$27.5 million later, Tallahassee, Leon County debris removal coming to an end

Debris pickup trucks are making the final lap as both the City of Tallahassee and Leon County continue to pick up the pieces left behind by the May 10 tornadoes.

In accordance with storm debris removal contracts, the sister governments have been working to remove any traces of the trio of twisters that tore through the capital county.

"Crews did an amazing job and are in the final phase now," city spokesperson Alison Faris said in a text. Faris also mentioned how the city sent out communications to residents on June 17 to inform them that most debris pickup was finished.

In order to aid in the pick-up, Faris wanted to remind community members to place any debris, whether it be tree branched, construction debris, or even broken appliances on the curb for crews to remove.

Removal operations began back in May and as of last week the city has picked up 800,000 cubic yards of debris and spent about $50 million in storm response in the wake of the tornadoes. When the final truck rolls, Faris predicts the city will have spent nearly $20 million on debris pickup alone.

County debris pick-up to be complete by July 12

According to an advisory sent out by the county last week, staff advised residents in the unincorporated areas that the final pass for tree debris would begin on June 24, lasting until July 12. Like the city, they are asking all residents to place debris on the curb.

The new timeline is an extension of the original estimate given by county staff, who said the pick-up process would take around four weeks.

Leon County's chief spokesperson, Matt Cavell, said to date the county has collected 313,000 cubic yards of debris. "It's like taking a football field and stacking it 14 stories high with vegetative debris" Cavell said.

The county is estimating the total cost of debris pick-up to be around $7.5 million but anticipates reimbursement through FEMA.

Recently, a county debris truck was hit by a train in the Chaires area of the county. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the wreck.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.