{"id":196584,"date":"2026-03-18T16:59:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/196584\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T16:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:59:06","slug":"fort-pierce-leaders-push-back-on-trash-trains-consider-ending-waste-management-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/196584\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Pierce leaders push back on trash trains, consider ending Waste Management ties"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Tensions are rising in Fort Pierce over controversial trash trains bringing waste from Miami <\/a>through the city \u2014 and now, leaders are signaling they may take action.<\/p>\n

During the city commission meeting on March 16th, frustration boiled over as commissioners openly criticized Waste Management<\/a> and the Florida East Coast Railway<\/a>, accusing them of putting profits over the well-being of residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not approve one penny of expenditure to Waste Management,\u201d Commissioner Michael Broderick said. \u201cI\u2019m unwilling to spend a dime while they\u2019re subjecting citizens of the city of Fort Pierce to their uncovered, smelly trash trains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broderick described the situation as \u201cinfuriating,\u201d claiming the trains \u2014 carrying waste from Miami-Dade \u2014 are creating ongoing problems, including odor and quality-of-life concerns for nearby neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Other commissioners echoed those concerns, questioning whether the city should continue doing business with the company long-term.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have serious issues as well,\u201d Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said, pointing to the possibility of a 25-year agreement. \u201cYou get locked in and now you have no place to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trash trains at the center of controversy<\/p>\n

The trains transport garbage from South Florida through Fort Pierce before it is ultimately taken to a landfill outside the area.<\/p>\n

City leaders say the issue isn\u2019t just about logistics \u2014 it\u2019s about impact.<\/p>\n

See also: Out with the Old: Farewell Indian River Mall, hello outdoor retail hub<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey haven\u2019t been good neighbors,\u201d commissioner Dzadovsky said during the meeting, adding that both residents and even federal officials have raised concerns without resolution.<\/p>\n

The debate comes after months of complaints from residents about smells, flies, and trains sitting in the area.<\/p>\n

City weighing its options<\/p>\n

While commissioners voiced strong opposition, city staff emphasized the city is still under an existing contract that runs through early 2027.<\/p>\n

For now, leaders approved funding to continue waste services \u2014 warning that without it, trash collection across the city could be disrupted.<\/p>\n

Related: Proposed rail trash transfer site could impact wetlands near Fort Pierce preserve<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t vote for this, we\u2019re going to have a whole bunch of streets full of trash,\u201d one official said.<\/p>\n

However, the conversation is far from over.<\/p>\n

City leaders say they are now preparing to explore other options, including putting the contract out for bid and potentially ending their relationship with Waste Management in the future.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

CBS12 News is covering this developing story in Fort Pierce, where leaders are expected to continue discussions on how to handle the ongoing trash train controversy \u2014 and whether to cut ties with the companies involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Tensions are rising in Fort Pierce over controversial trash trains bringing waste from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":196585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-196584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}