Port St. Lucie Trash Fees Climb Again as Residents Weigh Paying More for Twice-Weekly Pickup

Port St. Lucie residents will pay more for trash service after the City Council approved another increase to the annual solid waste assessment, pushing the fee to $482.16 per dwelling unit for the fiscal year beginning October 1. The vote came with no public comment and no council discussion before the item was read and approved, even as garbage collection remains a major sticking point for residents across the fast-growing city.

Resolution 26-R70 raises the assessment by $14.83 per dwelling unit, moving it from $467.33 to $482.16 — an increase that works out to about $1.24 more per month for residential properties, according to WPEC. City officials said the hike is required under the city's solid waste franchise agreement with FCC Environmental Service, the vendor that has handled Port St. Lucie's trash, recycling and yard waste since 2022. The station reports the assessment covers garbage collection, disposal and related solid waste programs, and reflects rising costs for labor, equipment, vehicle maintenance and fuel. Even with the bump, the new rate stays below the city's previously established maximum of $513.70.

A Fee That Keeps Climbing Year After Year

This is not the first consecutive increase residents have absorbed. The assessment jumped $20.89 per dwelling unit for the prior fiscal year, moving from $446.44 to $467.33, according to the City of Port St. Lucie. Part of the pressure comes from outside the city's own contract: St. Lucie County raised landfill tipping fees effective October 1, 2025, though city negotiators managed to shave roughly $45 off the impact for each Port St. Lucie household compared with the county's initial proposal. FCC Environmental Services took over solid waste hauling under a seven-year, $300 million franchise agreement awarded in May 2022, a deal that shifted more than 82,000 residential accounts from twice-weekly to once-weekly collection starting that September.

That switch traces back to a breakdown with the city's previous hauler. Port St. Lucie's legal fight with Waste Pro began in September 2021 after officials cited severe breach of contract tied to missed collection routes, with more than 7,000 recorded service complaints logged in just the first six months of that year before the city terminated the 16-year vendor relationship. The city's population has swelled to 268,062 as of July 1, 2025, a 30.9% jump from 204,826 in 2020 that makes it the 86th largest city in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — growth that has only added strain to municipal trash operations.

Waste Pro Settlement Goes to Taxpayers, Not Pickup Frequency

Port St. Lucie ultimately reached a $24 million settlement with Waste Pro over the poor service, and the City Council finalized a plan in June to return the entire amount directly to property owners on their November tax bills. Homeowners who have continuously owned their property since 2022 are set to receive a $364 credit, while those with title changes or newer homes will get $64, per the City of Port St. Lucie. The city also built in a 180-day claims window for residents who sold one home and bought another within Port St. Lucie between 2022 and 2026, allowing them to submit proof of continuous residency to qualify for the larger credit instead of the standard title-change amount.

Notably, city staff advised against tapping that settlement money to temporarily restore twice-weekly pickup during June discussions, warning that relying on one-time funds would create an unsustainable financial cliff once the money ran out. Instead, the question of paying more for expanded service has been pushed to voters directly. The council approved placing a non-binding straw ballot question on the November ballot asking residents whether they favor bringing back twice-weekly garbage pickup, which officials estimate would add at least $131 per year to assessment bills starting in 2028.

Millage Cuts Offer a Counterweight

City leaders have pointed to property tax relief elsewhere as a partial offset to the rising fee assessments. The council proposed lowering the city's property tax millage rate for the 11th consecutive year in July, bringing it to 4.8750 for the fiscal year and reflecting a cumulative 25% millage rate cut since 2016. Whether that trade-off registers with residents already frustrated by less-frequent pickup remains to be seen when the straw poll results come in this November.