St. Johns may ditch new trash hauler after ‘disastrous’ start

Just five days after FCC Environmental Services officially became its new trash hauler , St. Johns County may drop them. The move comes after what one County Commissioner called an “unmitigated disaster” of a first week for the company.

“This was, without question, a catastrophic failure in rollout,” County Commissioner Sarah Arnold said during a commission discussion Tuesday. “Not to mention, it was a catastrophic failure when we were staring down the eye of an impending hurricane.”

Last December, the County Commission approved a seven-year, $28 million contract with the solid waste company beginning Aug. 1. FCC also will take over Clay County services on Oct. 1.

In its first week on the job in St. Johns, residents reported that trash cans were left in the middle of streets, trash was left on the ground and incorrect pickups were made.

The county estimates more than 2,000 residents’ trash wasn’t picked up on time Aug. 1 and 2.

To fill in the gaps, the county mobilized staff from its Road and Bridge division to step in and pick up residents’ trash. According to the county, those staff members clocked in 900 hours of work, some working until 10 p.m. one night.

The county is seeking reimbursements for those employees’ wages, in addition to an immediate improvement in services. The County Commission unanimously agreed that, if staff finds that, in seven days, FCC Environmental Services has not cleaned up its act, St. Johns County can begin seeking a replacement.

“This has been, to me, an unmitigated disaster,” County Commissioner Henry Dean said. “We have to abide by the terms of the contract, but, personally, I’m prepared to move forward, as — legally — as soon as possible, to terminate this agreement.”

If St. Johns County terminates its contract with FCC Environmental Services, a new request for proposal will be issued and the county will seek bids from other companies.

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