JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The head of the Jacksonville Housing Authority is blasting the agency’s longtime trash hauler, Republic Services, in a fiery internal email obtained by Action News Jax Ben Becker.
In the message sent to all JHA staff, CEO Cheron Corbett Waller accuses Republic of defamation and demands a formal apology.
The email stems from an ongoing dispute over unpaid invoices that recently led Republic Services to stop collecting trash at Brentwood Lake Apartments. Republic said JHA failed to pay a $5,500 bill dating back to September 2024. However, Waller insists the bill was paid and blames the issue on a delay within Republic’s own accounting department.
“JHA will not tolerate the defamation of our image and the blatant disregard to properly service our JHA clients,” Waller wrote. “Our clients deserve to live in a clean and healthy environment.”
Waller’s message goes further, stating that the authority may “review the option to re-bid its waste management contract” if a resolution isn’t reached quickly.
JHA’s Wishlist
Waller also outlines several suggestions from staff on how Republic Services can support residents at Brentwood to repair the relationship:
- September: Cleaning supply gift baskets
- October: Fall-themed on-site breakfast
- November: Thanksgiving turkey or Cornish hen giveaway
- December: Sponsored holiday event at Brentwood Apartments
Employees were encouraged to send additional ideas to the JHA’s main inbox by Wednesday afternoon.
Missing Payments Not Mentioned
Notably, the email makes no mention of larger financial concerns: JHA was late on a $37,387 payment for June and nearly missed a $35,000 payment for July covering other properties across the city. Republic confirmed both payments were received as of Wednesday.
Republic declined to comment on the internal message, but told Becker the company plans to meet with the authority soon.
Action News Jax has been closely following issues at the Housing Authority for over 18 months. In June, Becker reported that JHA hired Nan McKay & Associates to manage its Housing Choice Voucher program — a company that was fined $3.7 million by the Department of Justice just last year.
Other controversies include:
- Multiple board resignations
- High turnover among CEOs
- Inspector general investigations
- Criminal charges against a former deputy CFO
- Requesting $90k to provide records on unpaid vendor invoices
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
