ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to terminate the contract with FCC Environmental Services on Tuesday after weeks of service disruptions with the trash hauler that took over the job at the beginning of the month.
FCC began servicing St. Johns County on Aug. 1, and in the first week, county inspectors documented more than 5,000 missed trash collections. The lapse in service prompted the county to employ its own trucks from the Road and Bridge Department to help with trash pickup.
Several residents aired their grievances with the trash hauler during the commission meeting Tuesday morning.
"FCC just needs to go," said one resident. "I think they are in over their head. I hear transitions can be challenging, that's not what they were saying when they asked for the contract."
In December, the board voted to award a seven-year contract with FCC, paying $28.2 million for the first year.
"There was a breach of contract from day one, and you left us during a hurricane. You have created in our community a public safety and a public health crisis," said St. Johns Board of Commissioners Chair Sarah Arnold during the Tuesday meeting. "I personally can say I have lost all trust in FCC, I believe the majority of our residents would feel the same way."
Arnold emphasized she wanted supplemental services in place before voting to terminate the hauler's contract.
A representative from Meridian Waste spoke at the meeting, proposing a nine-month interim contract with the county while it works through its issues with FCC. The company currently holds a contract with the City of Jacksonville.
"We collect over 160,000 homes weekly, with three services," said Meridian Waste Chief Marketing Officer Mary O'Brien in regard to the company's services in Duval County. "We are qualified to help out St. Johns County."
O'Brien said the company can allocate 45 trucks to St. Johns County within 10 days, adding the company can take over all the services currently under contract with FCC.
"Our interim basis is with the goal that there is an RFP issued and that Meridian Waste will have the opportunity to bid on a long-term franchise again with St. Johns County," said O'Brien. "Our commitment is to make sure that the garbage, the yard waste and the recycling gets picked up in St. Johns County."
FCC's chief executive officer came before the board after a meeting with commissioners on Monday, asking for the board to reconsider its motion to terminate the company's contract.
"There's been a lot of challenging circumstances with just the hours, and getting through it," said FCC Chief Executive Officer Dan Brazil. "Give us a little bit more time to get this right."
Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to terminate the contract and declared a local state of emergency to "prevent a serious threat to public health and safety."
"Today, our leadership took bold, aggressive steps to clean up this mess. A new journey begins to regain the confidence of our community when it comes to reassuring them that their trash will be picked up when it should be picked up and they will receive the quality customer service they deserve," said County Administrator Joy Andrews.
Andrews noted that due to the county's current contract with FCC, the board's decision does not immediately alleviate FCC's responsibility to continue providing its services.
What about Clay County?
FCC is set to take over trash pickup services in Clay County on Oct. 1.
The company's leadership spoke with the county's Board of Commissioners during a meeting last week, addressing the root of the problem when its service was launched in St. Johns County.
"Some of the things we learned, in lessons, were that from the older days of picking up garbage, recycling, yard waste, to the new days is based on technology," said Charles Merkley, the vice president of business development at FCC. "Our technology failed."
The Clay County Board of County Commissioners assured residents it has communicated its expectations with FCC to ensure there is a smooth transition in October.
First Coast News reached out to Clay County about FCC and received the following statement:
"The County working closely with FCC Environmental to ensure the transition to the new garbage and yard waste service is done to the level we all expect. We met with FCC Environmental staff this week and talked about how they’re handling several factors that are key to a smooth transition here in Clay County. FCC Environmental staff also addressed the Board of County Commissioners at this Tuesday's meeting. You can watch the meeting and their presentation on our website here https://clayfl.new.swagit.com/videos/312249 starting at the 52:57-minute mark. During the presentation, FCC staff spoke about the issues in St. Johns County, and addressed the steps they’re taking to create a successful transition here in Clay County. As we go through the next several weeks, we will continue to work closely with FCC to make sure all of the steps are completed within the transition plan ahead of the October 1 start date. We’ll continue to keep our community updated as we move through this process. We also have a full list of frequently asked questions on our website and you can find that here https://www.claycountygov.com/community/garbage-and-recycling/new-garbage-services"