Tampa Bay, Florida — In addition to county and college school closures in the Bay area, counties are announcing additional closures and/or changes to services for Monday, Aug. 27.
Busch Gardens
Due to the expected proximity of Tropical Storm Issac to the Tampa Bay area, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island will be closed on Monday, August 27. It is expected to reopen for normal operations on Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m.
Hillsborough County Govt. Offices Closed, Services Suspended Monday
Hillsborough County Administrative offices and services that are non-essential to immediate public health and safety will be closed on Monday, Aug. 27, as a precautionary measure due to Tropical Storm Isaac. This applies to County functions under the Board of County Commissioners at the direction of County Administrator Mike Merrill. This is to help keep employees and residents safe, by eliminating their need to travel to County offices Monday (tomorrow) in potentially hazardous driving conditions.
The Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center is on 24-hour activation as of noon today (Sunday, Aug. 26), and continues to monitor weather conditions and communicate with local, state and federal officials to take appropriate actions as needed.
Hillsborough County Waste Services
Curbside garbage collection for unincorporated Hillsborough County will be suspended for Monday, and customers should NOT place any waste materials at the curb. Customers impacted by the Monday collection suspension will be able to put out twice as much trash on their next normal collection day. Also, all Hillsborough County solid waste facilities will be closed to the public on Monday.
Other Hillsborough County Offices
Supervisor of Elections has announced their offices will be closed on Monday, Aug. 27.
The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County will be closed on Monday, Aug. 27.
Hillsborough County Public Schools has announced that all schools and offices will be closed Monday, Aug. 27.
Hillsborough County residents can call 813-272-6900 to report storm-related problems or request additional information.
HART operations
HART will operate regular and extra bus and streetcar as planned Monday, Aug. 27. Please be aware that several detours impacting transit service in the downtown Tampa area have been in effect over the weekend and will remain in effect throughout the week to adjust bus and streetcar service to road closures and security demands.
Courts in Pinellas and Pasco counties
Sixth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge J. Thomas McGrady said the decision to cancel most of Monday’s scheduled court proceedings was made because “persons who have been ordered to appear in court should not have to worry about whether or not it is safe to travel to our courthouses.”
Anyone scheduled to report to any courthouse in Pasco or Pinellas County on Monday should not report. Except for first appearance advisories and juvenile shelter and detention hearings, all court proceedings scheduled on Monday in the Sixth Judicial have been cancelled. Residents who had been summoned for jury duty on Monday (Aug. 27) have been excused and told not report.
Judge McGrady emphasized that judges and other necessary court personnel will be available for any emergency matters requiring judicial decisions. Normal after-hours procedures should be followed for emergency court matters.
Attorneys, pro se litigants or other citizens who scheduled hearings that have been cancelled on Monday (Aug. 27) will be responsible for rescheduling those hearings. Anyone involved in a proceeding that was scheduled for them will be notified of the new date for that proceeding.
At this time, all courts are scheduled to be open for normal business on Tuesday (Aug. 28), but the Sixth Judicial Circuit continues to monitor Isaac.
As long as power is available, the circuit website http://www.jud6.org/ will be updated regularly, and information will also be available at this phone number: 727.464.4470.
James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospitals and Clinics
Due to Tropical Storm Isaac and its general path toward Florida, and anticipated severe weather associated with the storm, the JAMES A. HALEY VETERANS’ OUTPATIENT CLINICS are cancelled on Monday, August 27, 2012.
Elective surgeries and outpatient procedures are cancelled for Monday, August 27, at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. Patients are being contacted and rescheduled by James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital staff.
Facility Status
James A. Haley Veterans Hospital Outpatient Clinic: Cancelled Monday, August 27 New Port Richey Outpatient Clinic: Cancelled Monday, August 27 Brooksville Community Based Outpatient Clinic: Cancelled Monday, August 27 Lakeland Community Outpatient: Cancelled Monday, August 27 Zephyrhills Community Based Outpatient Clinic Cancelled Monday, August 27
Any patients whose medical care is interrupted by this storm will be contacted by phone and rescheduled as quickly as possible. Help us keep our Veterans informed! You can also receive updated information by liking us on www.facebook.com/vatampa The Emergency Room(ER) will be open; however, patients are being encouraged to go to the nearest ER if they are in need of emergency care.
All staff are required to report to duty. Please contact your supervisor for additional information.
Pinellas County Government Offices Open
All Pinellas County government offices under the Board of County Commissioners will be open to the public for regular business hours tomorrow, Monday, August 27.
All Pinellas County employees should report for their regularly scheduled shifts at their normal workplaces.
