PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. \u2014 On Monday night, Port St. Lucie city leaders are discussing what to do with the $24 million dollars they received as part of a settlement with their former trash hauler\u2014Waste Pro.<\/p>\n
WPTV has been following the trash troubles in the city for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a mess,\u201d said neighbor Kelly Lee.<\/p>\n
Lee reached out to WPTV\u2019s Tyler Hatfield about attending Monday\u2019s meeting. Lee said she remembers her neighbors trash issues with Waste Pro during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would just be a stinky mess on their yard,\u201d said Lee. \u201cThey didn’t pick up, and it’s overflowing.”<\/p>\n
In 2021, both the company and city filed lawsuits against each other.<\/p>\n
Waste Pro blamed labor shortages and the city argued it was a breach of contract for the standard of service.<\/p>\n
The city and company reached an agreement, Waste Pro settling for $24 million.<\/p>\n
In April, after the announcement of the settlement, Mayor Shannon Martin told WPTV she’d like to see the cash in neighbors\u2019 pockets.<\/p>\n
“I’m committed to making sure that our residents get paid back for what they had to deal with during that time,” said Martin.<\/p>\n
On Monday, city council will discuss what to do with the money.<\/p>\n
If it\u2019s given to residents, Lee wants it distributed fairly.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have moved, the residents are no longer here, some of them are brand new residents that didn’t pay into waste pro,\u201d said Lee.<\/p>\n
But Lee questions how people who are no longer living in the city get their cash.<\/p>\n
“They were here during that time, they’ve since moved, so where does their fair share go?,\u201d said Lee.<\/p>\n
Scott Samples with the city said staff have been working to collect data and create scenarios to give recommendations to city council.<\/p>\n
“There’s a lot of people that have been working on this,” said Samples. “Ultimately the goal is to make the best decision possible, help remediate some of those issues, and those nightmares that people have from back then.”<\/p>\n
Lee said she hopes city leaders listen to neighbors.<\/p>\n
“Have us weigh in on something to at least feel part of the process,\u201d said Lee. \u201cOne size can’t fit all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more of WPTV’s coverage below:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Port St Lucie<\/p>\n Port St. Lucie council meets Monday on $24M Waste Pro deal, refunds possible<\/p>\n <\/a> Port St Lucie<\/p>\n Port St. Lucie reaches $24M settlement with former trash hauler<\/p>\n <\/a> Port St Lucie<\/p>\n Mayor wants $24M from trash settlement returned to residents<\/p>\n
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