents produce roughly nine pounds of trash per person per day and that about 38% of that is organic and could be composted. \"Composting is critical infrastructure,\" Torres said, asking the county to reduce regulatory barriers for community-scale operators.

Commissioners asked staff to expedite permit review for existing operators that submit complete applications and to hold informational sessions. Commissioner Higgins, the item sponsor, told colleagues that only two operators in the county have submitted paperwork so far and that staff had agreed to accelerate permit processing where possible. \"Chief Cooley has promised me that we will get — if they submit their paperwork — we will find a way to get their permits issued as quickly as humanly possible in a couple of months so that we can get composting to be part of our solution,\" she said.

The ordinance amends multiple sections of the Miami-Dade County Code to allow administrative zoning approval for certain composting uses in the AU zoning district, create environmental control-plan requirements, add community-composting provisions, and establish a hauler permit for compost haulers. The committee also approved the related implementing fee item so the regulatory and fee structures move forward together.

Voting and next steps
The committee approved the ordinance and implementing item unanimously. Commissioners asked county departments to prepare webinars and Q&A materials for operators, to provide clearer staff guidance on what must be submitted for permit review, and to prioritize issuance for operators that meet the new standards.

","The committee unanimously approved an ordinance to create an administrative zoning pathway and operating-permit process for community and agricultural composting in appropriate zones, responding to speakers from farmers, compost operators and municipalities who urged expedited permitting and clearer departmental guidance.","actionData","errors"]

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Miami-Dade panel adopts ordinance to require transparency, agreements from municipal utilities serving areas outside city limits

Committee approves new county rules to expand community and agricultural composting