CAPE CORAL, Fla., -- In Cape Coral's current deal with Waste Pro, lack of performance can lead to fines up to $1500. However, Fox 4 finds that the City has yet to fine the company for any of the issues that have been occurring with residents.
"Why can’t the city manage a low tech issue like a garbage contract?” questioned Sam Yaffey, a Cape Coral resident.
Fox 4 was able to obtain the current contract and Request for Proposal (RFP), Cape Coral has with Waste Pro. Here are some of the fines and/or penalties for poor performance:
"The City may levy $250 to $1,500 per incident depending on the severity of the incident and neglig-ence, including but not limited to the following:
4 in your corner asked Cape Coral if any of these fines were made considering the several complaints from neighbors over the past few weeks. A spokesperson gave this statement:
I don’t believe any penalties have been assessed. You are correct that the issues seemed to have escalated this past year. We are concerned about the drop off in performance. The city manager has addressed his concerns to Waste Pro. City staff is working with Waste Pro and also looking at the contract language to see what potential steps we might consider if performance does not improve.
Councilwoman Jennifer Nelson says she will absolutely consider not renewing the contract with Waste Pro if performance doesn't improve.
“The problem is stemming from not having enough infrastructure in terms of labor," said Nelson. "They do not have enough infrastructure to handle our growth at this time.”
Waste Pro declined an interview with 4 in your corner, but gave this statement:
"As you know, we are working cooperatively with the City of Cape Coral to resolve the recent, isolated service delays. We look forward to resolving these issues and to providing solid waste services to the residents of Cape Coral."
4 in your corner also asked the Cape Coral city spokesperson for an interview in addition to the statement they gave, we were told "Waste Pro needs to address the questions about their service."
