Two houses on the same Navarre street can both have tree limbs and broken fence panels out front a week after Hurricane Isaias. One house leaves the limbs and the fencing in two separate piles on the strip between the road and the ditch. The other puts everything in one heap at the edge of the driveway, with some of it in black contractor bags. On paper both homeowners are waiting for the same county trucks. In practice the first house is set up to be emptied in one pass, and the second may watch crews drive past more than once.
Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday, October 9, as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph maximum sustained winds. Gusts reached 116 mph in parts of Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. The county now estimates about 1.5 million cubic yards of storm debris countywide, and $23 million to remove it. At that volume, a crew can't afford to stop and sort your pile for you. The county's rules are built around that fact, and knowing them is the best way to get your pile picked up sooner.
Each debris type gets its own collection
The county's first collection pass started on Wednesday, October 14, on publicly maintained roads, and the county says more passes will follow. It hasn't published a total number of passes, a route schedule or a final date to get debris to the curb. So every pass is a chance to be picked up, and also a chance to be skipped.
The main rule is that debris types are collected separately. In the county's own words in Hurricane Isaias Update #14, posted the afternoon of October 15:
"Place vegetative debris, such as tree limbs, branches, leaves, and shrubbery, in a separate pile from construction and demolition debris, such as damaged building materials like fencing and sheds. These materials will be collected separately."
When the two types are collected separately, a mixed heap puts limbs and building materials in the way of each other's pickup. Santa Rosa County has also named Tetra Tech as its debris-monitoring firm.
Here's how the county's October 15 rules sort what's in a typical Navarre yard right now:
| What's at your curb | Where it belongs | Notes from the county's current update |
|---|---|---|
| Downed limbs, branches, leaves, shrubbery | Vegetative pile | Can also go to Central Landfill at no charge |
| Fence panels, shed pieces, damaged building materials | Construction and demolition pile | Keep it apart from vegetative debris |
| Debris in plastic bags | Not collected | Loose or paper bags only |
| Household trash, spoiled food from the fridge | Your regular garbage cart | Never mix with storm debris |
| Limbs from a tree company you hired | The contractor's job | Earlier county guidance says this stays off the right-of-way |
The last row comes from the county's October 13 update, which said a hired contractor is responsible for debris from the tree work they do. The October 15 update doesn't repeat that line. If someone is cutting up a fallen oak in your yard this week, ask whether hauling is in the price before the logs end up at the curb.
The bag rule changed in 24 hours, so read the date on any advice
The county's October 14 update said crews would take only loose debris, with no bagged debris at all. By 4:30 p.m. on October 15, the rule was "Do not bag storm debris in plastic bags. Only loose debris or debris in PAPER bags will be collected." A neighbor who read the first version and swept leaves into paper yard bags on Wednesday wasn't wrong for long. A neighbor who used heavy plastic bags is still out of compliance.
Small changes like this are why the county's numbered updates are the only reference worth trusting. A screenshot passed around a neighborhood group on Tuesday can be out of date by Thursday. By the time this post is a week old, there may be an Update #20. The county's News Flash page has the latest version, and whatever it says overrides anything here.
Where you put the pile matters as much as how you sort it
As of October 15, the county says only storm debris placed along the public right-of-way is currently eligible for collection. It describes that strip as "generally the area between the street and the sidewalk, ditch, utility pole, or easement." There's no size limit, but piles can't spill into the street.
Plenty of Navarre lots have a mailbox, a water meter or a storm drain in that same strip, so the next rule is the one that most limits where a pile can go. The county asks residents to keep debris away from drainage ditches, storm drains, mailboxes, water meters, fire hydrants, low-hanging limbs, power lines, transformers and other utilities. The county says proper placement and separation help crews work safely and efficiently.
A curb setup that matches the October 15 rules:
- Find the open stretch of right-of-way in front of your lot, away from the meter, mailbox, hydrant and any drain inlet.
- Make the vegetative pile at one end and the construction and demolition pile at the other, with a gap between them.
- Leave limbs and debris loose, or put small material in paper yard bags. No plastic.
- Keep both piles back from the pavement so nothing reaches into the travel lane.
- Keep spoiled food and regular trash in your garbage cart for your usual hauler's pickup day.
- If something is left after a pass, keep the piles sorted and reachable for the next one. The county's update says this directly.
Questions the county hasn't answered yet
Some things a Navarre household would reasonably want to know aren't covered in the county's current debris instructions. The October 15 update doesn't say how collection works on private roads, in gated communities or on HOA-maintained streets. It mentions no right-of-entry form for those areas. It also gives no separate instructions for appliances, electronics or household hazardous waste, and no final collection deadline.
If you live on a privately maintained street, the eligibility line in the current update affects you directly. Until the county addresses it, your HOA or property manager and the county's numbered updates are where an answer will come from. Until the county says otherwise, keep those items out of your two curb piles.
Your vegetative debris has a second way out
You don't have to wait for the trucks to clear yard debris. Santa Rosa County residents can drop off vegetative debris at no cost at the Central Landfill, 6337 Da Lisa Road in Milton, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The county hasn't given an end date for the waiver. For a household with a truck or trailer and a manageable amount of limbs, a Saturday run to Milton can clear the yard before the first pass even reaches your street. The waiver covers vegetative debris only, so fencing and shed pieces still go to the curb.
For households that can't do the heavy work themselves, the county points to BRACE, the Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies. BRACE works with Crisis Cleanup to connect residents with volunteer groups for roof tarping, tree removal, debris cleanup and mucking out flooded homes. The number is 1-800-451-1954.
The paperwork that goes with the cleanup
The county is also building its damage count from residents' own reports. As of October 15, more than 2,500 self-reports through the Property Appraiser's damage form added up to an estimated $165 million in damage. More than 80 structures were classified as destroyed, about 300 had major damage and more than 600 had minor damage. To add your property, look it up on the Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser's search page and click "Report Damage" in the Owner Information section. Use abbreviations like Dr and Blvd when you search by address. The county says the repair estimate can be a rough guess or can wait until you know more, and an exact figure isn't required.
Don't call 911 about downed trees or power lines. The county asks residents to report downed lines to their utility company. For current road closures, the county keeps a Road and Bridge closures page.
What the cleanup looks like around Navarre
On the island, the Pensacola News Journal reported Navarre Beach homes that lost siding and shingles, had lower-floor blowout panels give way and had some walls torn open, plus flooding in low-lying areas. WEAR-TV reported flooded parking lots and streets on the mainland and wind damage to a few buildings.
The loss most people in town will notice is the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier. Navarre Press reported on October 14 that drone footage showed missing sections. The county says the pier is closed until further notice and has given no reopening estimate. Navarre Park isn't on the county's October 15 list of closed parks. The county says every park not on that list is open except for clearly marked caution areas.
The county's numbered updates have changed from one day to the next this week, so check the latest one before you haul anything to the curb. This post is general information, not legal or financial advice. If your HOA, insurer or contractor is involved, confirm the details with them directly.
If Isaias left you with questions about your property, like what the damage means for a sale you were planning or how to document repairs before you list, Williams Coastal Group is here. Courtney lives in Navarre and is working through this recovery with the rest of town. Let's Connect.
