Governor says no new regulations needed after crane crashes into St. Petersburg building
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated Friday that the collapse of a crane into a large office building in St. Petersburg during Hurricane Milton does not indicate a need for increased regulations on construction companies to prevent similar incidents.
“Do we have to regulate everything? I think most people take the cranes down,” DeSantis said during a briefing in St. Petersburg, standing in front of the crane wreckage.
The crane collapsed in strong winds as Hurricane Milton made landfall, causing significant damage to the offices of the Tampa Bay Times. When asked by a reporter whether the state should have mandated the crane’s removal ahead of hurricanes Milton and Helene, Governor Ron DeSantis and state emergency management director Kevin Guthrie said they didn’t believe state intervention was necessary.
“There’s got to be a point where common sense comes into play. We cannot hold everybody’s hand and do everything for them. That is not the function of government,” Guthrie said.
The city of St. Petersburg had issued a warning on Tuesday, the day before Milton’s arrival, stating that it was too late to remove the large cranes downtown.
Due to the specialized nature of crane operations, lowering or securing a tower crane is scheduled weeks in advance and is not a feasible option within the timeframe of an approaching storm due to the rapid intensification and forecasted path,” officials explained on the city’s website.
