Tampa Bay Cities Finish Debris Cleanup Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton

TAMPA, Fla.—Efforts to remove debris following Hurricanes Helene and Milton concluded in Tampa on December 20, while recovery operations continued throughout the Bay area.

This week, the city of Tampa communicated the deadline, noting, “To ensure FEMA reimbursement eligibility, all reported storm debris must be evaluated and approved by December 20, 2024.”

As of December 20, Tampa reported that 1.3 million cubic yards of debris had been collected within city limits, with most collection rounds completed by the first week of December.

“All green, but no Grinches here,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor shared on X on December 6. “Thanks to our dedicated Solid Waste team and contractors, we are ahead of schedule with debris collection, and the final pass will be finished just in time for Christmas.”

In St. Petersburg, a few days later, the city announced the impending closure of its temporary debris sites.

“The City’s Temporary Debris Management Site (Raytheon), located at 1953 72nd St. N, will cease public operations on Sunday, December 22, at 5:30 p.m.,” the city disclosed on December 19. “Until that time, residents can drop off storm-related vegetative, construction, and demolition debris at the site at no cost.”

St. Petersburg has nearly doubled Tampa’s debris collection efforts, reporting a total of 2.06 million cubic yards of vegetative, construction, and demolition debris collected during the “muck and gut” process that followed Helene’s unprecedented storm surge.

Clearwater also reported the end of its debris removal operations, announcing on December 11 that a second and final pass for construction and demolition debris on the barrier islands was currently in progress.

This update on progress came after President Joe Biden approved 100 percent reimbursement for debris removal projects statewide on October 12, following Hurricane Milton. This reimbursement applies for a period of 90 days.

“That was very generous and local governments should make use of that,” stated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on October 12. “Let’s get this debris cleared.”

“It’s not common during these storms to receive 100 percent debris reimbursement for 90 days,” the governor noted. “So make sure to take advantage.”

On that day, DeSantis and Kevin Guthrie, executive director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, waived all regulations concerning debris removal.

“I can direct and permit debris management sites, trucking hours, driver hours, and waive lengths and measures, weights, and measures,” Guthrie stated on October 12. “It’s a full-court press; 24/7, for the next 90 days, let’s get after it.”