TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa and St. Petersburg will be allowing residents to park in city garages for free to protect their cars from Hurricane Milton.
In Tampa, all city-operated garages are now open to the public, free of charge to all residents in low-lying, flood-prone areas particularly electric vehicles.
The free parking will end Thursday at 5 p.m. Here's a list of garages with parking offered on a first-come, first-served basis:
- Fort Brooke Garage: 107 N. Franklin St.
- Twiggs Street Garage: 901 E. Twiggs St.
- Centro Ybor Garage: 1500 E. 5th Ave.
- Palm Fernando Garage: 2010 N. 13th St.
- Pam Iorio Garage: 301 Channelside Dr.
- Whiting Garage: 118 S. Florida Ave.
- Tampa Convention Center Garage: 141 E. Brorein St.
- William F Poe Garage: 802 N. Ashley Dr.
“Our goal is to help all residents, especially electric vehicle owners, avoid the dangers associated with flooding,” said Mayor Jane Castor in a news release. “Parking in the upper levels of our garages can help reduce the likelihood of water damage, and we encourage residents to take advantage of this opportunity.”
In St. Pete, residents can park at the South Core parking garage at 101 First Ave. S on a space-available basis starting at 5 p.m. on Monday and will stay open until 5 p.m. on Tuesday or until full, according to a news release.
Residents will need to pick their cars up by noon on Saturday.
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall Wednesday and impact the Tampa Bay region beginning Tuesday evening. The storm is continuing to "rapidly intensify" as it continues its track toward Florida and is a major storm.