OLDSMAR, Fla. — The small community of Oldsmar faced significant challenges after recent storms, with several homes damaged by storm surges.
Initially, the city's debris contractor failed to appear, leaving residents concerned about cleanup delays.
Oldsmar then partnered with Pinellas County, which proved beneficial both financially and logistically.
The county's contractor charged half the rate of the original contractor and quickly cleared the debris.
“Our city is completely cleaned up,” Oldsmar's mayor, Dan Saracki said. “I actually think that we are the first municipalities — in the city of Oldsmar — to have everything picked up from our residents putting a pile and it's all been taken away.”
The mayor says residents were worried when their original debris contractor didn’t show up that the city might be the last to get cleaned up. Instead?
“We were concerned about rats, smell,” said the mayor.
Mayor Saracki says the original debris contractor they hired was charging about $15 per cubic yard and may have gotten a more lucrative offer someplace else. It turned out to be a stroke of luck.
The county's contractor was about half as expensive, and within days, the trash piles had now been moved.
“Huge, huge mountain. And now, clean as a whistle,” resident Tina Stroud said.
“Anytime that you can cut cost and cut the fat and get things done efficiently I'm all for it,” resident Fred Littman added.
Despite the cleanup success, Oldsmar still deals with storm aftermath, including displaced residents, permitting delays and ongoing rebuilding efforts.
“A lot of residents are displaced right now, and things might change over the next year or two. Families that have lived here for decades might have to leave or have to sell their property or have to rebuild,” Mayor Saracki said. “And I think that going forward our future of the city of Oldsmar will definitely change.”