City of Sarasota had tallied 280,260 cubic yards by Nov. 18, with work continuing
As of Nov. 26, storm debris contractors working in unincorporated areas of Sarasota County had collected 1.75 million cubic yards of materials from public rights of way, having begun their work on Oct. 13, county staff reported.
That was the last update before the Thanksgiving holiday.
“More than 300 contractors from around the country continue to work daily” — from sunrise to sunset, staff has emphasized — “to help collect storm debris from both Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” an advisory reported.
The debris contractors have been on break this week. They will resume work on Monday, Dec 2, staff is reminding the public.
Additionally, the advisory noted, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) “is leading the cleanup with state contractors to remove marine debris from Sarasota County waterways,” with more than 500 cubic yards of such debris having been collected as of Nov. 26.
Nokomis Beach Park is being used as a temporary offloading site for debris, the advisory pointed out, while the City of Sarasota’s 10th Street boat ramp is being used to remove vessels.
Anyone who spots debris in canals or other local waterways is encouraged to report it to the Florida Division of Emergency Management via one of the following options, staff says:
- Submit a report online at FloridaDebrisCleanup.com.
- Call 850-366-6007, daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In a report to the Sarasota City Commission as part of its regular meeting on Nov. 18, Deputy City Manager Patrick Robinson said that, over the previous 30 days, 280,260 cubic yards of storm debris had been collected within the city limits. That figure, he pointed out, equated to 392,364 tons.
His figure included construction and demolition debris, as well as the vegetative materials, Robinson said.
The total number of truckloads so far, he continued, had numbered 8,370; staff originally estimated the figure after completion of the work would be approximately 12,000, Robinson told the commissioners.
“I’m guessing it’s going to be more than [12,000],” he continued, “due to the fact that people are trimming trees and putting more stuff out as we go. That’s something that we’ve seen in places where we have done passes.”
Robinson did stress that comingling the storm debris with other materials and placing black plastic garbage bags in the piles is slowing down the collections, as those bags will not be picked up.
Staff has been working through a variety of means to get the word out, he said, about what will and will not be collected.
“I can tell you,” Robinson added, “that the county probably has four times as much — five times as much — debris as we have …”
Turning to the issue of the expense for the storm debris work — about which a couple of commissioners had asked him, he said — Robinson reminded the board members that, during their work on the budget for this fiscal year, the ending fund balance on Sept. 30 of this year was projected to be $28.7 million. That would represent about 26.8% of total expenditures for the 2024-25 fiscal year, he added.
“We’re estimating at this point that we’ll spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million for the storm-related expenses,” Robinson said. That would lower the fund balance to $11.6 million, he pointed out, or about 9.41% of total expenditures.
Within the first 90 days of a storm, he continued, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will reimburse local governments from 75% to 100% of their expenses for debris collections. If the city is able to complete its pickups in time, he added, “We’ll be basically made whole.”
The worst-case scenario, he predicted, would be the city’s getting a reimbursement for 75% of its expenses, which would put approximately $12.7 million back into the fund balance, bringing that up to the level of about 22% of total expenditures. The best practice nationally, Robinson pointed out, is a balance between 17% and 25%. Thus, he said, the city still would be near the top end of the range, if it receives $12.7 million from FEMA.
“We had about a 6-foot to 10-foot storm surge,” Robinson noted. “I can’t imagine what 10 [feet] to 15 [feet of storm surge] would be [like].”