ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – In anticipation of the effects from Nicole, voluntary evacuations will be in effect starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday for coastal areas of St. Johns County, county officials announced.
That includes the entire city of St. Augustine and the city of St. Augustine Beach, as well as St. Johns County residents who live in flood-prone areas, on waterfront property, in mobile homes and in RVs.
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St. Johns County will open two shelters starting at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The county is prepared to open additional shelters as needed. The following shelters will be open to the public:
- Health and Human Services Department (Special medical needs) at 200 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine
- Solomon Calhoun Community Center (General population and pet-friendly) at 1300 Duval Street in St. Augustine
While shelters provide safety throughout the storm, residents must bring supplies to maintain personal comfort and sustenance. St. Johns County recommends that all evacuees bring their own bedding, including sleeping bags or air mattresses, pillows, sheets and blankets. A five-day supply of water, nonperishable food, medication, diapers and other personal items are also suggested. Refer to the list below for additional supply suggestions:
- At least a five-day supply of medications, insulin and a cooler if you are diabetic
- Personal grooming and hygiene items, feminine supplies
- Extra clothing and eyeglasses
- Books, magazines, cards, games, etc.
- Pillows, blankets, sheets, lawn chair/chaise lounge
- Flashlight and extra batteries, manual can opener
- Personal identification/important papers
County officials said they expect significant coastal erosion and tidal flooding and told residents that if they had flooding from Ian, they can expect it for Nicole. There could be power and water service outages on Anastasia Island.
During Ian, the Matanzas River overflowed, leaving downtown St. Augustine underwater.
“The last hurricane that just passed, we had more than 6 inches of water downstairs,” said Levens Shriver, an employee at Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille.
It took the staff three days to clear the water out of the downstairs dining area. But now Tropical Storm Nicole, combined with a King Tide, is threatening to flood the area again. And the employees at Harry’s in St. Augustine told News4JAX that they will be ready.
“We have 500 sandbags prepped up, and tomorrow we will come in around 7 a.m. and lay down plastic in the front door with a barrier we made and then set the bags up,” Shriver explained.
All the furniture on the first floor will also be moved to the upstairs dining area to prevent being damaged.
St. Johns County has 42 miles of coast, and berm replacement was almost done from Ian. Only a half-mile was left to be finished. It’s expected a lot of that dune reinforcement will be washed out by Nicole.
Emergency line
The Emergency Management Citizen Information Line is now open.
Residents can call 904-824-5550 for any questions on Nicole.
Trash pickup
Due to Tropical Storm Nicole, Waste Management will suspend collection service Thursday, Nov. 10.
Thursday customers will be serviced on Saturday, and Friday customers will be serviced as normal.
Parking
The Historic Downtown Parking Facility will be free starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday for residents living in low-lying, flood-prone areas who are seeking higher ground for their vehicles. Residents should plan to retrieve their vehicles once the storm passes, and it is safe to return home.
For additional information, please call the Historic Downtown Parking Facility, at 904-484-5160.
Debris
A note about yard debris and recycling pickup -- residential yard debris pickup will remain on its normal schedule this week on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and operate additionally on Thursday, Nov. 10. Routes will be adjusted to accommodate the tides.
Operations on Thursday will be suspended as necessary if conditions become unsafe.
Residential recycling will not be collected this week, but will resume on Thursday, Nov. 17 and Friday, Nov. 18.
Closures
Due to the storm’s projected timeline, according to the St. Johns County School District, schools will remain open Wednesday, Nov. 9, with a regular early dismissal. Extended day services will operate as usual. There will be no afterschool activities, events, or athletics. All schools and district offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10. The district reminded students’ families that Friday, Nov. 11, is a holiday honoring Veterans Day.
Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10, and Friday, Nov. 11.
Due to deteriorating weather conditions, solid waste yard debris collections will be suspended Thursday, Nov. 10 in St. Augustine. Residents are urged to secure debris and bins to the best of their ability as Tropical Storm Nicole approaches, and to be prepared for storm conditions. As a reminder, residential recycling will not be collected this week, but will resume on Thursday, Nov. 17 and Friday, Nov. 18.
Due to potential impacts of Tropical Storm Nicole, St. Johns County has suspended household garbage, recycling, and yard debris collection schedules on Thursday, Nov. 10, with normal service resuming Friday, Nov. 11. Residents originally scheduled for Thursday collection will have service on Saturday, Nov. 12. St. Johns County encourages residents to secure all garbage and recycling containers for the duration of the storm. The Tillman Ridge and Stratton Road Transfer Stations will also be closed on Nov. 10.
All St. Johns County libraries, bookmobiles, and book drops will close Wednesday, Nov. 9, at noon and Thursday, Nov. 10. Libraries are closed Friday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. Operational decisions beyond Friday will be determined based on weather conditions. Due dates will be extended and fines will not be incurred during the closure.
