Sarasota County officials report that crews have collected over 2 million cubic yards of debris from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and are on track to finish by January 11.

As recovery operations continue in Sarasota County, officials are working diligently to meet their debris collection deadline, hiring additional contractors to expedite the process. Despite significant progress, some residents are still waiting for their debris to be picked up.

“We’re two months out, and it’s still piles,” said Suzanne Moll of Sarasota, who lives near Keely Lane in an unincorporated part of the county. To her relief, her neighborhood only recently saw debris trucks. “We had a pile at least eight, maybe 10 feet high and several car lengths long in front of our house. It just got picked up on Friday, and we’re super excited about that,” she said.

According to county officials, more than 200 contractors have been working daily over the past 57 days to meet the January 11 deadline. “Ian took a little while, but definitely not this long. But I remind myself that we got hit pretty hard with three storms, especially on the coast and barrier islands. There’s still a lot of work out there,” Moll added.

The county’s solid waste department noted that substantial debris removal has been completed in the keys and other heavily affected coastal areas. “More and more areas are turning green. Areas eligible for second and final passes have been noticed, and some have even been completed,” said Wendi Crisp of Sarasota County Solid Waste.

Officials also caution against challenges such as improperly piled debris, cars blocking debris piles, and illegal dumping. “We see this regularly—not just in recovery operations but with household goods, fencing, and vegetative debris placed in non-eligible locations,” Crisp said.

Residents acknowledge the magnitude of the logistical operation and emphasize the importance of patience. “Just waiting to see and having that patience for when they come by and how many drive-bys they need to take,” Moll concluded.

The county aims to stick to its 90-day collection plan timeline, completing by January 11 unless an extension is needed. To help teams stay on track, residents are reminded to properly arrange debris piles by separating vegetation from construction materials and household items.

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(Image credit: Sarasota County Government)