Administration says state of emergency still needed for debris, RV rules and possible procurement

City staff told the council on Jan. 23 that the local state of emergency remains necessary to allow flexibility for storm recovery tasks including code enforcement for debris and temporary placement of RVs/trailers while homeowners repair storm damage. Administrator Gertes gave the report required by city code §2‑429 and answered council questions about duration and scope.

Gertes said the state of emergency has allowed the city to accept curbside debris that otherwise would have been a code violation, and to permit residents to park trailers or RVs in front yards while repairs are under way. He said procurement flexibility under the emergency had been used once to hire Lighthouse Advisors Inc. for work related to Tropicana Field under an $80,000 contract.

Asked by Council Member Floyd how long the emergency would last, Gertes said staff hopes to remove the debris-related provisions within about 30 days and to transition debris pickup from contractors to in‑house sanitation operations in the coming weeks. He said the RV allowance may be longer while homeowners repair storm damage and that the city may need short-term consultant help to meet tight HUD CDBG deadlines related to $159,000,000 in federal CDBG-DR funds; staff planned a meeting with HUD the following Tuesday.

Gertes said the administration would work with council if members became uncomfortable with the state of emergency and reminded council that the code permits council to terminate it. No council motion was required; the item was an informational update.