Waste Pro, the garbage hauler on contract to provide garbage and recycling service for residents in Palm Coast and unincorporated Flagler, appointed Heather Badger-Felmet as division manager in Palm Coast.
Badger-Felmet is a long-time Waste Pro employee and local resident. She’d been making her way up the ranks at the company.
“Heather had taken over the role internally kind of as an interim as they did the search to find a replacement,” said Heidi Petito, Flagler County’s facilities director who oversees the county’s contract with Waste Pro. “They ended up appointing her.”
The appointment occurs just 14 months after the company had promoted Shea Drury to lead the Palm Coast division. Drury left last spring, at a time that coincided with another spike in complaints about service from Palm Coast residents. The spike hasn’t been repeated since.
A year ago the company had 56 employees providing service to more than 40,000 residential customers and more than 1,500 commercial customers in Palm Coast and Flagler County. The number of households has been growing in the city and the county. In the county alone, since 2017, when the contract was last renewed, the county has added some 1,000 households, Petito said, for a total of 6,887 houses at the end of October. The number of added households in Palm Coast is significantly higher.
Waste Pro has had its challenges with both Palm Coast and the county over the last few years, but has been working through them.
Service satisfaction is reflected in the amounts of fines the city levies on Waste Pro each month–for missed pick-ups, incomplete routes and other such issues. The company had a very rough patch in late 2017 and early 2018, racking up $40,000 in fines from Palm Coast in March and April 2018 alone. (The county does not levy fines for poor service.) Palm Coast government officials grumbled. The company pledged to revamp routes and add personnel. The remainder of 2018 went well, but problems grew again in early 2019, with $14,500 in fines in January and $10,000 in April, leading some elected officials to wonder whether the company was still up to the job. In summer, Beverly Beach opted to end its relationship with Waste Pro at the end of the contract year and resume its relationship with Flagler Beach, which had provided garbage service previously. Flagler Beach, like Bunnell, has its own municipal hauling service.
For Palm Coast and Flagler County, the Waste Pro five-year contract expires in June 2022. The county piggy-backs on the city’s contract. Waste Pro has been providing garbage service to the two jurisdictions since 2007. The current charge is $20.36 a month per household.
After the latest spat of issues, company officials met with the Palm Coast city manager and with county officials and again worked things out. Fines dropped to $3,200 in May, and to zero in June. The amounts of fines have been relatively low since, averaging around $1,000 each month.
Petito credits the improvement to Badger-Felmet.
Service, Petito said, has been “excellent, we haven’t had any issues. I attribute that to Heather because she’s always been the one–even before she had the position–she’s always been very receptive and responsive to any customer complaint, she’s always very helpful and professional.”
A Waste Pro release notes that Badger-Felmet is a graduate of Daytona State College who gained management experience working for home-building company Forister Builders, where she worked for eight years as Operations Manager. Prior to this role, she sold new home construction. She’s been in the waste industry for a decade, joining Waste Pro in 2009 in the accounts receivable department. From there, she worked her way up to her most recent position as Office Administrator in Palm Coast.
“Heather has been quietly developing her leadership skills over the years with her willingness to learn and her ambition to provide excellent customer service,” said Northeast Florida Regional Vice President Brian Wintjen. “With that, she has gained competence and confidence and is ready for her next role with Waste Pro.”
Badger-Felmet has been a long-time volunteer for the city of Palm Coast, serving as a youth soccer coach for the past 13 years.
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LEE MICHAUD says
Good luck. The men doing the pick up work are very hard working men. Always say hi if I’m out side.
Paul says
I been driving sanitation for 15 years for city st augustine beach we use 2 hangers per truck routes go such much smother with the large areas in palm coast waste pro would use 2 hangers just a lot on 1 hanger picken all that trash some guys I talk to working 9 10 hours days to complete route that’s crazy just something to think about thank you
Tom Peccarelli says
Congratulations. Now how about doing some work on your website so we have communication about pickup days and holidays especially in the county.
FlaglerLive says
We’ll do our best to incorporate the information in the Daily Briefing.
Kelly says
Can they try not and break every trash can and recycling bin I own, I mean I guess it’s too late now but for real they broke all my recycling bins and destroyed my metal trash can, this just started happening when we got new drivers and crew.
The Solid Waste People says
Waste Pro misses the mark once again!
The whole publicity release from Waste Pro never mentioned the safety aspect of thier problem.
It’s going on almost a year since there was a death of a well liked young man.
Promoting from within is fine and someone local is better and a woman leader even better.
What is needed is the City and County holding their contractor accountable for their actions.
It was evident that there was no follow up from contract administrators regarding safety loss and management.
An early morning tailgate safety meeting is important but there must be more comprehensive safety management taking place.
Evidently again not enough.
So let me help the waste pro folks just a bit.
If Waste Pro just does the following lives will less likely be at risk:
Safety first and then the following,
1) Waste Pro corporate needs to support the local manager with robust budget and support.
2) start paying by the hour not a day labor rate.
3) stop using the day labor agricultural rule that allows you to pay overtime at .5 rather than 1.5 or time and half. Thus cheating the employees to meet your budget.
4) stick to the rules of the contract like, where are the CNG trucks that were promised. Waste Pro has far less than the contract required. (Shame on Palm Coast for no follow through on their own contract requirements)
5) hire more personnel and put the proper amount of route supervision in place to keep an eye on safety and productivity . Supervisors should not be spare drivers and missed pickup guys.
6) residents need to help by putting trash out on time and STOP calling a missed pickup because you were a lazy ass.
I likely can go on and on but the bottom line is Safety is paramount.
Good luck to Ms. Felmet your drivers are hard working folks. Under paid, overworked and underappreciated. I hope you can change the creepy waste pro culture to something to be proud of…….thanks
Stephanie Morales says
I had no idea Waste Pro was having so much trouble as i live in Palm Coast, 43 Pinelynn Dr. and i have no complaints !!! Keep up the good wk. GOD BLESS and be safe.
Bibi says
My WP service team is outstanding. They do an excellent job. We appreciate the reliable service they provide. The workers are unpaid, generally unappreciated, *unsafe, environmentally hazardous
to their health. unhealthy conditions picking up our waste. Let’s give these fine gentlemen the respect and support deserved. Do out part. Follow the rules. Put our trash out on time, in the proper containers and Thank them for doing a job we WOULD NOT CHOOSE.
*In memory of the young man Mr. Washington.
Jason says
Yadi, Yadi, Yadi. Same garbage, different day. Truth is you can’t fire them because there is no one else to do it. Ouch!
Somertonbob says
For a city this size and no parking problem a full automated service could save them money.
Darryl says
I put things to the curb and they don’t pick it up, I guess you have to put it in the woods???