ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Petersburg city committee wants to change Florida laws regarding construction cranes.
This comes after a crane fell onto a downtown building during Hurricane Milton in October. It happened when a crane working on The Residences at 400 Central Avenue, a 46-story condominium, crashed into a nearby building where the Tampa Bay Times offices are housed. There was extensive damage, and plenty of debris was left behind.
What You Need To Know
- St. Petersburg’s service and infrastructure committee met Thursday to discuss ways to improve crane safety
- A crane being used to work on The Residences at 400 Central Avenue collapsed during Hurricane Milton, crashing into a building that held Tampa Bay Times offices
- BACKGROUND: Crane safety, Milton recovery at center of St. Pete meeting
- PREVIOUS STORY: Owners of building damaged by crane during Milton sued
Committee members on Thursday say the current law is too broad and preempts any local regulation.
They want to make sure people leaving near construction projects are safe from any storm that could knock over a crane.
During Milton, the crane created a hole in a building when it couldn't handle the storm's wind gusts anymore.
"I had residents who live within the radius who said, 'If I had known, if I had more notice, I would have left. I would have gotten out of the way,'" said City Councilmember Gina Driscoll.
It's a topic that means a lot to Driscoll, who says there are numerous cranes in her district. She doesn't want to see a tragedy happen while people are focused on riding out a hurricane.
"People were scared. And I had to look them in the eye and say, 'Right now, there is nothing that we can do to protect you,'" she said.
There were no injuries during October's incident, but the discussion on what to do in future storms looms over every area in Florida.
On Thursday, the committee agreed to draft a resolution to the City Council, asking the state to repeal and replace a statute regarding cranes.
"We have to allow people to have the information necessary so they can make the best decisions for themselves," said Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz.
Don Tyre, the building official with the city, presented the idea of changing the state statute while also saying they are working on making notification improvements for people living near cranes.
"We could probably do it much sooner, you know, probably like three days out, depending on the track of the storm or something like that," he said.
At the end of January, state Sen. Darryl Rouson introduced a bill to the Senate looking to repeal the statute the city is advocating to repeal and replace.
The committee also tossed around ideas like informing residents near the projects that if a strong storm approaches, they should consider evacuating if they aren't an official evacuation zone.