Pinellas Co. declares state of emergency, shelter info | News

Pinellas County, Florida -- The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners has declared a state of emergency, effective immediately.

The state of emergency allows local officials to streamline certain administrative procedures to better respond to the needs of county residents during a weather related emergency.

All Pinellas County government offices under the Board of County Commissioners will be open to the public for regular business hours tomorrow, Monday, Aug. 27. County parks will be closed until Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m.

Except for emergency matters and first appearance advisories and juvenile shelter and detention hearings, the courts in Pasco and Pinellas counties will be closed on Monday, Aug. 27.

Due to this inclement weather, Pinellas County will make three shelters in north, mid and south county available at 4 p.m. this afternoon.

The shelters will be opened primarily as a resource for people who live in flood prone areas and who may be affected by freshwater flooding.

The shelters that are opening are:

Dunedin Community Center
1920 Pinehurst Road, Dunedin

Ross Norton Recreation Center
1426  S. MLK Jr. Ave, Clearwater

P-TEC South
901 34^th St. South, St. Petersburg

Dunedin Community Center and P-TEC South are designated as special needs shelters for residents requiring oxygen or ambulatory assistance.

Rough surf along the beaches may pose a hazard to bathers, and officials have advised beachgoers to stay out of the water until the threat of Tropical Storm Isaac diminishes.

The Pinellas County Citizen Information Center is open at 464-4333.  Phones will be answered 24 hours a day during this weather-related emergency.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency and join Pinellas County EM on Twitter. Pinellas County government is also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.