Nearly three weeks since Hurricane Irma, many Villagers still have debris stacked in their driveways waiting for pickup.
Residents say they are fed up, frustrated and tired of excuses about the Federal Emergency Management Agency and fingerpointing about who’s to blame.
“My seeing and reading about The Villages waiting for FEMA to clear storm debris, caused me to think of Villagers being on welfare. ‘The Villages – The Poorest Hometown in America.’ Cannot even pay for their own storm cleanup without government assistance,” said Roger Goodman of the Village of Winifred.
He has been watching the debris-collection debacle from Michigan.
As of Friday, debris in Winifred remained uncollected.
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, it had been expected that FEMA-approved hauler Crowder Gulf Inc. would come through, collect and dispose of the debris. From the earliest days of post-Irma recovery, District Manager Janet Tutt had cautioned that the collection could take time, reminding residents that The Villages encompasses 44 square miles.
As weeks passed and many residents never caught sight of a collection vehicle, frustration has grown. Salt on the wound came in the form of CH2MHill trucks passing by and not stopping to pick up yard waste as that collection was suspended.
“A big part of the problem is that Crowder Gulf had most of its manpower and equipment in Texas due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Community Development District 4 Supervisor Don Deakin.
Collection of debris from the 5,200 homes in CDD 4 was completed this week.
“It took a lot longer than anyone had anticipated,” Deakin said.
Deakin said he met with a local Crowder Gulf supervisor after the company’s subcontractors flocked to South Florida where ravaged communities were ready to pay well above the FEMA reimbursement rate.
Deakin said the Crowder Gulf official told him the subcontractors had “abandoned” him.
The Crowder Gulf official tried to recruit local subcontractors with little success.
Fed-up Villagers began dumping debris at postal facilities and recreation centers. The District Office issued pleas, asking residents to stop. Debris remains piled up at many of the District-owned facilities.
“It’s going on three weeks. No reason our regular pickup couldn’t have picked up at least the bags so they wouldn’t fall apart with the rain,” said Village of Largo resident Tony Pagoto.
On Friday evening, the District Office offered this update on debris pickup:
As the District continues to receive calls regarding debris collection, there is some misunderstanding that we would like to address. Per FEMA requirements, the District has contracted with a private company to conduct storm debris collection and hauling. In addition, the District has worked with three other local companies to become eligible to pick up storm related debris.
There are currently 17 trucks with trailers, 8 loaders and 3 grapple trucks that are working throughout the community to collect storm debris. They are working 7 days per week from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The debris hauler will only visit each area one time. If yard debris is placed after the initial collection, it must meet the requirements of your normal yard waste collection. The debris hauler will not return to areas to pick up freshly cut limbs or debris that was not placed roadside when the initial collection took place. If you have additional debris that exceeds the limit that your normal yard waste provider is equipped to handle, it is your responsibility to have it removed.
In addition, please DO NOT take your vegetative debris to postal and recreation centers due to safety concerns. For those Sumter County residents that wish to drop off debris, a temporary disposal site has been established by Sumter County on CR 528 in Sumterville. Lake County residents can visit the following link for debris drop-off locations: https://www.lakecountyfl.gov/departments/public_works/solid_waste/storm_debris.aspx
