ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Trash service complaints continue to pile up in Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County.
On Tuesday, their service provider, Waste Pro, tried to explain where they are, why they continue to have so many problems, and what’s next.
Trash and yard debris sitting out for days on end.
"We understand that we have to perform. We understand people are worn thin on this issue," said Russell Mackie, the regional vice president for Waste Pro.
Tuesday, Waste Pro officials came before St. Lucie County commissioners with some ideas on how to improve service in both the residential and commercial sectors. Most involved money.
"It’s not Waste Pro that’s broken, it’s the agreement that’s broken," Mackie said.
Waste Pro said their costs for maintenance, safety, and overhead have gone up 42% in the past five years. They’re also actively recruiting the northeast and midwest for employees.
"For the first time ever on the driver level, we’re paying relocation packages," Mackie said.
Right now, a resident in Port St. Lucie pays $23.50 a month for garbage collection. It’s $18.81 in the unincorporated county.
"If we were to bid on that exact service today, it would be around $38.81 for that exact same type of service," said Eddie Jesus with Waste Pro. "We need immediate price relief to get to ground zero."
"We’ve got to do something, and we’ve got to do it now," said Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky.
Commissioners, while understanding some of the challenges, and agreeing that current rates are low, expressed frustration at current service levels.
"You’ve shown nothing to the county. You’ve not shown me any guarantee," said Commissioner Frannie Hutchinson.
There were also doubts that Waste Pro would be up to the task.
"If you’re not providing this service now, how can you step in and say with this happening you’d be able to guarantee that?" Commissioner Cathy Townsend said.
"With these changes, you have our commitment that you will see a very noticeable change," Mackie said.
Because this was an informal meeting, no action was taken on the Waste Pro proposals. The board did agree to sit down with Waste Pro and come up with some sort of contract amendments that could involve new residential and commercial rates, and penalties for poor service.
