Tallahassee at $50 million for tornado recovery, now must get ready for hurricane season

With a bill of $50 million for the city of Tallahassee's recent storm recovery, local officials aren't looking forward to hurricane season – but they are getting ready.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey on Friday revealed the total dollar amount rung up by the city for the May 10 tornado recovery. He and other elected leaders appeared at a news conference at the Public Safety Complex on Easterwood Drive.

The city has put in for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and as the recovery continues, Dailey said the total is still increasing and could eventually reach over $100 million.

The mayor said most of the bill is for debris clean up and reimbursing out-of-town utility crews that came in to help restore electricity.

"We'll just continue to work as hard as we can," Dailey said. "It's important to (pick up) as much as possible, especially if you have active tropical waves or storms ... because you don't want projectiles on the ground."

The 2024 hurricane season kicks off Saturday, and several meteorologists, including those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, predict that this will be a busy season. NOAA is forecasting a range of 17 to 25 named storms , with 4 to 7 of those being major hurricanes. The reasons for this above-average season are due to the rising temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean , they say.

To alleviate any worries that Tallahassee and Leon County residents may have for the oncoming season, officials from departments across all levels of local government gathered with the "Billy the Bucket" mascot, a six-foot plushie emergency bucket, adorned with a yellow baseball cap with a Leon County logo and yellow lace-up sneakers, to share tips, tricks and other helpful information.

'Prepare, act, recover' to get hurricane ready

Huddled together in the media room of the Public Safety Complex, Leon County Emergency Management Director Kevin Peters got the 2024 hurricane season kickoff started.

"At Leon County, we say prepare, act, recover because preparing for hurricane season before a storm even forms helps empower all of our residents, including our youth to stay safe," Peters said. "County, city and other officials encourage you and your family, your friends and neighbors to have critical emergency supplies in a five gallon bucket."

He also shared that people should take the time to read through the Leon County 2024-2025 survival guide for more information. He placed a copy of the guide in the bucket on the table, making a 'kerplunk' sound as it hit bottom.

In what became a running bit, Dailey promoted the City of Tallahassee's Step-By-Step Prep Guide , also dropping the guide in the bucket. Kerplunk.

County Commission chair Carolyn Cummings and Leon Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna also "filled the bucket," dropping prescription medicine bottles and batteries into the bucket. Kerplunk, kerplunk.

By the end of the event, the bucket had been filled with many of the items considered essentials in a hurricane prep kit.

Taking advantage of tax free shopping

Peters also reminded participants of the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday, beginning June 1 and ending June 14. Florida residents can stock up on a range of tax-free hurricane supplies, ranging anywhere from pet food to generators.

A second two-week disaster sales tax holiday will be Aug. 24-Sept. 6.

More information on the 2024 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays is at  FloridaRevenue.com/DisasterPrep .

A Florida Division of Emergency Management press release says, "This year, Floridians are expected to save millions on vital disaster preparedness supplies such as pet supplies, tarps, batteries, generators and flashlights, which are all included in the list of items eligible to be purchased tax-free."

• The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season lasts till Nov. 30.

• A full list of eligible tax-free items is available at floridarevenue.com/DisasterPrep/Documents/2024/DPposter8.5X14.pdf .

• A full disaster supply kit checklist is at www.floridadisaster.org/kit .

Want more hurricane info?

• Visit LeonReady.com

• Download the Citizens Connect app

• Visit TalGov.com

Arianna Otero  is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at  AOtero@tallahassee.com  or on Twitter/X:  @ari_v_otero .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee racks up $50M so far on tornado recovery, hurricanes next