PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 The CBS12 News I-Team is on Waste Watch.<\/p>\n
Questions are mounting in Port St. Lucie after a massive $24 million settlement<\/a> with trash collector Waste Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\n Residents want to know, what will happen to that money? The answer is unclear. And many residents say the problems that led to the pay-out haven\u2019t gone away.<\/p>\n In a word, for years, the trash collection in the city stunk.<\/p>\n It turned into a legal battle between the city and Waste Pro.<\/p>\n In 2021, amid missed pickups, inconsistent service, and a tidal wave of complaints from residents, the city sued the company. The company counter-sued.<\/p>\n Then, last month, the city announced they would accept a $24 million settlement from Waste Pro tied to the service failures: An out-of-court agreement right before the trial was about to start.<\/p>\n But what happened next is raising new concerns.<\/p>\n City leaders say the money will be returned to residents in some form. The problem? No one in a decision-making role is willing to explain how. The I-Team contacted the mayor and the everyone on the city council. Nobody would sit down for an interview.<\/p>\n See also: WASTE WATCH: Florida still waiting on $608M for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’<\/a><\/p>\n City spokesman Scott Samples told the I-Team, “We\u2019re a very data driven organization and part of what we\u2019re doing right now is information gathering, so that we can help the city council make the best possible decision, so it\u2019s a little premature at this point to make the determination of exactly what we\u2019re going to do with it.”<\/p>\n The city could use the settlement money for civic projects or return the money to residents in the form of refund checks or credits. After all, residents were paying for trash pickup and not getting it.<\/p>\n Samples says future city council meetings will give residents a chance to talk about what they want to happen with the $24 million during public comment.<\/p>\n In the meantime, some residents tell the I-Team the trash company the city landed on after Waste Pro has some issues of their own.<\/p>\n