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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO PASS LEGISLATION ENSURING THAT WASTE TIRE FEES ARE ALLOCATED TO THE RECYCLING, COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE TIRES IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THESE FEES ARE COLLECTED

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WHEREAS, Florida Law imposes a $1 Waste Tire Fee on each new tire sold at retail pursuant to Section 403.718, Florida Statutes, which is in addition to other fees that may be paid for disposal of old tires; and
WHEREAS, when originally imposed, the Waste Tire Fee was intended to fund recycling, collection and disposal of waste tires in a safe and environmentally beneficial way; and
WHEREAS, approximately $20 million is generated each year in Florida by the Waste Tire Fee; and
WHEREAS, consumers who buy tires expect the Waste Tire Fee listed on their bill to go for recycling, collection and disposal of waste tires; and
WHEREAS, increasingly in recent years, the Florida Legislature has diverted Waste Tire Fee revenues away from the waste tire recycling, collection and disposal programs; and
WHEREAS, in 2005, the diversion of waste tire funds reached the point that only counties with a population of less than 100,000 received any waste tire grant funding, leaving counties with a population of more than 100,000 with no waste tire grant funding; and
WHEREAS, despite paying millions of dollars in waste tire fees to the state in 2005, Miami-Dade County residents saw none of this revenue come back to Miami-Dade County; and
WHEREAS, diverting Waste Tire Fee revenue to other state programs has had the effect of shifting the cost of recycling, collection and disposal of waste tires to local governments; and
WHEREAS, by creating the Community Awareness Task Force, Chairman Joe A. Martinez has spearheaded the effort to address waste tire issues, including illegal dumping, enforcement, clean-up and education; and
WHEREAS, the Community Awareness Task Force brings together the experience and knowledge found in various County departments along with other stakeholders to address in a coordinated effort issues related to illegal dumping and waste tires; and
WHEREAS, the Community Awareness Task Force has researched the waste tire fee and concluded that changes are needed to state law to ensure that fee revenues are used for their stated purposes and returned to the communities where consumers have paid the waste tire fees,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature to pass legislation ensuring that waste tire fees are allocated for the recycling, collection, and disposal of waste tires in the communities where these fees are collected.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, and Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County's state lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation set forth in Section 1 above, and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2006 State Legislative Package as a top priority.