Community Health Centers in Pinellas
Community Health Centers of Pinellas’ five locations will be closed on Monday, Aug. 27, in anticipation of Tropical Storm Isaac.
The five locations are:
Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center
Historic Mercy Hospital Campus
1344 22nd St. S.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33712
CHCP at Pinellas Park
6237 66th St.
Pinellas Park, Florida 33781
CHCP at Largo
12420 130th Ave. N.
Largo, Florida 33774
CHCP at Tarpon Springs
247 South Huey Ave.
Tarpon Springs, Florida 34689
CHCP at Clearwater
707 Druid Road E.
Clearwater, Florida 33756
For up-to-date information on the status of the facilities call 727-824-8181.
Pinellas County Shelters
Pinellas County is opening shelters for those who live in flood prone areas. The shelters that are opening are:
Dunedin Community Center 1920 Pinehurst Road, Dunedin
Ross Norton Recreation Center 1426 S. MLK Jr. Ave, Clearwater
P-TEC South 901 34th St. South, St. Petersburg
Bay Pines VA Healthcare System closes Bay area clinics
Pasco County Government Offices and Health Department
Pasco County government offices and the health department will be closed on Monday, August 27. The decision is due to the uncertain weather conditions that Tropical Storm Isaac poses early Monday and throughout the day.
The closure of Pasco County government means PCPT transit buses will not be in operation, county parks are closed, and county libraries are traditionally closed on Mondays.
All Children’s Outpatient Center locations
Several regional All Children’s Outpatient Center locations will be closed on Monday, Aug. 27 due to the storm’s possible impact on local roads. All Children’s Outpatient Centers in Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota will re-open Tuesday, weather permitting. Families of patients who are scheduled for evaluation appointments during this closure are encouraged to call the center once it re-opens for prompt re-scheduling. All other All Children’s facilities in St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area will be open for business as usual. For more information, visit the hospital’s website at www.allkids.org.
Sarasota County Closures
SCAT expands service Sunday
Sarasota County Area Transit SCAT has expanded its regular, limited Sunday service to free emergency evacuation service hourly at all SCAT bus stops in the county.
Passengers will be transferred to school buses at the SCAT transfer stations and then transported to shelters.
The free service will be provided until 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26. There will be no regular SCAT service on Monday, Aug. 27.
For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000, or visit www.scgov.net.
City of Madeira Beach
There will be no trash pickup changes, however, the city says pickup may be affected on Tuesday and/or Wednesday.
An additional 20,000 sandbags will be delivered to the city by Sunday afternoon. The sandbag filling station will be at Archibald Park, 15100 Gulf Blvd., until 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday (weather permitting).
City Hall will be staffed throughout the storm. Residents can call City Hall at 727-391-9951 with any concerns.
Manatee County
Manatee County continues to recommend voluntarily evacuation for people with special needs and those living in mobile home parks and other low-lying areas.
Two shelters remain open:
Manatee High School: 902 33rd Street Court West, Bradenton – Pet-Friendly
Braden River High School: 6545 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton
** If you have a special need such as a medical condition requiring electricity or oxygen, do not delay, register now by calling 941-749-3500.
Sandbags remain available for Manatee County residents at the following locations until 4pm today:
Buffalo Creek Golf Course, 8100 69th St. E., Palmetto
G.T. Bray Recreation Center, 5502 33rd Ave. Dr. W. Bradenton
Lakewood Ranch Park, near Lakewood Ranch High School
39th St. Stormwater Facility, 5511 39th St. E., Bradenton
Rubonia Community Center, 1309 72nd st. E., Palmetto
City of Bradenton residents may also pick up sandbags, available on 7th Street and 13th Avenue West.
Additional updates include:
The following government offices will be closed on Monday including Manatee County Government, City of Palmetto, City of Bradenton, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Manatee County Clerk of Court and the Manatee County Court System
Port Manatee is operating under “Condition Zulu” which means it will remain open but is closed to boat traffic. Port administration offices will also be closed on Monday.
All MCAT buses including regular routes, the Island Trolley and handy-bus (Paratransit) will cease operations at 6pm today.
A list of preparedness tips is available at www.mymanatee.org/hurricane.
Regular updates will be posted to Manatee’s Facebook page and Twitter account, @ManateeGov. For more information, people may call (941) 748-4501 or (941) 749-3500.
PRECO “real time” outage viewer map
Peace River Electric Cooperative recently added a real-time outage viewer to its website. The map provides the number of locations without power, a general idea of where it is occurring graphically, and the number of consumers affected per county.
The outage viewer can be accessed from PRECO’s homepage at www.preco.coop. Simply click on the link in the center of the page. It can also be accessed by typing http://outage.preco.org in your browser’s address window.
Source: Kristin Weber – wtsp.com