All St. Johns County Parks & Recreation parks and facilities will close Wednesday, Nov. 9, at noon and Thursday, Nov. 10, until the duration of the weather event. This includes but is not limited to athletic playing fields, passive parks, boat ramps, playgrounds, fishing piers, and the St. Johns County Golf Course. Beachfront parks and walkovers will also be closed during this time. Parks and facilities will reopen when safety inspections have been completed and weather conditions allow. Beach driving on all St. Johns County beaches is currently restricted.
With the exception of emergency service employees responding to Tropical Storm Nicole, all offices and departments of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will close Wednesday, Nov. 9, starting at noon and Thursday, Nov. 10. Government offices are closed Friday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. The same closures also apply to the government offices of the City of St. Augustine.
The St. Augustine Municipal Marina is currently closed and will reopen once weather conditions allow.
City of St. Augustine Beach government offices will remain open Wednesday and close Thursday, Nov. 10, and Friday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day.
The St. Johns County Clerk of Court and Comptroller offices will close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 9, and remain closed on Thursday, Nov. 10, due to predicted impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole. As previously scheduled, we will be closed Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day. Court operations in St. Johns County are suspended Thursday and Friday, Nov. 10-11. (Court is in session Wednesday as scheduled.) Please visit https://circuit7.org/ for further information about court operations in the Seventh Judicial Circuit.
FEMA will temporarily close the Disaster Recovery Center in St. Johns County, located at the Wind Mitigation Building, 3111 Agricultural Center Drive, from Wednesday, Nov. 9-Friday, Nov. 11. The DRC will be inspected on Saturday, Nov. 12, and reopen once it is determined safe.
Beach driving is also restricted at Porpoise Point beginning Monday. The remaining vehicular access ramps will be restricted beginning Tuesday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. These restrictions will be imposed for the duration of the storm.
Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas National Monuments will be CLOSED starting Wednesday, Nov. 9, in anticipation of severe weather and potential impacts from Nicole. While the storm track is unpredictable, based on existing information, park officials have decided to err on the side of caution and focus on visitor, volunteer, and staff safety by this preemptive closure. Both Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas will remain closed until further notice. For updates, please check park websites at www.nps.gov/casa and www.nps.gov/foma.
Due to the storm’s projected timeline, according to the St. Johns County School District, schools will remain open Wednesday, Nov. 9, with a regular early dismissal. Extended day services will operate as usual. There will be no afterschool activities, events, or athletics. All schools and district offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10. The district reminded students’ families that Friday, Nov. 11, is a holiday honoring Veterans Day.
The Joe Satriani concert scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is postponed. Ticket holders should hold onto their tickets as they work to confirm a new date. Original tickets will be honored on the new date. No new ticket purchase is needed. For those unable to attend the new date, refunds will be available at point of purchase. The Fortunate Youth concert scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is rescheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 15. All tickets will be honored for the new date; no new ticket purchase is needed. For those that cannot attend the rescheduled date, refunds will be available at point of purchase.
Due to Nicole, the Adam Sandler show scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10 at The St. Augustine Amphitheater is rescheduled for Friday, Nov. 11. All tickets will be honored for the new date; no new ticket purchase is needed. For those that cannot attend the new date, refunds are available at point of purchase.
The St. Augustine Amphitheater and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Box Offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 10. The St. Augustine Amphitheatre Box Office will open on Friday, Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and can process refunds for tickets purchased at both The St. Augustine Amphitheatre and Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Box Offices.
Council on Aging (COA) has announced that all COA senior centers and facilities, including River House, Sunshine Center, COA headquarters, and scheduled IMEP programs, will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 9 and 10, due to expected tropical storm conditions, and on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, in observance of Veterans Day. For more information and for updates, visit www.coasjc.org or call 904-209-3700.
Due to the expected impact on our community from Tropical Storm Nicole, all Sunshine Bus public transportation services and Paratransit services will be suspended beginning the morning of Thursday, November 10, 2022. Route closures should be expected when sustained winds achieve 35 MPH. We appreciate your patience as we continue to monitor the situation closely. For further information, please contact the following:
- Paratransit Customer Service (7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.): 904-209-3710
- Sunshine Bus Customer Service (8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.): 904-209-3716
St. Johns River State College will cancel all classes and close all campuses (Clay, Putnam and St. Johns counties) at noon Wednesday. The College will remain closed through Friday, Nov. 11.
The Thrasher-Horne Center will close today at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Events scheduled at the TH Center for the weekend will continue.
SJR State libraries will be open on Sunday, Nov. 13.
The city of St. Augustine has canceled the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Project S.W.I.N.G. on Friday, Nov. 11 due to the forecasted impacts of Tropical Storm Nicole. Currently, an alternative date has not been scheduled.