Thanks for reporting to the City of Fort Pierce. We look to resolve this soon.

I’m writing this as an update to state that this issue has yet to be resolved. Additionally, I am providing a picture to show that the issue at hand is more of a problem then first declared. The picture shows that the garbage cans are brought away from the curb and into the street right away during trash pick-up days. I reiterate that the local city ordinances are in violation and should be rectified.

I write this as an update that this issue has not been fully resolved. Recently the garbage cans have been removed from the immediate roadway but were only pulled up on to the grass and placed on the other side of the sidewalk. Though these trash cans are not in the roadway they still pose the same nuisance as first described in the original post. I am again asking that this issue be fully resolved and that the cans be put away properly.

One set of trash cans pulled on to the grass

Second set of trash cans pulled on to the grass

Your issue has been resolved. Thank you for helping make Fort Pierce a great place to live, work and play!

I am writing to respectfully detail that this issue is not resolved to my satisfaction nor is it resolved to the satisfaction of the required city ordinances.

The trash cans that I originally detailed have been removed from the road but have been placed in the grass area on the other side of the side walk. I detailed this change in my updated post on January 16th. The new placement of the trash cans does not satisfy the original complaint in its entirety.

City ordinance Section: 16-25 (C) clearly states “on the evening preceding the collection day and must be removed to a point at the side or rear of the structure not later than 7:00 p.m. on the day of collection”. The current placement of the trash cans do not come close to meeting the intent of the city ordinance. The trash cans are not removed to a point at the side or rear of the structure and are left adjacent to the public sidewalks that my kids and family will be using. The current placement of these trash cans at the sidewalk still cause to the same complaints and issues that I detailed in my original post.

I have been informed that the residents of the small community are not happy with the request to move these trash cans. Prior to my purchase of the neighboring lot the residents of this community had sole usage of this section of road and chose to start putting their trash cans in the road way as a convenience to themselves. The inconvenience of having to pull your garbage can from your structure to the road way on trash pickup day does not warrant the closure of this complaint and the disregard to city ordinances. Everybody else has to pull their trash cans to the road from their structure and the residents of this community should be compelled to do the same, compelled to follow the city ordinances as written. This complaint should not be closed again until the city ordinance is enforced in its entirety.

Code Compliance IV assigned this issue to Code Compliance II

As of two days ago this issue had yet to be resolved. It should remain open still. (I’m writing this in response to an email I received stating I should comment because the issue has been open 61 days).

This picture was taken on 2/25/19. As can be seen the garbage cans have not been placed away appropriately as dictated by the city ordinances. The owners of these garbage cans have failed to remedy the situation as required.

This picture was taken on 2/25/19. As can be seen the garbage cans have not been placed away appropriately as dictated by the city ordinances. The owners of these garbage cans have failed to remedy the situation as required.

As of 2/25/19 the garbage cans have not been “removed to a point at the side or rear of the structure” as dictated by city ordinance section 16-25 (C).

This issue was reported on 12/17/18 and has not been fully resolved. More than enough time has elapsed for the owner of this property to remedy the issue.

How much more time must be granted before the full measure of the ordinance is implemented? I have yet to see these garbage cans tagged for non compliance, which is supposed to be followed by a $10/day fine to compel the owners to satisfy the city ordinance.

Thanks for reporting to the City of Fort Pierce. We look to resolve this soon.

Tysha Williams Operational Manager Solid Waste did an investigation and concluded that Trash Cans are ok to be stored on S 2nd Street. There is not sufficient space for this complex to have trash cans picked up on IRD.
Closing case ...

Your issue has been resolved. Thank you for helping make Fort Pierce a great place to live, work and play!

Thanks for fixing this request!

I agree that failure to enforce the rule that trash cans be removed from the sidewalk and roadway, as required by City Ordinance, contributes to poor appearance in many city neighborhoods. This rule should be enforced. It costs no money to comply. I live in Oakland Park and have neighbors who have not removed their trash cans from the sidewalk in 5 years.

This case has been closed several times with no actions taken to actually resolve this issue. As Irene above states this issue contributes to the poor appearance of our city. Thank you Irene for reopening this case that was prematurely closed.

I do not believe this case should be closed again until an adequate solution is in place. I understand that the trash cans can not be placed on Indian River Drive....... this is not the only solution........ and just because the trash cans can not be placed on Indian River Drive does not give blanket authority to disregard city ordinances. The disregarding of this city ordinance is directly impacting me as stated in my original message and as such the city has an obligation to rectify this issue.

Another solution for this problem would be to allow the garbage cans to stay where they currently are against the hedges and then put a privacy fence up so that the garbage cans are hidden between the fence and the hedges and out of sight from the road. The fence would be built with swing gates so that access to the garbage cans would be maintained from the west side and they could easily be pulled to the road on trash pick up day and placed behind the fence again later that same night.

I have introduced this idea to the owner but I am requesting the city, not me, continue driving a permanent resolution to this issue with either the fence idea or another one of their choosing.

I am not accepting the “the trash cans cannot go to Indian River Drive so we are done here” solution. I will continue to open this case, along with other members of the community, until a real and permanent solution is implemented. I respectfully ask that the city enforce the ordinance and if that requires creativity on the part of the owner and the city then that is what needs to get done.

I am requesting that the code enforcement department provide an update to this issue. This update can be publicly through this forum or I can be reached at 772-985-9226, which ever is preferable.

Good morning Mr. Medina,
If you are not satisfied with the decision made back in March, please contact Tysha Williams, Solid Waste Operational Manager at 467-3000.

Code Compliance II assigned this issue to Public Works I

Thanks for reporting to the City of Fort Pierce. We look to resolve this soon.

I will contact Tysha Williams. But I will state here in the public domain that I am not happy with the decision. If Tysha Williams cannot or does not help in this manner I expect this department to find the solution.

The reasoning/excuse that the garbage cans cannot not be put away are as follows:

1) The owner built a berm on the back yard line near 2nd Street that makes it difficult to move the garbage cans up to the road.

2) The owner built a small wall near Indian River Drive that could get damaged if the garbage cans were to be put on Indian River Drive.

So because of the owners actions in building a berm and the small wall the owner has been given permission to ignore the city ordinance. The city ordinance is there to protect all city citizens. Again as I have stated there are other solutions to this issue. A fence could be erected to block the garbage cans where they currently sit.

I grow frustrated with the city’s inaction in this manner. It appears as if the city has taken the easy way out by allowing this owner to ignore the city ordinance due to the owners own self imposed inconveniences of the berm and wall.

If this owner can ignore city ordinances because of their own self imposed inconveniences then the rest of the city’s citizens should be told that they too can ignore the city ordinances if they create their own self imposed inconveniences. Additionally any citizen that has been fined due to failing to meet city ordinances should be reimbursed that fine if they can show that the reason they could not fulfill the city ordinance is because of some self imposed inconvenience.

The pervasive problem of failure to adhere to the rules regarding trash collection and trash, recycling and brush containers being left at the curb needs a new plan to resolve. Fort Pierce is the 8th place I have called home. No other place I have lived ignored the trash can rules like Fort Pierce does. The cans at the side of the road day after day communicates lack of care and attention. The solution needs to include Public Works, Utilities, Code Enforcement, Planning and the City Manager's office. Similarly, the problem of cars parking on front lawns, rather than in the driveway or using available on-street parking. These problems are solvable. Yet, they continue to fester, unresolved, year after year. It is time to start organizing community forums to bring citizens together with elected and appointed officials to solve some of these low-cost quality of life problems in our neighborhoods. Working together, we can solve this and then move onto tackle other challenges the city faces.