Neptune Beach will piggyback on a five-year debris removal contract with Jacksonville Beach and Atlantic Beach, following guidelines set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.
The Neptune Beach City Council unanimously approved the contract during Monday's regular meeting. Public Works Director Deryle Calhoun outlined the terms of the agreement with DebrisTech.
In the event of a disaster requiring debris removal support, FEMA requires the Beaches cities to “maintain oversight to ensure that contractors perform in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of their contracts or purchase orders.”
“This is a tool in our toolkit in case we have a disaster that requires debris removal. In the event of a disaster, FEMA has certain requirements,” Calhoun said. “This proposal would be to provide that monitoring requirement of the FEMA rules so if we were to attempt to get recovery, we would make sure we have all the boxes checked.”
The scope of work includes the inspection, monitoring and reporting of the debris removal work Grubbs Emergency Services will be doing, including load tickets, data gathering in the field, truck certification and credentialing. DebrisTech will serve as the main contractor, Calhoun said, while its subcontractor, Synergy Disaster Recovery, will provide program management, grant management and public advisory services.
“The city of Jacksonville Beach actually went out in September 2025 for these services. DebrisTech is the current provider for Jacksonville Beach,” he said. “Atlantic Beach has piggybacked on this contract. The contract period is for five years. I'm suggesting that we do the same with DebrisTech.”
According to Calhoun, the cost would be paid up front for both DebrisTech and Synergy Disaster Recovery, with Neptune Beach receiving recovery from FEMA after the fact.
“It is very standard for us to be on the hook initially and recover costs from FEMA,” Mayor Cori Bylund said. “Right now, the FEMA Act has not been passed into law. It cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee but still has a ways to go before further consideration by the full House and Senate. And part of that act is FEMA paying up front, so that will be some relief that we can get at the federal level.”
Neptune Beach used DebrisTech's services during Hurricane Irma and provided a letter of recommendation in 2018 based on that experience.
