ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane Nicole has its sights set on Florida's east coast, bringing with it the threat of coastal erosion and strong winds.
Hurricane conditions are expected there, with tropical storm conditions anticipated for much of the Tampa Bay area late Wednesday into the day Thursday. Heavy rainfall, flooding and a storm surge are possible.
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We will have live updates throughout the day on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
7:41 p.m. The City of Tampa says garbage, recycling and yard waste collection will be suspended on Thursday, Nov. 10. Hurricane Ian vegetative debris collection will also be suspended the same day but will resume on Friday, Nov. 11.
7:18 p.m Creative Pinellas announced they are canceling its Arts Annual THE PARTY event on Thursday, Nov. 10. The organization encourages people to a gallery at Creative Pinellas on Friday, Nov. 11 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
6:54 p.m. The Hillsborough Transit Authority will suspend all bus, van and streetcar services on Thursday, Nov. 10 due to Hurricane Nicole. HART plans to resume operations on Friday, Nov. 11.
6:40 p.m. Hillsborough Community College says it will transition to a remote environment on Thursday, Nov. 10.
5:57 p.m. Nicole officially strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane as it makes landfall on Grand Bahama Island.
5:23 p.m. The city of Gulfport says operations like sanitation, public safety, the building department, utilities, public works, and the library will be active and performing normal activities on Thursday as the weather safely permits.
5:15 p.m. A local state of emergency has also been declared for Hernando County as Tropical Storm Nicole continues in its path.
5:12 p.m. The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners has declared a local state of emergency for Citrus County.
5:09 p.m. Bay Pine VA Healthcare System's Sebring VA clinic is closed through Thursday, Nov. 10. The C.W.Y VA Medical Center and all other outlying clinics, except for the Naples VA clinic, will be closed all day starting Thursday.
5:06 p.m. Pasco County Government to be closed to the public Thursday, Nov. 10. Officers are also closed for Veterans Day with reopening targeted for Monday, Nov. 14.
4:47 p.m. DoorDash activated its Severe Weather Protocol and suspended operations across parts of eastern and central Florida.
4:44 p.m. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patornis urges Floridians to make final preparations for Tropical Storm Nicole.
“As we just saw with Hurricane Ian, storms can intensify and change direction quickly," he said in a statement. "Now is the time to finish final storm preparations ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole. DO NOT take this storm lightly."
4:40 p.m. Storm debris collection has paused in North Port because of increasing winds expected from Nicole. Collection will start back up again when the system passes.
4:37 p.m. All campuses part of IDEA Public Schools will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10.
4:31 p.m. Waste Management suspended all collection services in Pasco County for Thursday, Nov. 10. Commercial service will resume on Friday, Nov. 11 with the residential collection being on the next service day – Monday, Nov. 14.
4:23 p.m. Classes and business operations at St. Petersburg College will be remote on Thursday, Nov. 10 because of the storm. With Veterans Day on Friday, campuses and sites will reopen on Saturday, Nov. 12 along with normal class schedules.
4:14 p.m. The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections offices will be closed for general business on Nov. 10 because of Tropical Storm Nicole.
However, the Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center at 2514 N. Falkenburg Road and the Fred B. Karl County Center at 601 E. Kennedy Boulevard will be open to serve voters who may need to resolve issues with Vote By Mail or provisional ballots.
4:09 p.m. Select Publix stores on the east coast of Florida have modified store hours as Tropical Storm Nicole continues in its path to the Sunshine State. On a map, the company explains some stores across Florida closed at noon Wednesday and plan to reopen at 9 a.m. on Thursday.
3:57 p.m. There will be no residential solid waste or recycling pickup Friday, Nov. 11 for the city of Largo. Collection schedules are planned to resume as normal on Monday, Nov. 14.
3:47 p.m. All city of Largo facilities will be closed to the public until noon on Thursday, Nov. 10.
