County struggles to remove storm debris

Storm debris collection may be underway in Sarasota County, but the county is struggling to find companies who are willing to work in the area.

Sarasota County Emergency Services Director Rich Collins said that the main company the county contracts with for debris removal is having a hard time finding other subcontractors willing to do the work, because other counties and cities to the south of Sarasota are offering a higher rate.

Sarasota County’s debris collection rate is $8 per cubic yard. But further south, contractors could get up to $18 per cubic yard.

“Subcontractors are moving south,” Collins said, “causing the resourcing issue we are seeing here.”

The city of Sarasota announced Tuesday that it has not had any of its crews leave the area, and that contractors are still collecting storm debris seven days a week.

For county residents, the issue could result in longer wait times for debris to be removed from their yards. A majority of the state is facing the same problem, and Collins said the county and state are considering several options to get the debris removed quicker. Although the city has its own storm debris plans, it is facing the same problems as the county, Collins said. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi is working at the state level to identify out-of-area contractors who could come in, Collins said. Another idea would be to effectively borrow crews from some municipalities in the panhandle who weren’t hit as hard by Irma. The county is even looking into renting trucks and filling them with its own crews to get the work done. It’s also working with FEMA to get reimbursed for the work.

“The goal is to continue to increase the resources in the county,” Collins said.

Although Collins was unable to estimate a timeline for debris collection until the contractors are solidified, as of Friday, there were 11 trucks moving through the county devoted to debris pickup. Most of the trucks started collecting debris from south Sarasota County and are working their way north. Collins called this “the first sweep,” and county staff are working to solidify plans for a second or third sweep later.

The county landfill is open extended hours, including Sunday, for people to drop off their own debris. For more information on storm debris removal, visit the county’s web page here.

This story has been updated to correct the status of storm debris pickup in the city.