Trash war reignites: Adams Sanitation put on hold from servicing Santa Rosa south end

Santa Rosa County residents will have to wait even longer to learn if Adams Sanitation can provide trash pickup service to the south end of the county after a temporary injunction was granted Monday afternoon to stop it.

The injunction will stay in place until Judge Darlene Dickey makes a final legal decision surrounding Adams' operation in the south end as it relates to Waste Pro's exclusivity contract.

The injunction comes only 10 days after Santa Rosa County commissioners voted to grant an appeal to Adams Sanitation, which allows the company to obtain a permit to provide sanitation services in the south end of the county.

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In a memo to the board, County Attorney Thomas Dannheisser recommended the commissioners deny the permit appeal because Waste Pro has an exclusive contract for service in the south end while Adams does not.

During the Monday hearing, Waste Pro's Regional Vice President Ralph Mills said the company services about 26,000 customers in the south end. He said residents began to call with questions after the County Commission's decision, but there was nothing in terms of price or service adjustment the company could utilize because of its contract with the county.

Waste Pro's attorney, Amy Shay, argued the decision to grant Adams a permit brings harm to Waste Pro and damages the company's reputation.

Nathan Boyles, Adams Sanitations' legal and business development manager and Okaloosa County commissioner, released a statement directly after the decision. In it, he said that the "deck is stacked against the little guy." He added that Adams was "flabbergasted" and "frustrated," saying Waste Pro was "unable to accept that the will of the people had spoken," after the commission granted the appeal.

How did we get here?

Santa Rosa County has offered exclusive contracts for sanitation since 2011. In July 2020, Waste Pro extended its exclusive contract with Santa Rosa County until the end of 2024. But by the end of 2020, Adams Sanitation began signing up residents in northern Santa Rosa County for its service, which began Jan. 1, 2021.

Waste Pro filed its first lawsuit against Adams in November 2020, and Adams filed a counter-lawsuit that claimed Waste Pro's July 2020 contract was in violation of an earlier one they had signed with the county. Eventually, the Santa Rosa County Commission granted Adams a permit to conduct service north of Yellow River, threatening Waste Pro's exclusivity.

Having been given a permit for the northern end of the county, Adams Sanitation then sought permission to service the southern part of the county. In 2021, the application was denied.

Adams filed an appeal with the Board of County Commissioners for the denial of the south end permit. The appeal hearing with the county was set for Sept. 9, 2021, but the commission later notified Adams that the hearing was canceled, prompting a new lawsuit from Adams that claimed a violation of the company's due process.

Adams began service in the south end of the county without a permit Oct. 1, 2021, and in mid-October 2021, Waste Pro succeeded in securing a temporary injunction that stopped Adams Sanitation from collecting trash in the south end of the county.

In February 2022, Circuit Judge Darlene Dickey made a ruling in the lawsuit granting Adams the opportunity to appear at the Santa Rosa County appeal hearing that was originally canceled.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Adams Sanitation stopped from servicing Santa Rosa south end