COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A long-standing partnership between Columbia County and its primary waste hauler has soured into a legal battle.
Waste Pro has filed a lawsuit against the county, as they say they are challenging faulty pricing calculations in the County’s procurement process to save residents millions in waste collection services over the life of the new contract.
They say that move will cost taxpayers millions.
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Waste Pro, which has served the county for 15 years, argues that errors in the bidding process led officials to overlook their proposal. According to Tim Dolan, Waste Pro’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, the company’s bid was the most cost-effective option on the table.
“We believe they clearly miscalculated the results,” Dolan said. “The county’s miscalculation will cost the community somewhere around $2.3 million over the five-year contract. We think the residents deserve better.”
County records show Waste Pro bid $9.90 per month for residential pickup. By comparison, another bidder, Adams Sanitation, proposed a residential rate nearly $3 higher.
“There’s commercial and a residential component to this. They overvalued the commercial component by 10 times its value, which skewed their answers,” Dolan said.
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The legal friction marks a rare shift for Waste Pro. While the company acknowledges that suing a municipality is an unusual strategy, managers insist it was necessary to protect both their business and local jobs.
“It’s been a very good working relationship up until this point,” Dolan noted, adding that the loss of the contract could lead to local job cuts.
A spokesperson for the county declined to comment as its pending litigation. However, the spokesperson emphasized that the commission remains committed to acting in the “best interest of our residents.”
With Waste Pro’s current contract set to expire in October, the future of the county’s waste management remains in limbo. As of this week, commissioners have yet to finalize a deal with a new hauler.
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