OKEECHOBEE – Crowder Gulf has increased hurricane debris pickup efforts with seven trucks now working in the Okeechobee County, Reid Loper of Crowder Gulf said Tuesday, Nov. 12.

At the Nov. 7 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission, commissioners expressed concern the clean up was going slowly. Hurricane Milton hit Florida on Oct. 9, bringing with it tornadoes that destroyed homes and downed trees.  At that time, while four debris collection trucks had been assigned to Okeechobee County, only two were operational. One truck was handling debris clean up in the city limits.

Loper said as of Nov. 8, Crowder Gulf had collected about 17,000 cubic yards of debris. County officials estimated storm damages to include 30,000 to 40,000 cubic yards of debris.

At the Nov. 7 meeting, commissioners also expressed concern that FEMA will only reimburse the county at 100% if the debris is cleared within 90 days of the storm.

Loper said he is “pretty comfortable” the cleanup will be complete by late November or early December. He said they are moving about 1,000 cubic yards of debris per day in Okeechobee County.

How long collection continues depends on how quickly residents get the debris onto the right-of-way, he added. Crowder Gulf is not allowed to pick up debris from private property.

He said they will make at least two passes of each neighborhood with heavy damage. In some areas, such as Dixie Ranch Estates, there is so much debris that it won’t fit on the county right-of-way. Residents there must wait for the first load to be cleared so they can move more debris to the right-of-way for pickup.

Loper said it’s important that residents separate debris as much as possible, with trees and yard debris (which can be mulched), construction debris and household appliances in separate piles.

Loper rejected the suggestion that coastal areas, which are offering more money per cubic yard for pickup, are getting priority from his company.

“At no time Crowder Gulf never requested a rate increase or say that we were not going to show up for work unless we got a rate increase,” he said. “We always show up to honor our contract, throughout Florida and nationwide.”

“Crowder Gulf has removed more debris from state of Florida than any other contractor,” said Loper. “We are very confident we can complete this project in a timely fashion.” He said they started debris collection on Oct. 16.

Collections have been limited by landfill hours, he added. The Okeechobee County landfill, operated by Waste Management (WM), closes at 3 p.m. on Saturday and is closed on Sundays. He said the trucks are running when there is daylight and the landfill is open. If the landfill was open, they would work seven days a week, he added.

After previous storms, WM charged a tipping fee based on cubic yards of debris. They currently charge based on weight.

“Going across a scale and getting an actual weight takes a little more time,” he explained. “But it does not impact operations.

Loper said they use some local contractors. “One subcontractor who has been hauling from day one is from Okeechobee County,” he added. Anyone who would like to qualify as a subcontractor can go online to www.crowdergulf.com to register. “We are always open to speaking to any local contractor who would like to work,” he said.