Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available household and population data and reflects independent analysis only. The City of Port St. Lucie has not yet decided whether any of the settlement money will be returned, who would qualify, how any refund would be calculated, or what amount—if any—residents could receive. No final refund plan has been approved by the City Council. As a result, all figures discussed here are estimates only and could be wrong.
After the City of Port St. Lucie finalized its $24 million settlement with Waste Pro, one question is dominating local conversation:
If the money is returned… how much would residents actually receive?
Mayor Shannon Martin has publicly stated that her position is to return the funds to taxpayers. However, no final decision has been made by the City Council.
So while nothing is official yet, we can break down a realistic estimate based on available data.
The key question: how would it be divided?
This is where things get complicated — because the answer depends entirely on how the city defines who gets the money.
Possible ways the city could structure a refund include:
- Per resident
- Per household
- Per utility (trash) account
- Only to residents who lived in the city during the Waste Pro service period
Each method would produce very different results.
A realistic estimate (based on households)
Using publicly available Census data, Port St. Lucie has roughly:
- ~94,000 households
If the full $24 million were divided evenly:
- $24,000,000 ÷ 94,000 ≈ $250 per household
If only the first payment portion is considered:
- $21,000,000 ÷ 94,000 ≈ $220 per household
Why this number could change
This estimate is not official and could easily shift depending on real-world decisions.
Factors that could affect the final amount include:
- Whether all $24M is returned or only part of it
- Administrative and legal costs
- Whether funds are split between refunds and city improvements
- How many accounts or residents qualify
- Whether eligibility is limited to a specific timeframe
For example, if the city only includes households that had active service during the Waste Pro issues, the number of recipients could drop — which would increase the per-household amount.
The reality most people aren’t considering
Even in a best-case scenario, the math shows:
- This is likely a few hundred dollars per household, not thousands
- That’s why some residents are suggesting alternatives like:
- lowering future trash bills
- improving city services
- reinvesting into infrastructure
Bottom line
Right now, there is no confirmed refund plan.
- The mayor supports returning funds to taxpayers
- The City Council will make the final decision
- A public meeting is expected where residents can weigh in
Until then, any per-household amount — including the estimates above — should be viewed as informational analysis, not a guaranteed outcome
Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available household and population data and reflects independent analysis only. The City of Port St. Lucie has not yet decided whether any of the settlement money will be returned, who would qualify, how any refund would be calculated, or what amount—if any—residents could receive. No final refund plan has been approved by the City Council. As a result, all figures discussed here are estimates only and could be wrong.