POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Polk County commissioners declared a local state of emergency Tuesday after months of complaints of trash removal delays on the western side of the county.
The declaration gives County Manager Bill Beasley the authority to take steps to find short-term solutions to get people’s trash picked up.
The county contracts with FCC Environmental Services, a private waste hauling company, to remove household garbage from western Polk County homes.
“Just get it fixed in the next 14 days or get it moving in the right direction,” Commissioner Bill Braswell said at Tuesday’s board of county commissioners meeting.
Braswell claims trash pickup delays have been a problem for over a year. The complaints started increasing over the holiday season.
“Usually it’s about five days past our pickup day. Lately it’s been nine, 10 days,” said Bryan Cousin, who lives in south Lakeland and contacted News Channel 8 about the delays in his neighborhood.
He and his neighbors share trash can space when it’s available. Some have discussed burning their trash.
They are frustrated.
“No one wants to come outside and smell trash. They start building maggots up inside the trash cans, rodents are attracted, animal life is attracted. It’s just not sanitary,” he said.
Amy Whann told commissioners, as she made the trip to Tuesday’s board meeting in Bartow, every south Lakeland neighborhood she passed had trash piling up in the streets.
“This has become a safety issue and a danger to our community,” she said. “I don’t know what we need to do as residents to get your attention. This contract isn’t working for your constituents.”
Another resident said the issue is “unprecedented.”
“Yesterday, there were guys still picking up garbage from last Wednesday,” said Tom Palmer.
Last month, the county sent FCC a letter warning that action would be taken if service did not improve in 30 days.
Commissioners expressed satisfaction with improvements at their Feb. 1 meeting. Then, commissioners said, things started to unravel again.
“We’ve gone from bad to worse. This has been the worst couple of weeks that we’ve had since I’ve been here in a little over a year,” County Commissioner Neil Combee said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Combee shared information on a new contract FCC started with Hillsborough County on Feb. 1.
“In my business there’s a thing called integrity, getting the job done and getting the job done right. These people – money means more to them than that does,” Commissioner Rick Wilson said.
Commissioner Bill Braswell encouraged the county to find ways to work with FCC.
“There is no one stepping up wanting to pick up our garbage. There’s no other hauler stepping up. There’s no one because nobody wants the business,” he said.
In the short-term, he suggested directing the hauler to focus solely on household garbage, and put recycling and yard waste pickup on hold.
“Pick up the household garbage this week. I don’t care what else you pick up. I don’t care how else you do it,” he said.
News Channel 8 reporter Staci DaSilva went to FCC’s local office in Lakeland and contacted the corporate office Tuesday for comment and did not hear back.
FCC did not participate in Tuesday’s board meeting.
Per the state of emergency, agreed to unanimously by commissioners, County Manager Beasley can take the following actions:
- Utilize all available resources of the county government as reasonably necessary to cope with the emergency;
- Make provisions for the availability and use of temporary emergency housing and the emergency warehousing of materials;
- Acquire merchandise, equipment, vehicles, or property needed to alleviate the emergency.
The county also waives the procedures and formalities normally required by law to:
- Performance of public work and taking whatever prudent action is necessary to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the community;
- Entering into contracts;
- Incurring obligations;
- Employment of temporary or permanent workers;
- Rental equipment;
- Acquisition and distribution, with or without compensation, of supplies, materials and facilities;
- Appropriation and expenditure of public funds.
County leaders are meeting with FCC representatives on Thursday.
Residents can file complaints about trash pickup delays online.