Back-to-back hurricanes and all that debris

It was rough here for residents in Tampa Bay this year. The region suffered back-to-back blows from hurricanes, with Hurricane Helene causing widespread flooding in late September despite making landfall far from the region, and Hurricane Milton following up just a couple weeks later in early October with landfall in Sarasota.

Crews are still working to clear debris piles. Local dumps and brush sites are overfilling, and three Pinellas County Parks remained closed as of Dec. 19.

It’s created a headache for St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch, whose name inspired the nickname “Welch Piles” for heaps of debris sitting for weeks.

– Janelle Irwin, Florida Politics