ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Evacuations for some residents and visitors in St. Johns County are underway after officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for Evacuation Zone A (along coastal and river areas), Zone B, and Zone F (South of State Road 206) on Wednesday, Oct. 9, due to the imminent threat posed by Hurricane Milton. This includes the entire City of St. Augustine, the City of St. Augustine Beach, and residents living on waterfront properties or in flood-prone areas.
Residents living in boats, RVs, mobile homes, and low-lying flood-prone areas were also required to evacuate.
St. Johns County Emergency Management Director Joe Giammanco said Hurricane Milton is expected to have major impacts in St. Johns County as the area is under an hurricane warning, storm surge warning and a flood watch. St. Johns County is expected to receive eight to ten inches of rainfall.
“There are roads that will potentially be impassible,” St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews said. “If you need to make transportation plans, now is the time. Make sure you have food and medication so you can take safety measures for yourself and family.”
Related: Find Your St. Johns County Evacuation Zone
On Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 8 a.m., three evacuation shelters opened:
- Special medical needs shelter at Freedom Crossing Academy: 1365 Shetland Dr, St Johns, FL 32259
- Pet-friendly shelter at South Woods Elementary: 4750 FL-206, Elkton, FL 32033
- General population: Pedro Menendez High School: 600, 580 FL-206 West, St. Augustine, FL 32086
Residents who require transportation to a storm shelter should call the Emergency Management Citizen Information Hotline at 904-824-5550. Transportation will be provided for those in need.
“We don’t know what it’s (Hurricane Milton) going to bring on Thursday and what we’re going to see... for people that are staying, again, following mandatory evacuation orders, we do want people to be in harm’s way,” Giammanco said. “We don’t want to put our first responders in harm responders in harm’s way, but if you decide to stay, if you have a medical emergency or something else that’s affecting you during the storm, as St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews said, there’s going to be times that it might be impassable for us to get to you. So, you need to understand that. But if you are, you need to prepare by again, having some water food things that are not perishable that you can sustain yourself at your house.”
St. Johns County Evacuation Zones: A, B, C, D, E or F:
- Zone A – Most low-lying areas along the coast
- Zones B, C, D, and E – Progress inland as you get further away from the coast and higher in elevation
- Zone F – An area along the St. Johns River that is vulnerable to flooding
Sandbags were completed by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
“We have given out about 44,000 sandbags since yesterday,” St. Johns County Administrator Joy Andrews said.
Residents were encouraged not to drive through flooded streets and stay off the roads. They recommend everyone complete preparations Tuesday night.
Government Offices
- All St. Johns County government offices will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- This includes all departments of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, the Supervisor of Elections’ Office, the Property Appraiser’s Office, and the Tax Collector’s Office.
- The Clerk of Courts and County Comptroller’s Office will be closed from Wednesday, Oct. 9, through Friday, Oct. 11.
- The Seventh Judicial Circuit will be closed from Wednesday, Oct. 9, through Friday, Oct. 11.
- All City of St. Augustine government offices will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- All City of St. Augustine Beach government offices will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Residential Waste Collection Service
- St. Johns County household solid waste collection will be suspended on Thursday, Oct. 10. Residents who would have had household solid waste collected on Thursday, Oct. 10, will have it collected on Friday, Oct. 11. Residents who would have had household solid waste collected on Friday, Oct. 11, will have it collected on Saturday, Oct. 12.
- St. Johns County recycling collection will be suspended from Wednesday, Oct. 9, through Friday, Oct. 11.
- The Tillman Ridge and Stratton Road Transfer Stations will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 10.
- The City of St. Augustine will suspend solid waste collection services on Thursday, Oct. 10. Recycling will also be suspended on Friday, Oct. 11, as the City of St. Augustine focuses on storm debris cleanup.
- The City of St. Augustine Beach will suspend solid waste collection services on Thursday, Oct. 10, and resume normal operations on Friday, Oct. 11.
Public Library System
- All St. Johns County libraries, bookmobiles, and book drops will be closed beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, through Thursday, Oct. 10.
- Due dates will be extended and fines will not be incurred until Monday, Oct. 14.
Parks and Beach Services
- Community Centers
- Community centers will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- Solomon Calhoun Pool
- The pool will close be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, through Thursday, Oct. 10.
- Programming
- All programming is canceled for Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- The Hastings Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Walk previously scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, is rescheduled to Saturday, Oct. 26.
- St. Johns County Pier and Gift Shop
- St. Johns County Pier will close to the public beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 5 p.m. through Thursday, Oct. 10.
- The Pier Gift Shop will close to the public beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m. through Thursday, Oct. 10.
- The Pier will reopen once inspected.
- St. Johns Golf Club
- St. