Fort Pierce public works rolls out beautification plan focused on litter, staffing and beach cleanup

Public Works Director Jason Atkinson briefed the City Commission on a multi-year beautification plan that he said is intended to reduce visual blight, limit litter and keep streetscapes and parks well maintained. The presentation, given June 9, laid out short‑term operational changes and longer-term capital and staffing needs the department intends to include in the coming budget cycle.

Atkinson said the department’s work will be guided by a “quality objective” to make service levels measureable and repeatable: "What is it that we want to see…how do we go about doing that," he said. He described several specific proposals including revising solid‑waste pickup rules, raising service oversight and creating a two‑person service team for highly visible areas.

Why it matters: the plan targets streets and parks that frame downtown and the city’s beach access points — places commissioners said affect tourism and local property values. Atkinson emphasized operational changes to create visible results, including more frequent street sweeping, a downtown blower/collector workflow and more frequent removal of palm fronds and other debris.

Key proposals and details - Solid‑waste/cubic‑yard policy: Atkinson proposed a baseline of roughly 2–4 cubic yards of free curbside collection with charges above that amount; he said other Florida cities use similar tiered approaches and that the city would document chargeable collections with time‑stamped photos. "I'm proposing whether it'll be somewhere in between 2 to 4 cubic yards of free collection and then anything after that," Atkinson said. - Staffing and vehicles: He recommended two‑person grapple/collection crews (driver plus ground person) to improve safety and cleanup quality, and said staffing shortages — especially mechanics — have left vehicles out of service at times. - Equipment and beach maintenance: Atkinson described using a beach‑sifting machine (a "beach barber") to remove small debris on public beaches and proposed capital purchases in the upcoming budget. - Service dispatch and customer contact: The department is reorganizing dispatch so staff can track crews and respond faster to calls; Atkinson said new radios and better dispatcher workflows should reduce response times. - Code and landscape changes: He suggested clarifying landscape and solid‑waste code language so property owners know responsibility for right‑of‑way care and to reduce ambiguity between bulk and yard debris collections.

Commission response and next steps Commissioners pressed for specifics about proposed fees and outreach. Commissioner Broderick and Commissioner Johnson emphasized the need for multilingual public education and for using community groups — including a youth council — to carry messages into neighborhoods. City staff said a Tyler-based work‑order system is being phased in to replace SeeClickFix for more centralized tracking of requests.

Atkinson said many items will be included in the department’s capital and operating budget proposals; commissioners asked staff to return with cost estimates and a five‑year capital plan that prioritizes fleet readiness and mechanics staffing.

Ending: Commissioners generally welcomed the direction and stressed downtown and beaches as early priorities for visible improvements. Atkinson said the department will follow up in the budget process with specifics on equipment, staffing and proposed fee adjustments.