As the Tampa Bay area braces for Hurricane Milton, local officials are issuing county-by-county guidance for residents who will be affected by the storm.
10 Tampa Bay is compiling this guidance and other local information into county-specific guides. We will keep you updated with the latest information as the storm develops. Here's what you need to know for Sarasota County:
FORECAST
Timing: 4 p.m. Wednesday through 4 a.m. Thursday. See the latest forecasts for the area here.
Impact:
- Winds: 90-110+ mph
- Rain: 6 to 10 inches
- Surge: 11 to 15 feet
EVACUATIONS
Sarasota County is calling for mandatory evacuations to Zones A, B and C ahead of Hurricane Milton. Regardless of where you live in the county, if you are in a manufactured home or houseboat, you must leave. You can find your evacuation zone here.
"If you live in Level A or B, a manufactured home community or a mobile or boat home, NOW is the time to implement your plan, whether it’s staying with a family member or friend in a different level or leaving the area. If you plan to leave the area, do so now," county leaders said in a previous news release.
SHELTERS
You can find a list with the latest shelters and their status here. County officials say it's important to be sure a location is open before arriving since they operate on an as-needed basis.
The following locations are being used as shelters and are all pet friendly:
- Atwater Elementary School (4701 Huntsville Ave., North Port)
- Booker High School (3201 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota)
- Brookside Middle School (3636 South Shade Ave., Sarasota)
- Fruitville Elementary School (601 Honore Ave., Sarasota)
- Gulf Gate Elementary School (6500 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota)
- Heron Creek Middle School (6501 W. Price Blvd, North Port)
- North Port High School (6400 West Price Blvd, North Port)
- Phillippi Shores Elementary (4747 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota)
- Southside Elementary School (1901 Webber St., Sarasota)
- Taylor Ranch Elementary (2500 Taylor Ranch Trail, Venice)
- Woodland Middle School (2700 Panacea Blvd. North Port, FL 34289)
WATER SERVICE
Sarasota County Public Utilities will start shutting off potable water services and wastewater lift stations at 10 a.m. Tuesday for Siesta Key and Casey Key.
Once conditions are safe, emergency services said utilities teams will deploy to the barrier islands once it's safe and restore water to Siesta Key and Casey Key.
The City of Venice will have its water service shut off on Tuesday night until the storm passes and repairs are made. Wastewater services and power will also likely be shut off during this time.
POWER
You can find the latest power outages on the FPL website here.
CLOSINGS
Schools
You can find the latest school closings on the Florida Department of Education's website here.
Trash collection
For community areas not in Evacuation Level A, all regular garbage, yard waste, and bulk collections are suspended through Wednesday. You should not put any trash out for collection.
The county will decide when normal collection will resume after Wednesday.
All recycling collections are suspended through the week of Oct. 11.
Breeze Transit
Breeze Transit's fixed route, OnDemand and Siesta Key Trolley services will be closed Tuesday.
All Breeze Transit services will be closed Wednesday.
Gatorland
Outside, but near the Tampa Bay area, Gatorland announced it is closing the park on Wednesday and Thursday for the safety of animals, guests and employees.
Access to Siesta Key, Casey Key and Sarasota County's other barrier islands will shut down as Hurricane Milton continues moving toward Florida's Gulf Coast.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, no one will be able to enter Siesta Key, Casey Key, Longboat Key or Manasota Key until after the post-storm search and rescue mission is completed.
