St. Petersburg directed about $1.6 million in hurricane recovery spending to local truck owners through a debris-hauling program launched after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, creating work for more than 100 operators as the city worked to clear storm damage.
The program, known as Hometown Haulers, paid local operators about $300 per load and completed 5,382 debris hauls, according to figures presented to the City Council last Thursday.
The effort received the 2026 Governor’s Hurricane Conference Innovation Award, which recognizes innovative approaches to emergency management and disaster recovery.
The city launched the program to remove storm debris from neighborhoods across St. Petersburg. Instead of relying solely on large debris-removal contractors, officials recruited local truck owners and small businesses to perform part of the work, keeping a portion of recovery spending within the community.
That approach created income opportunities for operators at a time when many businesses and residents were still dealing with the economic effects of the storms.
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During the presentation, city staff recognized Council Member Deborah Figgs-Sanders and several community leaders for their role in helping develop the Hometown Haulers concept.
The Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg provided early support for the initiative before officials knew whether costs would qualify for federal reimbursement, according to the presentation.
Participants told council members the program created opportunities that extended beyond the cleanup effort. One operator said revenue earned through Hometown Haulers helped launch Pearce Contracting Group. Others said they used proceeds from the work to expand equipment fleets, hire workers and pursue additional contracts.
City officials said FEMA has already obligated a portion of the program’s costs and additional reimbursement is expected.
The award highlights an approach that differs from the traditional disaster-recovery model, in which much of the cleanup work is handled by large national contractors brought in after major storms. St. Petersburg officials instead sought to create a local workforce component that allowed residents and small businesses to participate directly in the recovery effort.
As Florida communities continue to face increasingly costly hurricane seasons, local officials said the program demonstrates how recovery spending can support both cleanup efforts and local businesses.
For St. Petersburg, that meant more than 5,000 debris hauls completed by local operators and roughly $1.6 million paid to businesses based in the city.
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