Bradenton honors Public Works for multi-storm cleanup; city reports emergency creek work

The Bradenton City Council on Jan. 22 recognized employees from the Public Works and Utilities Department for emergency response and recovery after a string of storms and reviewed an emergency procurement to clear debris from Weyers Creek.

Council members and Mayor Jean Brown fronted a standing-room presentation honoring the department for work during hurricanes Debbie, Helene and Milton. Mayor Jean Brown said the cleanup effort helped restore “a little normalcy” for affected residents and thanked crews for coming out at odd hours to clear debris.

The council heard that city crews and volunteers removed large amounts of storm debris in the weeks after the storms. City remarks put the cleanup total in city accounting terms (pounds) and described the recovery work as substantial: “over the next week before Milton even hit, we got over a £1,000,000 cleaned up in neighborhoods,” the mayor said, referring to the city’s weight-based landfill reporting method.

Public Works Director Mr. Perry (first reference as Mr. Perry, Public Works director) told the council the department fielded cross-department and volunteer support across sanitation, fleet, landscaping, engineering, electrical, streets and drainage, and water and sewer. He described crews performing protective, response and recovery tasks and cited field examples such as crews working early morning hours to find and operate valves and maintain pump stations.

Mr. Perry also reported a recent emergency procurement: city staff authorized a contract for targeted removal of debris from Weyers Creek related to hurricane damage. The procurement covered clearing material that impeded tidal flow and stream conveyance near Manatee Avenue; the item was reported at about $48,000 and was approved as an emergency procurement by staff on Nov. 10, 2024 (procurement date reported in the meeting materials). Mr. Perry clarified the work involved “cleaning debris that flowed into the Weyers Creek area,” not mangrove removal.

Staff and council emphasized the award program’s form of recognition: for this quarter the City will offer a $100 gift card or a day off, funded from a wellness account rather than the general fund. Mr. Perry said the wellness-funded award costs the city roughly $30,000.

Council members repeatedly praised the department’s on-the-ground work and recounted examples of crews assisting elderly residents, clearing yards and repairing infrastructure. Several councilors said the visible, rapid cleanup changed residents’ perceptions of city responsiveness after repeated storms.

The presentation closed with photos of large groups of Public Works employees and supervisors gathered on the dais. Councilors also noted follow-up operational items: continuing infrastructure repairs, coordination with county crews on adjacent properties, and future workshops to review wastewater, sanitation and paving programs.

Ending: The recognition and the emergency procurement report were presented as informational items; no separate council action voting on the procurement was recorded at the meeting. Council members directed staff to continue workshops and briefings on infrastructure priorities and storm-related repairs.