Lee County has announced a set-out deadline of March 1 for the remainder of unincorporated areas to place Hurricane Ian debris at the curb. 

This final set-out date pertains to areas that have not had a previous deadline, such as Matlacha, St. James City, North Fort Myers, San Carlos Island, Punta Rassa, Jonathan's Harbor, Harlem Heights, Buckingham/Orange River, Tice, Alva and the Corkscrew Road corridor. Addresses along Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach also will have this set-out deadline.

Since Lee County began collecting Hurricane Ian debris on Oct. 4, contractors have worked seven days a week from sunup to sundown (except for Thanksgiving break). As of Dec. 19, the astounding total of 5 million cubic yards of debris have been collected in unincorporated areas. This is enough material to fill Hertz Arena to the ceiling 13 times.

On Pine Island and Matlacha alone, 700,000 cubic yards of material have been collected along with 54 tons of household hazardous waste. This accounts for 15% of the total volume cleaned up so far, even though the area comprises 2% of the population and contains 4% of housing units in unincorporated Lee County.

Sometimes it appears that collection has not occurred on a specific street, when in fact crews did pass through the area but new material was subsequently moved to the curb. This is the natural process after such a large storm event, and crews will continue to make passes until all the storm debris is gone. The County has inspectors surveying the area continuously and is now attempting to prioritize areas where collection first occurred in October or early November.

Between eighteen and twenty-eight debris removal crews are working in Pine Island and Matlacha every day. You can see the piles of debris these crews have collected in the maps below, which Lee County will update weekly.

Lee County and its primary vendors – CrowderGulf and Thompson Consulting – are ensuring the proper disposal of hurricane debris in a manner that complies with FEMA regulations for expense reimbursement. Following the sometimes complex processes for federal reimbursement of cleanup expenses will save local taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

Because Pine Island received catastrophic damage, the types and amounts of debris generated make removal a costly, complex and lengthy operation. Hurricane Ian debris includes vegetation, common household garbage and personal belongings, construction and demolition debris, vehicles, food waste, white goods (e.g., household appliances, air conditioners), and household hazardous waste. Each category of debris must be managed in a way that prevents damage to humans and the environment.

Lee County is committed to cleaning up Hurricane Ian debris as quickly as possible.  

Pine Island Self-Haul Site

Location: 

Phillips Park near the island’s center

5675 Sesame Drive, Bokeelia

Hours:

7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily 

Click on the below thumbnail images to view enlarged maps of Pine Island - including Saint James City, Bokeelia and Matlacha. These maps indicate all of the debris piles that have already been collected on the island. Any roads without pile collection indicators have been physically inspected to ensure that debris was consolidated aon a main road and collected there. 

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Please note: maps are not real-time. These are updated weekly.