St. Pete construction cranes could pose a threat during Hurricane Milton

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In St. Petersburg, Mayor Ken Welch said there’s now an added safety concern regarding several cranes towering over construction sites. 

Welch and city officials said they’re worried about tower cranes, the tallest ones. They take specialized crews about a week of planning to remove and disassemble because most are fixed in place.

Welch said they’re most concerned about the cranes at the following construction sites: 

• 400 Central, Avenue
• 275 First Avenue
• 1000 First Avenue, which is all downtown
• 101 Main Street North, which is in the Carillon area.

City staff said that St. Petersburg has been in touch with developers managing the cranes. Due to the nature of crane operations, though, lowering or securing a tower crane is scheduled weeks in advance and is not a feasible option within the timeframe of Hurricane Milton.

"This was a tropical storm that turned into one of the strongest storms in our nation’s history very rapidly, so we’re learning things that we’re going to use to update our processes and procedures going forward, but there’s just no way in this window of time to bring those cranes down," Welch said. "We’ve never had a storm this powerful with winds this strong that would require that."

READ: Hurricane Milton causing gas shortages in Florida as residents evacuate storm

City officials say if you live near any of those sites, leave or move to an inner room without windows while the storm passes because there could be potential crane malfunctions. The tower cranes are put into weathervane mode during storms that make them safe up in about 100 mile per hour gusts, but officials say we’re expecting wind speeds higher than that.

In an abundance of caution, roads, sidewalks and parking zones within the affected areas will be restricted. Crews have been able to take down several smaller cranes. 

St. Pete officials also say they expect to shut down the Northeast and Southwest Sewer Treatment Facilities because of storm surge as high as 15 feet. 

St. Pete Public Works Administrator Claude Tankersley said they hope to get back to the two plants within 24 hours and restart them, but it could take longer. State and federal resources and contractors are staged, though, to help city crews.

READ: Some Florida Waffle House restaurants closing ahead of Hurricane Milton

This will mean residents affected may be unable to use plumbing, including toilets, showers, and laundry, for some time. Tankersley said people can flush toilets sparingly and they’re asking people affected to limit their water usage. 

"We staged up so that we can get back on those plants immediately and get the water flowing as quickly as possible," he said.

The shelter at Gibbs High School uses the Southwest Sewer Treatment Facility. 

"We have a plan to be able to come in and if we need to with tanker trucks, pull sewage out of the area where Gibbs High School is to keep it flowing," Tankersley said.

City crews had to shut down the Northeast Sewer Treatment Facility during Hurricane Helene when the storm surge got to seven feet at the facility. You can find which treatment plant serves your home here.  

Tankersley said after the storm, all water service, including drinking water, could be lost for a period. When water is restored, it may not be safe to drink, he said, and a boil water notice would then go into effect.

READ: When will the bridges close for Hurricane Milton?

County officials said water service will be an issue across Pinellas. Pinellas County Utilities will restrict potable water service on the barrier islands starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday from Sand Key south to Fort De Soto. This will cause very low pressure including at fire hydrants. It’s being done to protect critical infrastructure some that is still damaged from Helene, officials said. Access to the barrier islands closed to everyone at seven p.m. on Tuesday.

State and local crews and contractors across the area have been working 24/7 to remove as much as possible, but county officials said realistically, with millions of cubic yards of debris, they won’t be able to move it all by the time Milton arrives. 

County debris collection operations ended at noon Tuesday to allow staff to remobilize essential equipment to their secure vehicle storage building to help with loading and then to also allow staff to go home and help their families prepare for the storm.

READ: Life-saving satellite tech likely in your pocket to use for emergency calling when disaster strikes

The state-run operations to accept storm debris continued Tuesday. Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said they have great concern about the aftermath of the storm, specifically about the debris. He said they may to close access to Pinellas County until roads are clear of debris, and infrastructure gets back up and running. 

Sheriff Gualtieri said check the county’s social media channels before you come home.

"You could have flooded out streets and intersections because of local flooding and all the stormwater, sewers are going to be backed up," Sheriff Gualtieri said. "So, put all that together is the county would not be navigable … I don't want to do it. I have no desire to do it. And what I want to have is people to be able to get back to their homes and their businesses as quickly as possible. I have a lot of lot of empathy and sympathy and complete understanding why people want to get there, but we also have to make sure that it's safe. We don’t want to make that bad situation worse," he said.

On Tuesday, Pinellas County officials announced it opened a few new shelters. Officials said shelters are experiencing high demand with more than 6,000 people and more than 700 pets in emergency shelters as of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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