Hurricane Helene: Pinellas County updates & information

TAMPA - As Hurricane Helene heads toward Florida, here's what people in Pinellas County need to know.

Pinellas County Evacuations:

Pinellas County issued mandatory evacuations for all residents in Zone A, along with all mobile home parks countywide.

A general shelter is open at Lealman Innovation, located at 4900 28th St. N in Lealman.

Pet-friendly shelters are open at the following locations:

Gibbs High School, 850 34th St. S, St. Petersburg
Largo High School, 410 Missouri Ave., Largo
Palm Harbor University High School, 1900 Omaha St., Palm Harbor

Special needs shelters are open at the following locations:

Dunedin Middle School, 70 Patricia Ave., Dunedin
John Hopkins Middle School, 701 16th St. S, St. Petersburg
Palm Harbor University High - Building 19, 1900 Omaha St., Palm Harbor

Commissioners declared a local state of emergency during a meeting Tuesday morning.

Pinellas County braces for Hurricane Helene

FOX 13's Matt McClellan reports.

Pinellas County Closings:

Pinellas County has announced the following closures:

All Pinellas County government departments will close effective 5 p.m. on Wednesday, with some having partial closures throughout the day due to storm-related response. Please call their offices in advance of visiting to verify schedules. All departments will remain closed Thursday while staff works in various storm support capacities. A decision about Friday closures will be made at a later time.
All county parks will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. John Chestnut Sr. Park will be open only for sandbag distribution from 7 a.m. to noon.
The Animal Shelter will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Utilities department's walk-in payment center will be closed Wednesday through Friday, and all late payment fees will be paused through the weekend.
The Property Appraiser's Office will close at noon on Wednesday and remain closed on Thursday. The Tax Collector's Office will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
The Clerk's Office, Courts, State Attorney and Public Defender's Office will be open Wednesday. All will be closed Thursday.
Pinellas County Schools are closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections offices will be closed on Thursday and reopen on Friday.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium will be closed on Thursday.

Pinellas County's three movable bridges will be locked in the closed position at 8 p.m. Wednesday following guidance from the U.S. Coast Guard. The Dunedin Causeway bridges, Beckett Bridge in Tarpon Springs and Park Boulevard Bridge in Seminole will remain open to traffic, but will not open for boat traffic.

Dunedin

All City Facilities will be closed starting on Wednesday at 5 p.m. through Thursday. This includes the City Marina, City Parks and the Causeway restrooms. The Marina will remain closed to vehicles, golf carts, bicycles and pedestrians during and after the storm. Once the Marina is determined to be safe and free of debris, the Marina will reopen.

Largo

The City of Largo will close all of its facilities on Wednesday at noon and will remain closed on Thursday.

St. Petersburg

The city of St. Petersburg will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

Pinellas County Sandbags:

Clearwater

The city of Clearwater is making sandbags available to city and unincorporated Pinellas County residents Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon:

Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex, 2450 Drew St.

Pinellas Park

The city of Pinellas Park will open two sandbag sites for Pinellas Park residents only. Residents can get up to 10 sandbags each.

Pre-made sandbag site:

Parking lot at 6151 78th Ave N. Pinellas Park

Wednesday (9/25) hours 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (weather permitting)

Self-serve sandbag site:

Helen Howarth Park, 6301 94th Avenue Pinellas Park

Wednesday (9/25) hours 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (weather permitting)

Residents must show a water bill and/or valid driver's license indicating they are a resident of Pinellas Park in order to receive their sandbags.

St. Petersburg

The following sandbag sites will be open on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (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

Self-Service locations will also be open:

Dell Homes Park - 2741 22nd St. S
Fossil Park Northern Most Parking Lot - 6875 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. N
Walter Fuller Soccer Field Parking Lot - 2800 75th St. N

Pinellas County Schools:

All Pinellas County Schools and offices will be CLOSED on Wednesday, September 25 through Thursday, September 26. All sports and school activities scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, through Thursday, September 26, are canceled.

Sports and activities scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 will occur as scheduled. Activities at sites designated as shelters may be altered.