HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemorandumCITY OF MIAMI
OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Victoria Mendez, City Attorney3A_
1_ _)
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DATE: December 14, 2023 i
RE: Proposed Amendment — November 16, 2023 City Commission Meeting
Amends Chapter 10, Article I, Section 4 of the Code of the City of Miami,
Florida, as amended, to establish a refund procedure for the Solid Waste
surcharge under certain circumstances.
File No.: 14948
The attached Ordinance proposed to amend Chapter 10, Article I, Section 4 of
the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended ("City Code"), titled
"Building/Building Permit Fee Schedule/General fee information," to provide for a refund
procedure, under certain circumstances, for those who paid the solid waste surcharge.
Attachment(s)
cc. Art Noriega, V, City Manager
Miriam M. Santana, Agenda Coordinator
VM/RSGD
City of Miami File ID: 14948 (Revision:) Printed On: 1/2/2024
City of Miami
Legislation
Ordinance
Enactment Number: 14240
City Hall
3500 Pan American Drive
Miami, FL 33133
www.miamigov.com
File Number: 14948
Final Action Date:12/14/2023
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MIAMI CITY COMMISSION AMENDING CHAPTER
10/ARTICLE I/SECTION 4 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, AS
AMENDED, TITLED "BUILDINGS/IN GENERAL/BUILDING PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE,"
TO PROVIDE A REFUND PROCEDURE FOR ASSOCIATED BUILDING PERMIT
SOLID WASTE SURCHARGES UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES; CONTAINING
A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, Section 10-4(b)(2)(c) of the Code of the City of Miami, Florida, as amended
("City Code"), provides for a solid waste surcharge on certain residential and commercial
properties while under construction; and
WHEREAS, the City Code provides for exemptions and/or deferrals of the Solid Waste
surcharge for certain types of permits or types of construction; and
WHEREAS, other Sections of the City Code have provided for an allowance of an
adjustment request in total or in part for surcharges; and
WHEREAS, because many construction sites use privately obtained containers for their
waste and debris it would be equitable to allow such adjustment requests; and
WHEREAS, some projects pay the surcharge and then never commence construction
while others may alter their plans to build projects smaller than anticipated or in such a manner
that the surcharge that would have been paid would have been lower; and
WHEREAS, such an amendment to the City Code is in the best interests of the City and
its residents and businesses;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI, FLORIDA:
Section 1. The recitals and findings contained in the Preamble to this Ordinance are
adopted and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section.
Section 2. Chapter 10 of the City Code, titled "Building Permit Fee Schedule," is hereby
amended in the follow particulars:1
"CHAPTER 10
BUILDINGS
1 Words/and or figures stricken through shall be deleted. Underscored words and/or figures shall be
added. The remaining provisions are now in effect and remain unchanged. Asterisks indicate omitted
and unchanged material.
City of Miami File ID: 14948 (Revision:) Printed On: 1/2/2024
ARTICLE 1. IN GENERAL
Sec. 10-4. Building permit fees schedule.
* * *
(b) General fee information.
* * *
(2) Surcharges.
* * *
(c) City solid waste surcharge.
1. Residential. $0.22 per $100.00 of the estimated cost of construction with
a minimum fee of $26.00 and a maximum fee of $600.00.
2. Commercial. Permits for all building a surcharge of two and one-half
percent of the cost of construction with a minimum of $57.00 and a
maximum of $10,500.00.
3. Exemptions. The following are exempt from this surcharge: signs,
landscaping, elevators, revisions, subsidiary permits, roofing, awning,
windows and doors, shed, flooring, driveways, solar panel installations, and
any affordable housing permit that the city director of community
development exempts in writing prior to the issuance of the permit.
4. Automatic deferral. The city manager, or his/her designee, shall defer
the surcharge for affordable housing developments and workforce housing
developments for as long as the development remains affordable or
workforce housing. The permit applicant shall provide the city the
community redevelopment agency board's resolution approving or
authorizing the project and a covenant running with the land, or a deed
restriction, which ensures that the development conforms to the
requirements of an affordable housing development or workforce housing
development. Upon the project ceasing to be an affordable housing
development or a workforce housing development, the solid waste
surcharges that were deferred shall become due and payable to the city
within 30 days.
5. Petition for Refund of Solid Waste Surcharge.
(a) Petitions for a refund of the Solid Waste surcharge shall be
submitted to the City Manager or Designee, for their review. The
City Manager or Designee shall provide a form for the petition
that is to be submitted by all eligible parties. The criteria for
granting any such petition is as follows:
(1) The petition shall be filed within ninety (90) days after
finalization of the relevant permit. Any party who has the
right to file a petition and who fails to do so within the
City of Miami File ID: 14948 (Revision:) Printed On: 1/2/2024
required timeframe shall be deemed to have waived their
right.
(2) Only the party who paid the surcharge, hereinafter
referred to as Petitioner, and who believes the
contribution rate component of their surcharge to be
inequitable based upon actual construction completed or
lack thereof, subject to the limitations set forth in this
Section, may file a petition;
(3)
The petition shall state with detailed specificity the reason
for the request and the amount of refund being sought,
and shall include:
All submitted plans and modification;
ii. Any and all refuse and debris removal contracts in
place on the permit site;
Any and all charges for the refuse and debris
removed incurred from the final recycle or
dumping station; and
iv. Any other item, document, contract, agreement or
writing that has direct bearing on the requested
adjustment.
(4) The Petitioner requesting the adjustment may be
required, at their own cost, to provide supplemental
information as requested by the City Manager or
Designee, including, but not limited to, a full set of
building (permit) plans, proof of finalization of relevant
permit, copies of hauler agreements, copies of container
removal service agreements or removal billing. Failure to
provide such information may result in the denial of the
refund request; and
(b) The City Manager or Designee will review the petition and based
upon the totality of information provided, which may include
requests for information from the relevant City departments,
determine whether the refund is granted and the amount therein,
as necessary.
(c) The City Manager or Designee will have one hundred twenty
(120) days from the date of receipt of the petition for refund to
provide a determination in writing. The determination shall
include a recitation of the facts and the basis for the granting or
denying of the petition and if granting, the reason for the amount
of refund.
(d) Appeals. All determinations by the City Manager or Designee
are final.
This Section does not apply to a class member (as defined in the
trial court's order certifying the class in RT&S Investment Group,
LLC v. City of Miami, Miami Dade Circuit Court Case No.: 14-
32239 CA 27) who do not opt out of the class.
City of Miami File ID: 14948 (Revision:) Printed On: 1/2/2024
*„
Section 3. If any section, part of a section, paragraph, clause, phrase, or word of this
Ordinance is declared invalid, the remaining provisions of this Ordinance shall not be affected.
Section 4. This Ordinance shall become effective thirty (30) days after the trial court
enters Final Judgment in RT&S Investment Group, LLC v. City of Miami, Miami Dade Circuit
Court Case No.: 14-32239 CA 27 or thirty (30) days after any appeal concerning an order or
judgment resulting from the final settlement agreement in RT&S Investment Group, LLC v. City
of Miami, Miami Dade Circuit Court Case No.: 14-32239 CA 27, whichever comes Iater.2
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND CORRECTNESS:
ndez, City Attor ey 10/31/2023
2 This Ordinance shall become effective as specified herein unless vetoed by the Mayor within ten (10)
days from the date it was passed and adopted. If the Mayor vetoes this Ordinance, it shall become
effective immediately upon override of the veto by the City Commission or upon the effective date stated
herein, whichever is later.
City of Miami File ID: 14948 (Revision:) Printed On: 1/2/2024