ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Division of Emergency Management is commending the city of St. Petersburg on efforts of getting debris cleaned up.
Executive director Kevin Guthrie spoke at the city council meeting Thursday.
“St. Pete is leading the way on getting that done, cutting through red tape and saying we’re going to do the right thing by our residents,” Guthrie said.
The clock is ticking on the deadline to be reimbursed by FEMA. All the debris must be collected by Jan. 11.
“I’m sorry, that just seems like an awful long time,” Al Oaks said.
Guthrie told city council with the devastation done to Ft. Myers Beach from Hurricane Ian, it took them 11 months to clear it.
“Ok, I’ll take the 90 days,” Oaks said.
People living in the Gateway neighborhood were getting ready for trick-or-treating. Though piles of debris still sit in front of many homes in the area.
“It’s for the kids,” said one trick-or-treater.
Residents said living with this debris sitting in front of their homes is not normal.