Garbage collectors surprised by neighbors in Miami Beach with ‘Thank You’ celebration
When trash collectors Saul Scruggs and Keon Richardson pulled onto North Bay Road in Miami Beach on Friday morning, they were expecting to meet their boss about a customer complaint.
Instead, the men were surprised by their families and a couple dozen Mid Beach residents, who got together around 7:30 a.m. to celebrate them by waving signs and offering gifts.
The neighborhood event was organized by Miami Dade College psychology professor Jennifer Elegant, who lives along their service route. She said Scruggs and Richardson “do so much more” than collect trash.
“They brighten our world, they brighten our moods because they’re happy and kind,” she said. “This was an easy turnout because everyone said the same thing: ‘Saul and Keon? We love them, of course we’ll be there.’”
A gaggle of news cameras soon engulfed the pair, prompting an incredulous Scruggs, 47, to ask: “Is this the news out here?” Mayor Dan Gelber and Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins joined in, presenting Scruggs and Richardson, 24, with a gift bag from the city and a certificate of appreciation from the county.
“My job is to make sure they’re happy,” said Scruggs, a Waste Connections employee who has serviced the neighborhood for about 20 years. “When I go outside to come to work, I’m happy.”
That’s why he was concerned when his supervisor, Rashard Williams, called him Friday morning about a stop he supposedly missed in the 2900 block of North Bay Road, off Alton Road.
“I told him that I needed him to meet me at a stop because a customer said that he missed her garbage,” Williams said a few minutes before the men arrived. “He’s already hyped up and mad thinking that he left the lady’s garbage, not knowing he has a big surprise coming.”
John Towle, an 83-year-old resident of Sunset Islands, said he figured he would be among the few residents to show up Friday morning.
“They’re just absolutely incredible,” he said. “I thought we were the only ones who actually knew and appreciated them.”
Geraldine Scruggs, Saul’s wife, said her husband “genuinely loves what he does” and she felt “emotional” to see his customers honor him.
“It’s exciting to him to see that he does what needs to be done and everybody appreciates it,” she said.
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 1:26 PM.
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