ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Nearly three months after Hurricane Helene, St. Petersburg is starting its second sweep of debris collection.
Many people said they were left out of the first sweep and are wondering why.
More than 33,000 loads of debris have been removed in St. Pete. Officials said they’ve collected more than Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, and Irma combined.
As the city starts its second pass of collection, Marya Wroten wants to know why only part of the debris, near the curb in front of her home in the Pink Streets, didn’t make the first round.
“Well yeah, they had a lot to clean up, yes, but when you see them drive by and just look at your pile and just keep going, I mean over and over again, you wonder what’s wrong with this pile,” said Wroten. “I tried waving them down like, I even went, ‘Hey! You know, look here!’ And they just kept going.”
Here are a few reminders of what not to do with your debris:
- Don’t put debris in trash bags
- Don’t put debris near trees or poles.
- Don’t put debris in alleyways, on sidewalks, or in the street.
- Separate vegetative, fencing, construction, and appliances.
Wrote said she’s followed these rules.
“And we did not mix ours up. Ours is over there and we’re getting ready to haul it off ourselves but we did leave the debris because I thought they were supposed to pick that up,” said Wroten.
Neighbors said they’ve seen the trucks come through there, but something else is causing a delay, and it’s right above them.
“The power lines are very low here. So when the big cranes come in, they’re not able to come in and scoop up out of the yard. So we’re waiting, we’re hoping we’ll get the smaller trucks that’ll come out and pick it up,” said Bret Puckett, a resident. “This has been here, we’ve been passed over a few times. They’ve tried but they realized the wires are too close and would be dangerous.”
There will be two more city-wide passes as debris collection efforts wind down. City leaders said they are committed to completing the clean-up before Jan. 11.
The city will close the debris management site at 1953 72nd St. N on Dec. 22. They will start taking requests for special pickups through the SeeClickFix App or you can call 727-893-7398.
For more information, click here.
