Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order over the weekend declaring a state of emergency for 15 Florida counties including all of Southwest Florida ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa.
Area counties are also under a federal state of emergency declared by President Joe Biden. Impacted counties include Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties.
Officials in Charlotte, Manatee and Sarasota Counties have enacted local state of emergency declarations.
An emergency shelter opened this morning at Manatee High School for people living in mobile homes, in low-lying areas or regions prone to flooding. The shelter is pet-friendly and evacuations are not mandatory.
The shelter will be conducting temperature checks and screening visitors for symptoms of COVID-19. Mask wearing is encouraged and increased spacing to accommodate physical distancing will also take place as demand allows.
Manatee County's 3-1-1 call center is open to field questions pertaining to storm response and will remain open through Tuesday evening.
Manatee County's Emergency Operations Center is at Level Two activation.
In Sarasota County, there are no current plans to open storm shelters, but all Sarasota County Area Transit routes are cancelled today including the Siesta Breeze Trolley and SCAT Plus.
The city of North Port has opened a call center to field storm related questions. The number to call is 941-429-7000.
Residents of Venice with utility-related emergencies today can call 941-486-2770.
