Debris cleanup is slowly but surely continuing in Sarasota and Manatee Counties…but crews who were supposed to show up and pick up tens of thousands of pounds of debris…simply left. The reason? Counties and cities in south Florida are paying those cleanup crews more. In some cases, south Florida counties are doubling the rate of debris cleanup. Sarasota county administrators entered into an agreement with its main storm clean-up contractor, Crowder Gulf in the days before the storm. As part of the contract, Sarasota County was to have 22 trucks sent to the area. But instead, the subcontractors have left and ignored the pre-storm deals for higher rates. Officials in Alachua, Hendry, Indian River and Orange counties all raised the exact same issue on a statewide call with Attorney General Pam Bondi late last week. She is now seeing if those companies have violated price-gouging rules.
