ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — It’s been more than two months since Hurricane Milton struck Tampa Bay. Since it hit, crews have been working non-stop to pick up debris. 

In some areas like Zephyrhills, communities are setting deadlines.

From piles of furniture to bundles of tree limbs, Zephyrhills Public Works Director Shane LeBlanc said picking up debris has been a priority.

“A lot of the issues that we’ve had after Hurricane Milton was flooding and wind damage,” he said. “The combination of both have kept us busy with flooding, and also debris management and debris pickup.”

The weeks since Hurricane Milton have kept city crews and contractors busy, working hard to restore the community to what it looked like pre-hurricane.

Sunday, Dec. 15 is the last day of debris pickup in Zephyrhills.

“We can kind of draw a line in the sand. We don’t want to be doing this forever, but we want to give the residents an opportunity to get their debris curbside so we can come through one last time, pick everything up, and try to restore the city back to its natural beauty,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc also said they chose Dec. 15 to match Pasco County. And with few piles of debris remaining in the community, LeBlanc said this is the right time to move forward.

“We’ve been doing it for over two months, and at some point, we have to have everything picked up, he said. “Also, we’re under FEMA deadline for 90 days post-hurricane.”

If you miss the pickup deadline, there are also two locations where you can drop off debris: the West Pasco Resource Recovery Center in Spring Hill and the East Pasco Transfer Station in Dade City. These are only for Pasco County residents.