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Heritage Hills residents urge city to pursue contractor insurance after garbage‑truck spills damage private roads
Summary
Residents told the commission that repeated fluid spills from waste‑collection trucks have degraded privately owned roads in Heritage Hills; they asked the city to press the contractor (Waste Connections) to file claims and repair surfacing instead of monthly pressure‑washing.
Several Heritage Hills residents addressed the Dade City Commission on Jan. 14 to say private neighborhood roads have been damaged by leaks and spills from waste‑collection trucks operating under the city’s contract. Speakers asked the city to pursue insurance claims against the contractor rather than rely on periodic pressure‑washing, which they said drives oil and hydraulic fluid deeper into asphalt and accelerates potholing.
Sue Queen described photos of ongoing damage and said the neighborhood has “a start of a pothole in front of my house that is just now 2 years old.” She said her community believes Waste Connections’ trucks have leaked hydraulic fluid and other materials and that pressure washing “is not going to control the mess that’s already been made.”
Cheryl Musgrove, president of the Heritage Hills HOA, told commissioners the neighborhood contains about 302 homes and that the roads are privately owned by the community. "This is our responsibility to pay for it, but we pay our garbage bill to the city who has a contract," Musgrove said. "The city of Dade City is gonna have to step up as our agent — all 302 of us — and say: ‘Put in a claim to get the roads fixed.’" She said residents cannot file suit directly because the contract is held by the city.
Residents asked three specific actions: (1) the city should press the contractor to make a damage claim with its insurer, (2) the city should obtain an on‑site engineering assessment to quantify needed road repairs, and (3) the city should not rely on monthly pressure‑washing as a permanent fix.
City staff confirmed they had inspected trucks after complaints and said corrective steps were being taken for active vehicles, but staff did not provide a timeline for repairs to pavement already damaged. The commission took the comments under advisement; residents were directed to continue follow‑up with the city manager’s office so staff can assess contractual remedies and insurance options.
Ending: Residents urged the commission to use the city’s contractual authority to seek insurance recovery and to prevent Heritage Hills homeowners from bearing the cost of repaving roads they contend were damaged by contractor leaks.
