FORT PIERCE — Fort Pierce officials are looking for ways to improve trash collection services after residents reported missed pickups and mounting debris in parts of the city.
During a recent discussion, Commissioner Curtis Johnson said residents have voiced growing frustration over garbage and bulk waste remaining on city streets.
“We've got a lot of refuge that has been collected and a lot more to be collected that's still sitting on our city blocks,” Johnson said. “And I've received the phone calls, I've received the comments from public about trash not being picked up either at cans and or the refuge.”
With budget discussions approaching and costs expected to increase, city leaders questioned what factors are contributing to the delays.
Deputy City Manager DeVoshay Johnson said the city’s solid waste division is facing staffing and retention problems similar to those seen in other departments.
“Solid waste is on the same level with regard to retention and with regard to staff coming in and out, as we've seen in the police departments,” he said. “As it stands today, we have five employees that had years of service in double digits.”
Johnson said the department’s high turnover rate has left the city with fewer experienced drivers, creating challenges in training new employees.
To address those issues, the city plans to introduce new technology aimed at improving efficiency and reducing onboarding time for drivers.
“We're implementing a actual fleet routing system to optimize the routes,” Johnson said. “We're implementing the route maps. So this equipment will literally be a tablet that's on the driver's dash in which they can see turn by turn, route by route. This is going to increase the efficiency, is going to decrease the training time and increase accountability with the ability of management to see exactly where trucks have gone, where they've stopped, where they haven't stopped.”
Johnson also said a labor impasse involving union employee pay several months ago led to increased callouts, which created ongoing service delays that crews are still working to overcome.
City officials said illegal dumping has further strained resources by requiring crews and specialized equipment to handle oversized or difficult-to-remove items.
In response, the city is exploring new enforcement measures intended to identify and penalize repeat offenders.
“We are putting some things together to deal with the illegal dumping,” Johnson said. “Code enforcement team has actually identified an area in which we're starting a pet project with some cameras and what have you to identify those that are dumping illegally.”
Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky suggested the city consider working with St. Lucie County and other agencies to improve efficiency and reduce costs. He also said large residential developments should help cover the increased demand placed on sanitation services.
“I'm wondering if we could not have a discussion with the county to maybe divvy up some of these pickup areas and kind of work on better efficiency on how we collect trash across the city and the county,” Dzadovsky said.
Johnson said discussions with the county are already underway, though additional data is needed before any changes can be finalized.
He also said the department will undergo restructuring that includes adding a dispatcher and field operators to improve day-to-day operations.