Pembroke Pines Borough Council meeting to discuss incinerating as landfill becomes major problem in town – WSVN 7News | Miami News Weather Sports | Fort Lauderdale
PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) – Dozens of Pembroke Pines residents expressed concern during a town hall meeting Monday over alleged plans for a new incinerator in Broward County, despite the fact that no plans have yet been made to build one.
City and county officials said there was a major garbage problem in the county, with millions of pounds of trash ending up in landfills.
A question-and-answer session occasionally got heated when Pembroke Pines residents wanted to know if their town, particularly around US 27 and Sheridan Streets, is building an incinerator.
“When I received the notice, my reaction was, ‘What incinerator project?'” said Assistant County Administrator Kevin Kelleher.
That's because officials said there wasn't a plan, at least not yet. But they need to find a way to deal with the four million tons of trash the county sends to landfills each year.
“Twelve million gallons of garbage a year that comes out of the landfill is bad, but you have to deal with it,” said Beam Furr, a Broward County commissioner.
News of a possible incinerator made the rounds on the Internet.
“It's a tremendous amount of phone calls, texts, emails, I see them in the grocery stores, I see them everywhere and I'm just like, ‘What the hell is going on out there?'” Deputy Mayor Iris Siple. “We hear some things that are pretty scary, but we don't know what's true and what's not. So I spoke up very loudly and told them, ‘Once again, nothing is decided.'”
“The message is that an incinerator isn't good for anyone, not just for Pembroke Pines but for everyone,” said Mary Stephens, a Pembroke Pines resident.
Most of the city's residents agreed that they opposed the idea of an incinerator, but others had many questions.
“Because if we're hasty, that's fine, but you're talking about 12 months, 36 months, that's not that far off anymore,” a local resident said at the town hall meeting.
Another woman questioned the city's preventive measures. “What measures have been taken to reduce the amount of trash?” she asked.
“I think there needs to be a lot more communication because I think a lot of the reactions are because there hasn't been a lot of communication,” said another resident.
One of the fears is a fire similar to that at a landfill site in Doral in February.
However, at Monday's meeting, officials said it was up to a group of councilors from Broward County towns to figure out how to deal with the problem of mounting waste.
The Vice Mayor of Pembroke Pines said such turnouts could make a difference.
“You need to be involved in the discussion to have your voice reflected in these decisions,” Siple added.
Eventually, council members from 20 cities will meet with Broward County officials to develop a plan to address trash.
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