All city facilities will be closed on Thursday, Nov 10:
- Largo City Hall
- Largo Public Library
- Highland Recreation Complex and Family Aquatic Center
- Southwest Recreation Complex and Pool
- Largo Community Center
- Central Park Performing Arts Center
- Largo Golf Course
- McGough Nature Center
City facilities will remain closed on Friday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.
3:31 p.m. All Department of Health offices and clinics in Pasco County will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 10 as staff is working in special needs shelters. They will remain closed on Veterans Day as well.
The offices and clinics are scheduled to reopen at normal business hours on Monday, Nov. 14.
3:31 p.m. Hillsborough County Tax Collector offices are closing Thursday because of Tropical Storm Nicole. Offices will open back up on Monday, Nov. 14.
3:24 p.m. Two community shelters will open at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. According to Pinellas County, they are as follows:
- Ross Norton Recreation Center at 1426 S M.L.K. Jr Ave., Clearwater.
- Lealman Exchange Community Center, 5175 45th St. N., St. Petersburg, which is equipped to support residents who depend on electricity or require medical assistance such as oxygen or assistance with routine care. Lealman will also be a pet-friendly shelter.
People are asked to bring their own bedding and comfort items.
2:26 p.m.: All Manatee County schools, including Manatee Technical College, will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 10, "out of precaution for the safety of students and employees," the school district announced.
2:18 p.m. Waste Management will suspend trash collection services in portions of Hillsborough County on Thursday.
Thursday residential customers will be served on their next service day while commercial customers will be caught up by Saturday. Roll off and Bagster collection will be delayed by one day.
2:17 p.m. Waste Management will suspend trash collection services in portions of Manatee County on Thursday.
Customers in Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island and in Palmetto will receive service. Other collections will start back up again on Friday on a one-day delay.
1:51 p.m. DeSantis announced there are currently 16,000 linemen staged to respond to power outages following the storm in addition to 600 guardsmen that have been activated. Seven Urban Search and Rescue teams are on standby to deploy following the storm.
1:41 p.m.: Hillsborough County Department of Health offices and clinics will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
1:32 p.m.: Waste Management will suspend trash collection services in Citrus County on Thursday. Pickup will be delayed one day, meaning Thursday customers will be serviced on Friday, and Friday customers will be serviced on Saturday.
1:26 p.m.: Sarasota County Schools announced it will be closed on Thursday with plans to resume normal operations on Friday.
1:25 p.m.: Pasco County joined Manatee and Hillsborough counties in issuing a local state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, allowing county leaders to better respond to the storm and assist in recovery efforts.
1:24 p.m.: Pinellas County Schools announced it will be closed on Thursday with plans to reopen on Friday. After-school activities scheduled for Thursday will also be canceled.
1:10 p.m.: Gov. DeSantis expanded the state of emergency to 11 additional Florida counties including Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Levy, Marion, Pinellas, Taylor and Wakulla. All Tampa Bay-area counties are now under a state of emergency.
1:08 p.m.: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced it will be closed on Thursday due to potential impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole. Guests are encouraged to follow the park's social media channels for updates on reopening.
12:15 p.m.: Universal Orlando Resort will close early at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, with a delayed reopening Thursday.
11:55 a.m.: Tampa International Airport says it does not anticipate significant weather impacts that would warrant closing the airport.
Some flight delays and cancellations are possible, however, so travelers are asked to check with their airline for the latest flight information.
11:38 a.m.: All classes at the University of South Florida will be remote only on Thursday. Clinical operations and medical school classes will resume in person as normal.
11:14 a.m.: Pinellas County schools said it would share its decision on schools for Thursday in anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicole. Many other school districts across the Tampa Bay area already have announced closings and activity cancellations.
10:35 a.m.: Tampa Electric urged customers to plan ahead of the storm, reminding people to stay away from downed power lines. The utility expects power outages in the coming day or two.
10:34 a.m.: Hillsborough County opened an emergency storm shelter at Erwin Technical College, located at 2010 E. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa, should people be concerned about staying in their homes during the storm.
