Debris collection - Palmetto Bay pledges to monitor the County on debris removal. E-mails provided.

Debris collection is the new power restoration. Palmetto Bay wants your help on getting the job done and done right.  Please note that we all are pushing to make our intersections safe and our routes to school safe for our students to walk safely to/from our area schools.  We all need to be ultra careful during this period.  Everyone needs to make certain that they drive, walk, run and/or bike with the utmost care and to look out for others. 

Please report to the Village areas that you find (or opine) that debris is not being collected correctly.  We would also like to keep track of where County / County contracted debris removal crews are (or are not) working throughout the village.

Please e-mail Palmetto Bay officials  AdminTemp@palmettobay-fl.gov and please also provide a copy to me, Eugene Flinn, at eflinn@palmettobay-fl.gov, to provide your input /concerns on debris collection.

You have my commitment, as your mayor, along with our Village Management and entire Village Council, that we will closely monitor and keep the County active in Palmetto Bay to minimize damage and perform proper and speedy debris removal as we did with FPL and power restoration. My efforts remain fully engaged with our residents.  I spent Sunday morning following up on debris related concerns.  Saturday, 9/23 was spent working with several residents on isues their were having with contractors pulling permits as well as one still waiting for power restoration - a situation specific to their properties/homes, unrelated to global FPL power line restoration.

Please note that there are insufficient assets to pick up debris. The entire State of Florida was impacted by this storm, so other counties are unable to help us out, as they have in past storms. Therefore, the County/County-hired contractors are using less optimal equipment such as "bobcats" or front end loaders (rather than the "clam shell" yard waste cranes) to scrape and remove debris. 

Please note that the County will not pick up piles co-mingling yard waste and non-organic items that are suddenly starting to find their ways to the piles.  Examples can be seen in some photos posted below. Entire refrigerators, plastic chairs/law furniture, screens and even household waste such as cans and bottles (which should be recycled) are showing up in the piles.

 

Examples of co-mingled piles (above) - this makes removal difficult and will lead to the piles either being skipped or the crews taking the yard debris and throwing the non-acceptable items into the street.

Piles should be stacked like these below:

This is what is far too often being left behind when any co-mingles piles are being picked up (below):

And please, be careful about where your piles are placed.  This poor mailbox was not quick enough to jump out of the way of a debris cleaning crew.  The crews are charged with expeditiously removing debris, not for their fine detail of the work.