Lee County: debris pick up from Milton to begin Monday

Lee County has announced plans for debris pick up from Hurricane Milton.

According to the Lee County Government, crews will begin picking up debris at sunrise on Monday, and they have asked residents to pile any debris at the curb.

“The most important thing you can do today and through the weekend is to get debris to the curb,” said Public Safety Director Ben Abes. “Please keep separate piles for yard debris, construction and demolition debris, including furniture, appliances and electronics.”

Proper setup procedures can be found at this link.

Abes noted that you should not put any debris in plastic bags, per strict FEMA regulation.

“As we start debris pickup next week, again be patient,” said Abes. “Debris takes time to pick up. The county will be conducting multiple passes to make sure all debris is collected.”

Abes also noted there remain tens of thousands of LCEC and FPL customers without power, but called it an improvement, as there were hundreds of thousands without power during the storm.

There are still people without more than power and are in need of shelter. The Estero Recreation Center will be the only shelter that remains open Friday.

Abes asked that residents avoid unnecessary travel, as there is still debris and some impact on roads throughout the county.

“We do ask that you give us at least one more day of avoiding unnecssary travel,” he said. “Giving us that time and that space to make the necessary repairs also helps our partners with the utility companies.”

For residents on Captiva, the Blind Pass Bridge with access to Captiva Drive is now open to residents only.

“The repairs to the bridge approach were completed yesterday,” said Abes.

The county is working with the bridge authority, Charlotte County and crews to grant access to Boca Grande.

“The goal is to get the bridge and Gasparilla Road open to residents very soon,” said Abes.

He noted there were two intersections washed out on Gasparilla, and crews are working on repairs and removing water.

Of final note, the Parks and Rec Department continues to evaluate facilities. All remain closed, including beaches and boat ramps, but some may open by the weekend.

You can watch the full news conference below by scrolling back.

Crews continue evaluating impacted areas such as barrier islands and coastal communities.

Some of those areas being surveyed include Sanibel, Captiva, Upper Captiva, Boca Grande, Fort Myers Beach, coastal Bonita Springs, Matlacha and Pine Island.

Crews are also assessing areas impacted by possible tornadoes.

Lee County mobilized Community Coordination Teams to work directly with impacted areas. This approach was successful in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

The county noted that island municipalities may have unique requirements for residents returning and they should check with their local city hall.

Lee County continues asking residents to remain in place and avoid travel as much as possible.

Remember, there are downed powerlines in the roadway and some could be live. It is also possible that power outages are also impacting traffic signals.