Sarasota County: Idalia updates and emergency information

Follow ongoing updates from Sarasota County in response to Hurricane Idalia.

You can get information directly from the Sarasota County EOC.

Evacuations

The county called for the evacuation of people in level A zones before the storm. That included residents living in the barrier islands, mobile homes and big vessels.

Sarasota schools status

Sarasota County public schools will reopen Thursday, Aug. 31.

The University of South Florida's Tampa and Sarasota-Manatee campuses will reopen and classes will resume Thursday, Aug. 31. However, their St. Petersburg campus remains closed and classes are canceled for Thursday.

Other reopenings

The John Ringling Causeway Bridge is open with access to Bird Key only. St. Armands Key and Lido Key are still closed to traffic.

All Sarasota County libraries will reopen at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31.

All Breeze Transit Services plan to resume normal operations on Thursday, Aug. 31 as long as roads are passable.

Sandbag locations

Ed Smith Stadium, 2700 12th Street, Sarasota
Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota
South County Fleet, 4571 SR 776/Englewood Road, Venice

Sandbag operations are planned for Tuesday, August 29, from 7 a.m. to noon. The locations are self-service; shovels and bags will be provided. There's a limit 10 bags per vehicle.