TALHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – A major issue coming out of last year’s hurricane was fragments. Helen’s furniture and piles of garbage lined up the streets of Florida, and Hurricane Milton tumbled down before people could prepare.
A few months later, lawmakers returned to Tallahassee, taking the debris mixed chaos as a wake-up call, turning strict lessons from Hurricane Helen and Milton into law, hoping to see how debris would be handled before, during or after the storm.
“You always have a level of frustration because there is a pile of debris in front of your house, so you want to get rid of it. The challenge is that there is always someone who is collected first and always the last one,” said Sen. Nick Dicegley, R-Indian Rocks Beach.
With crews turning their backs from the landfill and residents stuck with debris for months, Diceglie took those concerns to fellow Tallahassee lawmakers to avoid the issues that occurred in 2024.
“There were some jurisdictions that scrambled different sites, and I want to do that well in advance, and I don’t want to deal with it for five days after the storm.
The Hurricane Bill Package, which passed both the House and Senate, addresses the issue of debris and introduces local government requirements.
Municipalities with annual debris removal plans published online by May 1 each year must have a collection site set up previously identified before the start of hurricane season.
The bill also appears to hold private debris carriers accountable. Diceglie said some contractors are struggling with Tampa Bay residents by dumping local jobs and chasing better salaries.
“We hold these collectors accountable. There were a lot of collectors who had contracts. They said they’re getting more money in other parts of the state and even some of the countries. We need to eliminate that as much as possible,” Diceglie said.
The bill is now awaiting approval from the governor.
Diseglie says she is confident she will receive the green light from Desantis, who is currently in Tallahassee.
