Pasco details debris volumes, novel contracting and small-hauler use after two storms

Pasco County solid-waste staff told commissioners they moved quickly to clear debris after two successive storms, expanded debris-management sites, and used small local contractors to boost capacity when national debris contractors were in high demand.

"Our early projections were 1,400,000 cubic yards," Solid Waste Director Kevin Plitzka said, summarizing the combined debris effects of the two storms. He noted the countycontracting team adjusted procurements mid-incident to retain equipment and replace an underperforming contractor. "We were within 99.9% complete by the FEMA deadline for reimbursement," Plitzka said.

Solid Waste described setting up six DDMS sites (debris-management sites), a private temporary site and a restart of night operations that allowed crews to work five nights prior to Milton to clear critical routes. Plitzka said the county recruited more than two dozen small local haulers through a novel contracting approach; five of those small vendors performed about half the work in short runs that proved efficient in some neighborhoods.

The department flagged operational lessons: improve public communications about where and when crews will be in a neighborhood; pre-identify DDMS locations and staging; and develop finer-grained GIS zone planning for routes to give residents more precise expectations.

Why it matters: Debris removal was the single largest county expense and is central to recovery and reopening roads. Faster, more transparent scheduling and a flexible contracting approach helped the county meet FEMA deadlines and accelerate cleanup for residents.

Staff said they will evaluate procurement changes for future events, prepare GPS or simple phone-based tracking for county vehicles, and work with neighboring counties on coordinated DDMS options during large events.