WZEP AM 1460 First News Saturday 10-22-11
Suzanne Harris, President of the Edgewater Beach Condominium is reportedly in the process of filing a complaint against Walton Commissioner Larry Jones over the county’s renewing Waste Management’s contract and Jones getting a position with the garbage company.
The complaint, being filed with the state’s Commission on Ethics, says District 3 Commissioner Larry Jones has committed multiple violations of the Florida Code of Ethics. The violations relate to his employment with Waste Management, Inc. Jones was elected in 2000 and reelected in 2004 and 2008. He became employed with Waste Management in early 2009. A complaint only indicates what someone is claiming, and is usually looked at by staff before being investigated. An investigation then goes to the Commission who makes a decision.
Waste Management has held the franchise for garbage collection south of the bay and recently has taken over all the garbage collection in the unincorporated part of Walton County. The city of Freeport also chose to parallel the County’s contract with Waste Management for services inside the city. Paxton is under the county. The company does not collect in DeFuniak Springs, but some suggest a contract is being considered for the central Walton municipality. The complaint says the Waste Management franchise renewals and expansions have occurred without any form of competitive process.
The complaint also says that in 2003 and in 2010, the franchises were renewed prior to the termination date without a request for proposals, qualifications or through the competitive bid process. Local long time waste management company Dayco, out of Freeport, had the franchise until Waste Management bought out the company. This after Walton County said Dayco had misbilled and owed the county for overpayments. Dayco originally agreed and tried to set up a way to make good with the county, but later, after a review, changed and denied that they owed the county. By being bought out, the matter was settled.
The complaint says, most recently, Walton County started and then terminated a request for proposals (RFP) for solid waste services. Walton advertised in 2010, then rejected all proposals, including Waste Management’s and at the same meeting approved the renewal, extension and expansion of the Waste Management franchise agreement.