St. Johns County garbage collection fees are expected to jump by 78% to $454 a year by 2030, officials said.
The Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday voted to approve the fee increases.
Beginning in October, the current annual fee of $254 will jump by $80 to $334.
The rate is expected to rise by another $60 in 2027, with smaller annual hikes through 2030.
By then, homeowners could be paying $454 a year — nearly $200 more than current rates.
The sharp initial bump stems from the county’s 2024 transition to a new trash provider, FCC Environmental Services — the first provider change in 20 years.
Officials say the county initially absorbed higher service costs instead of raising rates, which delayed the financial impact until now.
Public Works Director Greg Caldwell previously told the board that waste fees are rising across the board and that the hikes are inevitable.
He noted Tuesday that if projected expenses don’t rise as fast as anticipated, future increases may be reduced.
To stem costs, the county could tweak its contract with FCC, including reducing recycling pickups.
Officials could also charge a premium to short-term rental properties like Airbnb and Vrbo.
Caldwell previously noted that the proposed fees would put St. Johns County in the middle of the pack compared to other nearby areas — higher than Putnam and roughly on par with St. Augustine Beach.
St. Johns would still be roughly $75 less than Palm Coast and Flagler County, where garbage is collected twice weekly
