Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency, sand bag locations begin opening

TAMPA, Fla. - As Tropical Depression Four works its way closer to Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm’s potential landfall.

According to FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg, the system has a 90 percent chance of formation within the next week.

While it is too soon to accurately predict the storm’s intensity and track, the governor’s declaration stated that there is a significant threat of heavy rainfall over most of the state with the possibility of at least 12 inches of rainfall over the next seven days.

FOX 13 Meteorologist Nash Rhodes says that the way the system interacts with Cuba’s terrain (or lack thereof) will have big implications on how strong it gets and which direction it will go. 

The counties included in DeSantis’ state of emergency include Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.

To help residents prepare for potential flooding, Hillsborough County is offering sandbags at four locations on Friday and Saturday.

The sandbags will be available to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 2, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the following four locations.

• Edward Medard Conservation Park, 6140 Turkey Creek Rd., Plant City, FL 33567
• E.G. Simmons Conservation Park, 2401 19th Ave. NW, Ruskin, FL 33570
• Ed Radice Sports Complex, 14720 Ed Radice Dr., Tampa, FL 33626
• Larry Sanders Sports Complex, 5855 S. 78th St., Tampa, FL 33619

Hillsborough County residents are eligible for a maximum of 10 sandbags per family. Residents must show ID verifying they live in the county. A driver’s license will serve as proper identification.

Edward Medard Conservation Park, E.G. Simmons Conservation Park, Ed Radice Sports Complex, and Larry Sanders Sports Complex will be closed to the public during sandbag operations.

The city of Tampa is also offering sandbags to residents on Friday and Saturday at the following locations:

• Himes Avenue Complex, located at 4501 South Himes Avenue
• Al Barnes Park, located at 2902 North 32nd Street
• Al Lopez Park, located at 4810 North Himes Avenue

Tampa sandbag sites will be open only to seniors and individuals with disabilities on Friday, August 2, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. 

The sandbag locations are open to everyone from 12 to 7 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Each household can take up to 10 sandbags, with new sandbag-filling machines on hand to make the process easier.

Three locations are open in the City of St. Petersburg from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday, weather permitting:

• Lake Maggiore Park Shelter Area – 3601 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. S.
• Northeast Park East Baseball Field Parking Lot – 955 62nd Ave. NE.
• Northwest Swimming Pool Parking Lot Park – 2331 60th St. N.

The City of Pinellas Park has one location open until 7 p.m. Friday:

• Parking lot – 6151 78th Ave N.

Hernando County self-serve sandbag stations will also open at 10 a.m. on Friday. Officials said a limited supply of sand and sandbags will be at three different locations, and residents should bring their own shovel. Locations include: 

• Linda Pedersen Park, located at 6300 Shoal Line Boulevard in Spring Hill
• Anderson Snow Park, located at 1360 Anderson Snow Road in Spring Hill (residents should enter through the service road between the park and the gymnastics place)
• Ridge Manor Community Center, located at 34240 Cortez Boulevard in Ridge Manor

If the system becomes a named storm, it will be called Debby. 

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