FORT PIERCE — A routine agenda item on waste management spending in Fort Pierce shifted into a broader debate on March 16, as city commissioners raised concerns about the city’s relationship with its current provider and the impact of rail-hauled trash moving through the community.
The discussion centered on so-called “trash trains,” which transport waste from Miami to a Fort Pierce rail yard before it is trucked to a landfill in Okeechobee. Commissioners said the practice has created ongoing issues for residents.
Commissioner Michael Broderick voiced strong opposition to continuing any financial relationship with the company under those conditions.
“I will not approve one penny of expenditure to waste management. I'm unwilling to spend a dime with waste management while they're subjecting citizens of the city of Fort Pierce to their uncovered, smelly trash trains being stored down at their terminal over here and then hauled out to other places to dump,” Broderick said.
Broderick criticized both the waste company and the Florida East Coast Railway, arguing that the arrangement prioritizes revenue over the well-being of local residents.
“Instead of handling this trash problem in Miami where it should be handled, they're hauling it up through the city of Fort Pierce because I will not approve, in my mind, expending one penny to the benefit of waste management or FEC. We're both making money off these trash trains coming up from Miami, running through our city and causing us all kinds of problems because of that,” he said.
Other commissioners shared concerns, particularly about the long-term implications of any new agreement. Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said he is wary of committing the city to an extended contract.
“I have serious issues as well, Commissioner Broderick, and the fact that this could be a 25-year contract, I will not be supporting it for that reason, number one. The other side of this is that the negotiation tools are in our hands whether to approve this or not,” Dzadovsky said.
Fort Pierce first entered into its current contract with Waste Management in 2012. The agreement is set to expire in early 2027, providing an opportunity for the city to reassess its options.
Dzadovsky said that upcoming deadline should prompt a broader evaluation of what's out there.
“I believe that there's an opportunity here to negotiate a better option, an opportunity. I'm certainly not going to move forward with a 25-year option. You get locked in and now you have no place to go,” Dzadovsky said.
City Attorney Sara Hedges said the existing agreement remains in effect for now, but city leadership is already planning for what comes next.
“There are terms for terminating that contract. There are terms for renewal of that contract. My understanding with speaking with the city manager is he's well aware of those deadlines and looking at that for the future, but currently this contract already exists and we're already in an agreement for this purchase,” she said.
City Manager Richard Chess has begun discussions with Waste Management and indicated the city may explore alternatives as the contract nears expiration.
Commissioners said they want staff to examine potential options in the coming months as part of that process.
“There's options. I think this is a good time to have that conversation to get a better deal for the citizens,” Dzadovsky said