State transportation chief praises Irma debris cleanup

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s transportation secretary gives his agency a passing mark for debris removal after Hurricane Irma.

But with debris still along some roads, particularly in pockets of the Florida Keys, Department of Transportation Secretary Michael Dew said officials will study how they can improve.

“I think we did an effective job, but I think we can always do better,” he said Thursday during a meeting of the House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness.

The pace and cost of debris collection has been a point of contention in the government’s response to Hurricane Irma, which made landfall Sept. 10 in Monroe and Collier counties, then barreled up the state. The Department of Transportation has spent $15 million on debris removal from state highways, with Dew expecting reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Some of that money related to getting called in to help after local governments complained that debris haulers failed to honor prestorm contracts as subcontractors went in pursuit of better deals in areas harder hit by the storm. Dew, whose agency will conduct a storm-response review in December, said he wants to see if language about penalties and liabilities can be strengthened in contracts with disaster relief firms.

“We had a couple of incidents in areas around the state where we were promised 25 … crews but maybe only 15 showed up,” he said. “I’d like to see some more teeth in the contracts so that we can rely on the numbers that are in there, because a lot of our critical planning relies on having those crews available to us.”

Committee Chairwoman Jeanette Nunez, a Miami Republican whose panel is expected next month to make a series of recommendations that could lead to legislation, said debris removal may be one of those topics. Other issues the panel addressed include health-care facilities, evacuations, petroleum supplies, electric utilities, housing, agriculture and shelter management.