Free Public Resource · Greater Tampa Bay
What to do in the first hour after a tree comes down, who to call for a line on the ground, and how each Tampa Bay county handles storm debris. Written by the crew that works these storms — free to read, free to share, free to link to. No form, no email required.
Utility service territories overlap in Tampa Bay. If you are unsure who serves you, the provider on your electric bill is the one to call.
A limb resting on a service drop can energize the whole tree and the wet ground around it. Stay back, keep pets and kids inside, and call the utility. No reputable tree company will cut a limb off an energized line — the utility de-energizes it first, then we work.
A tree leaning on a roof is holding stored energy. The rooms directly under the contact point are the dangerous ones, not the whole house. Move people and pets out of those rooms and stay out until a crew relieves the load in a controlled sequence.
Insurers pay on documentation. Wide shots of the tree and the structure, close-ups of the point of impact, and photos of any interior water intrusion. Do it before a crew arrives if it is safe to do so — once we cut, the original geometry is gone.
Emergency tarping limits interior damage and is usually reimbursable, but not at the cost of a fall. If the deck is compromised or a limb is still bearing on it, wait for the crew.
Storm season brings out-of-state crews with a chainsaw and a magnet sign. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming general liability and workers' compensation, and confirm it before work starts. If a company cannot produce one in ten minutes, that risk lands on your homeowner's policy, not theirs.
Florida policies generally cover removal when a tree strikes an insured structure, often with a per-tree cap. A tree that falls in the open yard and hits nothing is usually the homeowner's cost. Pre-storm pruning is maintenance and is never covered — which is exactly why doing it in May is cheaper than doing anything in September.
Rules change after a declared emergency. Always confirm the current pass schedule with your county or city before hauling anything to the curb.
Storm yard-waste rules change after a declared event. Outside of a declared event, cut limbs to manageable lengths and bundle them for your normal yard-waste collection day; oversized trunk wood and stumps are generally not collected. After a hurricane, the county announces separate storm-debris passes and asks that vegetative debris be placed at the curb — not in the road, not blocking a hydrant, and separated from construction debris and household garbage.
Pinellas municipalities each run their own collection, so St. Petersburg, Largo, Clearwater and unincorporated Pinellas can differ. The consistent rule: vegetative storm debris goes curbside in its own pile, kept clear of storm drains, meters and mailboxes. Contractor-generated debris is normally the contractor's responsibility to haul — we haul ours.
Routine yard waste is bundled and collected on your regular day. After a declared storm, Pasco runs dedicated debris sweeps and publishes the pass schedule; piles placed after a pass has come through can wait weeks for the next one, which is the single most common complaint we hear from Wesley Chapel and Land O' Lakes homeowners.
Brooksville and unincorporated Hernando handle vegetative debris curbside after declared events, with separate handling for construction material. Trunk wood from a private tree removal is generally not part of a county sweep.
Tampa Bay neighbors — check our reviews, message us directly, or recommend us to your community. Every review and referral helps a local, family-run tree service grow.
Own a site, run an HOA newsletter, or manage a neighborhood group? You are welcome to link to this page or reprint the county debris section with attribution to Holleywood Tree Services LLC.
← Back to Holleywood Tree Services homeProudly serving the Greater Tampa Bay Area — Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco & Hernando counties. Free Tampa Bay storm & hurricane tree guide