LECANTO, Fla. — Citrus County is entering its final push to finish collecting debris left behind by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

What You Need To Know

  • A final push to collect hurricane debris left over from Hurricanes Helene and Milton is being made across Citrus County

  • Close to 25,000 tons of debris has been collected since Helene hit the Nature Coast
  • With the FEMA debris pickup deadline extended to 120 days, those with the county say they are on track to have all debris cleared by the end of January
  • Crews will continue making rounds to collect until the end of the month

Since Hurricane Helene hit the Nature Coast less than three months ago, close to 25,000 tons of debris has been collected. But there’s more to be picked up before the job is done.

It’s down to a matter of weeks. With the FEMA debris pickup deadline extended to 120 days, those with the county say they are on track to have all debris cleared by the end of January.

“It’s been a non-stop process, six to seven days a week with all hands-on deck,” said Citrus County Road Maintenance Director James Sterling.

Throughout neighborhoods in Citrus County, you’ll find contractors hard at work collecting debris. Tree limbs and branches are a final memory from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“We’re a little over 50, almost 60,000 cubic yards of vegetation throughout the county that’s been picked up to date," Sterling said. "We’re in the final stages of picking it up and making our final rounds.”

Work has taken a little longer than expected — the threat of Milton shortly after Helene delayed the cleanup. But FEMA extended their debris deadline from 90 days to 120 days since Helene hit. Sterling says it’s been a non-stop effort for more than three months to get the county back on its feet.

“Having the storms so close back-to-back, we had to go into more of an emergency removal mode and get everything that was on the ground already because the forecast was for another high surge with Milton," Sterling said. "And, thankfully, we didn’t receive that.”

Debris is being placed at three dump-off sites. Vegetative debris is being burned at one location and at Inverness Airport. It's an effective method, Sterling said, to help dispose of the unwanted mess.

“There’s people that were just getting in town about a month ago, which is two months after the storm starting their clean-up," he said. "It seems like it’s prolonged it a little bit, but we’re here to do what needs to be done to make sure the county is cleaned up and we can help the citizens.”

Sterling says if there are still residents with debris to go ahead and place that at the curb of your home. Crews will continue making rounds to collect until the end of the month.