BRADENTON BEACH – At an Oct. 28 emergency city commission meeting, Police Chief and Public Works Director John Cosby updated commissioners on post-storm progress.
Debris removal
“Debris removal is moving very quickly I’m still very confident that the debris operation will be over before Thanksgiving,” Cosby said. “They’re finishing up the first push today.”
Cosby said a service announcement will be posted on the Bradenton Beach Police Department Facebook page.
“Thursday (Oct. 31) we’re going to start the second push from C and D (construction and demolition),” Cosby said. “This is your last opportunity to get whatever it is you want out there, to put it out there. We are only allowed to do two passes by FEMA regulations so, once we make the second pass, after that, you’re on your own. “
After that is complete, the city will make a second pass for sand.
“In the midst of that we’ll be picking up vegetation and white goods,” he said. “We’re only going to do one pass on vegetation and white goods because there’s not a lot out there.”
Cosby said that the Florida Department of Transportation is in the process of clearing sand and debris from Gulf Drive which he expects will cause some traffic issues for motorists.
“Overall we are really moving quick. We are really way ahead of schedule,” Cosby said.
He estimated the cost of post-storm debris removal in the city would be about $5 million.
“We’re looking at sources to get money,” Cosby said. “We’re sending a letter today to the state requesting immediate pay-down for the cost of the debris, or most of it.”
Condemned properties
City Building Official Darin Cushing has deemed a number of properties unfit for occupancy due to storm damage and is continuing the assessment of properties throughout the city.
“The two things that we’re dealing with is getting all these buildings assessed. We did bring in Steve Gilbert, our old building official, and Darin (Cushing) has another assistant we’re going to meet today to hopefully speed that up a little bit,” Cosby said.
The next step is to compile a list of condemned buildings.
“And then we need to get a list of the buildings that are condemned so we can get letters out to them reminding the property owner that they are responsible for getting rid of that debris on the property,” he said. “If they don’t, then the city will be placing a lien on that property. In the event that we have to take that responsibility on, then we would do whatever is necessary to get that property in order to sell it and cover our losses.”
He said city attorney Ricinda Perry is currently working on that.
“We need a list and we’re going to give them approximately 45 days,” Cosby said. “The letters will go out by certified mail or hand-delivered and see what their intention is with the property. Once the letter goes out, I’m almost sure, but I haven’t talked to Ricinda yet today, we will be placing liens on those properties, because if we have to clean it up, obviously we need to be reimbursed.”
Mayor John Chappie asked about properties that are over the 50% FEMA restoration guideline.
“There’s no reason to pay somebody to clean the place out. If you’re over the 50%, you need to concentrate more on demolition,” Cosby said.
Pool draining
“People want to drain their pools but the storm drains are clogged, so we’re going to be in contact with the company that we use to see what kind of timeline we can get from them to at least do the north drains, that’s where the majority of the pools are,” Cosby said.
Cosby said that property owners on Gulf Drive are allowed to drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the ones on the city’s bayside are allowed to drain into Anna Maria Sound.
“Some of the drains are still under sand,” Cosby said. “ I’m confident that they will be taken care of, we’ll get this company to get those cleaned out and we’ll move forward from there.”
Bridge Street
“Businesses on Bridge Street are either opened or getting ready to open or have decided to make some substantial improvements,” Cosby said. “So that is going well.”
He said some Airbnb properties have been rented.
“They just want to make sure the restaurants are open and we have quite a variety to pick from,” Cosby said.
Trailer Parks
With regard to the Pines Trailer Park Cosby said, “I don’t believe Mr. Kaleta has sent out any letters to his renters of what his intention is.”
“Ricinda and I have called other communities to see how they’re handling the 50% rule and it is by the letter of the law. It is causing some serious heartache. It’s not just our two trailer parks, the three right over the bridge are in the same situation,” he said.
Ferry update
The Gulf Island Ferry is expected to be operational this week.
“We’re shooting for the end of this week,” Cosby said. “I was out there this weekend and it looks good. If we operate this weekend, we’re good to go.”
The state of Florida is handling marine hurricane debris removal, he said.
“We will probably go out this week in our boat,” Cosby said. “We see a couple of obstructions where the ferry comes in and where people have their personal boats. We’re going to see what’s in there and at least flag it or move it out.”
Emergency declaration
Commissioners unanimously approved an extension of the city’s state of emergency declaration for Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The declaration must be renewed every seven days while recovery is ongoing.
