INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — In the wake of Hurricane Irma, some Florida communities are complaining that they can’t get companies to haul away debris because the money is better for the work in South Florida.
That doesn’t seem to be the case in Indian River County.
“Our emergency debris hauling contractor has not requested an increase in fees,” County Administrator Jason Brown said in an email Monday afternoon. “These fees have been agreed to through a competitive procurement process prior to a storm event. Increasing the fees at this time could jeopardize FEMA reimbursement for these expenses.”
Indian River was among several jurisdictions that took part in a post-Irma conference call that included state Attorney General Pam Bondi. Localities were told to submit information to Bondi’s office regarding concerns about losing debris haulers.
“We were not making a formal complaint,” said Brown, countering a report from the Tampa Bay Times.
Our correspondence was to make sure the state was aware of a potential loss of debris haulers.
“We have been pretty fortunate here,” Brown continued. “Our vendor has worked hard to keep the out-of-town vendors from leaving to greener pastures. We also have some local subcontractors working on the debris cleanup. We feel that the locals will likely be more committed to staying in the county than workers who may come from out of state.”