Teh One Who Knocks
01-21-2014, 12:17 PM
By Adam Walser - ABC Action News
LARGO, Fla. - From time to time the I-Team gets tips on governmental spending that viewers believe might be a waste of tax dollars.
When we recently heard that a Tampa Bay area city spent more than $20,000 on two new snow plows, we went to check it out.
They are a common sight throughout much of the country, snowplows digging communities out of one the harshest winters in recent memory.
The sight of snow plows in their new home in Florida, however, is not so common.
“Oh stop it! This is a joke,” said one woman, as we showed her pictures of the plows, which are currently located behind Largo Public Works.
That's right Largo, not Fargo.
The I-Team learned two snow plows were ordered in July, costing the city more than $22,000.
Since the last measurable snow here was in 1977, they won't likely be used for snow.
Instead, city officials say they'll be used after strong storms, tornados or hurricanes to remove debris from Largo's roads.
“When the police and fire departments are trying to come through and do emergency search and rescue or emergency response, obviously debris in the roadway can stop them, flatten tires and cause other problems,” said Brian Usher, Largo Public Works Director.
Usher said the city began considering buying snow plows after hearing how effective they were in clearing tornado debris in Oklahoma and other states.
Mounted on existing dump trucks, the plows cost far less than bulldozers or front end loaders.
“A lot of small communities up north don't have lots of equipment, but they do have lots of snowplows on hand, so they just started mounting them up and using them,” Usher said.
Public works officials say that with traditional heavy equipment, it can take hours, or even days to clear major thoroughfares like Ulmerton Rd. or East Bay Dr., but they say with the new plows, which can travel at speeds of up to 28 miles an hour, the same task can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
“We're calling them debris removal plows,” Usher said.
Usher says they are the first plows of their kind in the Sunshine State, making it hard to even get a quote from a vendor to buy them.
“There were some dealers that kind of laughed at us and thought that we kind of lost our sanity looking for plow equipment in Florida,” he said.
There will continue to be some naysayers here.
“I can't say that I would buy them, but there you go,” said Largo resident Cynthia Harrington.
Usher says, however, he doesn't welcome the opportunity to prove his detractors wrong.
“We absolutely hope they never have to hit the road for their real purpose,” he said.
If you have a tip about suspected government waste, let us know and we’ll check into it.
LARGO, Fla. - From time to time the I-Team gets tips on governmental spending that viewers believe might be a waste of tax dollars.
When we recently heard that a Tampa Bay area city spent more than $20,000 on two new snow plows, we went to check it out.
They are a common sight throughout much of the country, snowplows digging communities out of one the harshest winters in recent memory.
The sight of snow plows in their new home in Florida, however, is not so common.
“Oh stop it! This is a joke,” said one woman, as we showed her pictures of the plows, which are currently located behind Largo Public Works.
That's right Largo, not Fargo.
The I-Team learned two snow plows were ordered in July, costing the city more than $22,000.
Since the last measurable snow here was in 1977, they won't likely be used for snow.
Instead, city officials say they'll be used after strong storms, tornados or hurricanes to remove debris from Largo's roads.
“When the police and fire departments are trying to come through and do emergency search and rescue or emergency response, obviously debris in the roadway can stop them, flatten tires and cause other problems,” said Brian Usher, Largo Public Works Director.
Usher said the city began considering buying snow plows after hearing how effective they were in clearing tornado debris in Oklahoma and other states.
Mounted on existing dump trucks, the plows cost far less than bulldozers or front end loaders.
“A lot of small communities up north don't have lots of equipment, but they do have lots of snowplows on hand, so they just started mounting them up and using them,” Usher said.
Public works officials say that with traditional heavy equipment, it can take hours, or even days to clear major thoroughfares like Ulmerton Rd. or East Bay Dr., but they say with the new plows, which can travel at speeds of up to 28 miles an hour, the same task can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
“We're calling them debris removal plows,” Usher said.
Usher says they are the first plows of their kind in the Sunshine State, making it hard to even get a quote from a vendor to buy them.
“There were some dealers that kind of laughed at us and thought that we kind of lost our sanity looking for plow equipment in Florida,” he said.
There will continue to be some naysayers here.
“I can't say that I would buy them, but there you go,” said Largo resident Cynthia Harrington.
Usher says, however, he doesn't welcome the opportunity to prove his detractors wrong.
“We absolutely hope they never have to hit the road for their real purpose,” he said.
If you have a tip about suspected government waste, let us know and we’ll check into it.