§ 21-47. Findings.

It is hereby ascertained, determined and declared that:

(1)

There is an inordinate amount of littering and illegal dumping on the public right-of-way and private lands of the county of domestic solid waste and special solid waste generated from improved property located within the county;

(2)

Such littering and illegal dumping constitutes a health hazard to the residents of the county and an invasion of the property rights of landowners;

(3)

Such littering and illegal dumping often results in the creation of an unsanitary nuisance;

(4)

A substantial number of occupants of improved property within the unit do not subscribe to any collection service for the collection of domestic solid waste and other waste and discarded property generated on such property;

(5)

The requiring of all persons owning or occupying improved property within the county to dispose of solid waste and other wastes and discarded property generated on such property at the solid waste disposal facility will greatly reduce the instances of illegal dumping and littering;

(6)

It is necessary to the health, welfare and safety of the residents of the county to provide for a comprehensive program of solid waste collection and disposal;

(7)

Because of the number of improved property customers and the administrative impossibility of monitoring the transport or disposal arrangements of each improved property customer with a collector, it is necessary in the implementation of such a comprehensive program of solid waste collection and disposal for the promotion of the common health and welfare of the residents of the county that collection services within the unit be regulated through the issuance of collection agreements for service areas in which improved property is located;

(8)

It is further necessary in the implementation of such a comprehensive program of solid waste collection and disposal to require all persons owning or occupying improved property in the unit to have their domestic solid waste and other waste and discarded property collection by a residential or commercial collection service;

(9)

The imposition of an annual solid waste assessment is the most equitable and efficient method of allocating and apportioning the cost of collection services among classifications of improved property in the county; and

(10)

The annual solid waste assessment imposed under this article to pay the cost of collection services is a non-ad valorem (special) assessment within the meaning and intent of F.S. § 197.3632, or its successor in function.

(Code 1979, § 8-73; Ord. No. 33-1989, § 3)