ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It's a common sight in neighborhoods across the Tampa Bay area, debris from Helene piled up along the curb.
It's a complicated process that will take months to clear just in Pinellas County alone. The process is delayed for many because of strict rules from FEMA.
10 Tampa Bay talked to commercial haulers who say they've been turned away at the county landfill because in order for counties and cities to get their own aid from FEMA, they must document all the trash and make sure where it came from. It's leaving commercial haulers frustrated and waiting in long lines at private landfills.
Chris Nemethy owns and rents about a dozen trash trailers and his waitlist days after Helene is over a hundred people.
“And that's for people that need one that can't get one,” he said. Let alone the homes that I already have one at, they're asking that I empty it and bring it back.”
Tuesday, his work was upended when the county told him and other contractors they couldn't dump at the county landfill anymore.
“Maybe some people returned and dumped in people's yards,” Nemethy said. “Maybe they went and illegally dumped it somewhere. Maybe they did the right thing and went to an out of county facility.”
FEMA disposal sites are only for residents, otherwise he’s been told to take it back.
“They said return it to the homeowner and dump it in their yard,” he said.
Stunned at that response, Nemethy went to Instagram to vent his concerns and is going viral in the Bay Area.
“Why isn't Pinellas ‘County just operating as a transfer station?” he suggests. “If these smaller facilities are willing to do that, they're privately owned. They're doing that out of the kindness of their heart with a small, very small markup.”
The county says its hands are tied because of FEMA rules requiring strict documentation and evidence for any payouts.
“We have FEMA monitors that are required to follow these debris contractors and make sure every pile is truly storm-related debris before we can take it,” Kelly Hammer-Levy, Pinellas County’s Public Works Director said.
That's no comfort to Nemethy, who worries what will happen when more rain and storms hit.
“This debris is going to float, end up in our waterways, end up back in people's homes, through people's windows,” he worries. “Or if we had a storm and we had winds and this debris is now airborne.”
And there's even more incentive for counties and cities to do everything by the book. The White House said tonight it's increasing its FEMA reimbursement rate in Florida from 75 to 100 percent of costs.
Two websites you’ll want to bookmark if you’re in Pinellas are disaster.pinellas.gov and www.pinellas.gov/debris, web pages dedicated to information about what to do with your debris piles. They say:
Pinellas County plans to start residential collection of Hurricane Helene debris in the unincorporated area of the county on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Debris collection will be implemented in zones.
IMPORTANT: Storm debris that is in bags and/or not separated will NOT be picked up. Storm debris must be loose and separated by type: vegetative material, construction and demolition debris (doors, drywall), mixed goods (mattresses, furniture) and household appliances. Refrigerators MUST be empty.
Residents living in a municipality should check with their city or town about the availability of debris pickup in their area. If you’re not sure if your property is located within unincorporated Pinellas or within a city/municipality, use the interactive My Neighborhood Services tool to find out. For those living on private roads or in gated communities, check with your homeowner’s association for debris collection or use the County’s residential debris management site.
The Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex cannot accept storm-related debris from residents or private haulers. The facility is not an approved site for storm debris disposal.
Please ensure the roads are accessible for the debris haulers. All authorized debris collection crews will display a placard on the vehicles with Pinellas County’s authorized contractor: DRC
The following locations are available for debris disposal for residents living in unincorporated Pinellas County.
Commercial haulers are NOT able to use this site.
Central 13600 Icot Boulevard, Clearwater
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Household Appliances
The following locations are available for commercial haulers:
Facility Address
Anclote Metal 806 Anclote Rd, Tarpon Springs | (727) 938-2322
County Sanitation 5601 Haines Rd, St. Petersburg | (727) 522-5794
Trademark Metal 9380 67th St. N., Pinellas Park | (727) 544-5810
Construction & Demolition Debris Disposal
The following locations are available for commercial haulers:
Angelo’s / GFL Environmental 1755 20th Ave. SE, Largo | (727) 581-1544
Sarnago & Sons 1741 N. Keene Road, Clearwater | (727) 446-3485
Waste Management 12950 40th St., Clearwater | (727) 573-1358