Port St. Lucie - Tuesday June 14, 2022: The Port St. Lucie City Council on Monday unanimously directed the City Manager to make recommendations on how to give residents a one-time credit to provide some financial relief for Waste Pro’s "unreliable service. "
City Manager Russ Blackburn will analyze his proposed budget, to be released publicly June 29, and make recommendations on the amount of a potential one-time credit that will be placed on the solid waste assessments. He is expected to present those recommendations to the City Council at their 3-day budget workshop that begins July 20.
A potential credit would be effective for fiscal year 2022-23, which starts October 1st.
“We understand and share in our residents’ deep frustrations with Waste Pro’s performance and are taking every action possible to improve this situation. The City Council has tasked the City Manager with exploring these options to provide residents with some financial relief,” Mayor Shannon Martin said.
The City Attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit on behalf of residents to hold Waste Pro accountable for its severe performance deficiencies. The City Attorney’s Office is now asking residents who would be willing to provide evidence of their egregious lack of service to please email their information and photos, if possible, to: wasteprolawsuit@cityofpsl.com.
The City is using every available option to supplement Waste Pro’s "poor service," including:
• Withholding more than $3 million in administrative charges
• Taking Waste Pro to court,
• Using the above administrative charges to hire additional contractors to pick up yard and bulky waste,
• Temporarily suspending recycling pickup,
• Securing resources to enable existing staff to assist in garbage collection, and,
• Hiring a new waste removal company to begin as soon as possible (September 2022).
Beginning in September, FCC Environmental Services Florida, LLC will be Port St. Lucie’s new solid waste collection hauler to bring consistent and reliable service back to Port St. Lucie. The new solid waste collection schedule will be announced to residents by mid-August 2022.
For updated information and a detailed list of frequently asked questions about the solid waste program, visit: www.cityofpsl.com/solidwaste. To report a missed pick up, please call 772-871-1775, visit the 1PSL website or download the 1PSL app.