Palm Beach Gardens, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Storm Debris (2026)

Section 54-63 opens with the city council's own findings: post-disaster debris is conducive to harboring and breeding vermin and disease, increases fire risk, and becomes a hazard and impediment to transportation, emergency and relief services, and commerce. Those findings are the city's stated reason for running organized debris collection after a storm rather than leaving cleanup entirely to residents. The section defines post-disaster debris as the remains of broken or damaged vegetation, yard or garden trash, and portions of buildings or structures downed or damaged by a declared disaster.

The city manager is authorized and directed to spend public funds implementing the comprehensive emergency management plan and to collect and remove disaster debris within city limits once either a local state of emergency has been declared under the CEMP, or the State of Florida or the federal government has declared a state of emergency. Once CEMP debris collection is running, placement rules differ by road type. On public roads, debris must be placed within the right-of-way for pickup, and no person, corporation, or entity may place debris in the roadway itself or impede vehicular or pedestrian traffic with it. On private roads, debris must be placed at the edge of the pavement or brought up to the nearest public right-of-way, and that hauling is done at the owner's own expense rather than the city's. The section traces to Ordinance No. 32, 2008, adopted December 4, 2008.