Pinellas County: Ian updates and emergency information

Follow ongoing updates from Pinellas County in response to Ian:

PINELLAS COUNTY CLOSINGS:

Sunshine Skyway Bridge was closed due to high winds. Transportation officials closed the bridge after wind gusts reached 40 mph. FHP says the bridge remains closed Thursday morning

Hospitals

View the current status of hospitals in Pinellas County at http://hs.sunstarems.com/.

Dept. of Health

All Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas) centers will be closed on Monday, Sept. 26, as staff prepares for emergency duty in special-needs shelters. Centers will remain closed until further notice. Normal services and hours will resume at a later date.

More closings

Stetson Law Gulfport and Tampa Law Center campuses will be closed Tuesday - Thursday, September 27-29. There will be no classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 27 and 28. Events are canceled Tuesday through Thursday when campus is closed.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is closing to the public Tuesday, Sept. 27 through Thursday, Sept. 29.

The Dali Museum will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 27 through Thursday, Sept. 29. All programs and events scheduled at The Dali during these dates will be canceled or postponed.

Sunken Gardens will close starting Tuesday, September 27 until further notice.

PINELLAS COUNTY SHELTERS:

Special needs shelters will open Monday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. Residents with special needs who require transportation to a safe location until the storm threat passes can still sign up by calling the County Information Center at 727-464-4333. Registration details can be found here: https://webeoc.pinellascounty.org/special-needs/Login.aspx#!/login

Two general populations shelters will open Monday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. for those needing emergency shelter:

Ross Norton Recreation Center (1426 S M.L.K. Jr Ave, Clearwater, FL 33756)
Lealman Exchange (5175 45th St N, St. Petersburg)

PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS:

Pinellas County schools and offices will be closed from Tuesday, September 27 through Friday, September 30.

However, to support readiness at sites designated as special needs shelters, the following schools will release students early at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 26:

Palm Harbor University High School
Dunedin Middle School
John Hopkins Middle School

The Diocese of St. Petersburg ordered all Catholic Schools and Early Learning Centers to close from Tuesday, September 27 through Thursday, September 29. This includes Catholic schools in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

PINELLAS COUNTY SANDBAGS:

Sandbag distribution locations are closed.

PINELLAS COUNTY EVACUATIONS:

Mandatory evacuation orders are lifted for all zones in Pinellas County effective at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 29. Residents who evacuated may return home, but officials said that some hazardous conditions may still exist, and warned residents to use caution around downed power lines and trees.

PINELLAS COUNTY TRANSPORTATION:

PSTA planned to cancel all of its regular transit services on Wednesday, Sept. 28.

PSTA will resume service and fare collection as soon as it is deemed safe after the storm passes.