Built in a storm, still answering at 2 a.m.
StormReady started with one truck after Tropical Storm Fay. Seventeen hurricane seasons later, we are still family-run and still in Tampa.
Our story
In August 2008, Tropical Storm Fay stalled over Florida and dropped trees across half of Tampa. Ray Castellanos, then a climber for a large regional company, spent the following month watching homeowners wait days for a callback. He bought a used bucket truck that winter and started StormReady with a simple promise: answer the phone, show up when you say, and put the price in writing.
That promise still runs the business. Our dispatcher answers the storm line around the clock. Every estimate comes from an ISA Certified Arborist. And we publish storm rates before hurricane season, so no one gets a surprise invoice after the worst week of their year.
- 2009
Ray Castellanos buys a used bucket truck after cleaning up from Tropical Storm Fay and starts taking calls from his kitchen in Seminole Heights.
- 2013
First full-time climbing crew and ISA certification. The storm line goes 24/7.
- 2017
Hurricane Irma. Crews work 19 straight days and clear 640 properties across Hillsborough and Pinellas.
- 2021
Brandon yard opens. Plant health care and arborist assessments become their own division.
- 2024
Clearwater staging yard added so Pinellas calls never wait on bridge reopenings.
- 38 minAverage emergency arrival, last 12 months
- 4.9Star rating from 1,284 Google reviews
- 11,640+Trees trimmed, braced or removed since 2009
- 17Hurricane seasons of Tampa Bay storm work
How we work
Four rules every crew member signs on day one. They are printed inside every truck door.
- 1
Safety before speed
Every job starts with a tailgate safety briefing and a written drop-zone plan, even a two-hour trim.
- 2
Price it once
The written quote is the invoice. Storm rates are published before the season and never raised after landfall.
- 3
Save trees where we can
If pruning or cabling makes a tree safe, we will say so, even when a removal would be a bigger ticket.
- 4
Leave it cleaner
Roofs blown off, gutters cleared, lawns raked and a magnet sweep for hardware before we go.
The people you'll meet
Arborists, climbers and dispatchers who live in the neighborhoods they work in.
Started StormReady with one bucket truck after Tropical Storm Fay in 2008. Still walks most large removals himself.
ISA FL-6214A (demo)
Runs the 24/7 storm line and crew staging plan. Ten hurricane seasons of triage experience.
FEMA IS-100 trained
Specializes in no-drop rigging over roofs and pool cages. Has lowered more than 3,000 trees piece by piece.
ISA Certified Tree Worker
Former extension agent who leads our assessment reports and palm disease programs.
TRAQ qualified
Licensed, certified and insured
Certificates of insurance are emailed within one business day of request, and HOAs can be listed as additional insured.
- ISA Certified Arborist
- FL-6214A (demo)
- TRAQ Tree Risk Assessor
- Qualified 2024 (demo)
- General liability
- $2,000,000 per occurrence
- Workers' compensation
- Full coverage, all crew
- Hillsborough County license
- BTR #0000000 (demo)
- Memberships
- Tree Care Industry Association, Florida Chapter ISA (demo)
Get a price before the next storm
A certified arborist walks your property and sends a written quote within 24 hours. No pressure, no surprise fees.
4.9 from 1,284 reviews, ISA Certified Arborists