Clean Up DEBRIS Act aims to ease storm recovery for private communities

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane season ended on Nov. 30, but a Florida congressman has introduced a bill that aims to help residents recover from future storms.

Rep. Greg Steube, along with Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter, introduced the Clean Up Disasters and Emergencies with Better Recovery and Immediate Support Act —  or, the Clean Up DEBRIS Act. 

It’s meant to make sure that work to clear debris from private communities, like condominiums, manufactured home parks, and HOA communities, is reimbursed by FEMA.

According to Steube’s office, FEMA can currently deny reimbursements to cities or counties that remove debris from private roads in those communities. Dawn Bauman, CEO of the Community Associations Institute, which supports the bill, said just because a road is considered private doesn’t mean it’s not an access point.

Bauman said if residents and emergency vehicles can’t get in and out, that creates a public safety issue. She said CAI heard from communities that Florida localities did try to help in the aftermath of last year’s storms, telling private communities that if they dragged debris to a public right of way, they would remove it.

“So, clearly, people trying to navigate a bureaucratic system that shouldn’t exist and shouldn’t be a barrier to homeowners, residents, and others trying to recover from a devastating hurricane,” Bauman said. 

Bauman said that after last year’s hurricanes, some private communities saw either a delay in debris removal or local governments simply refused to remove debris. According to Steube’s office, residents can be left to handle the bill themselves in those cases.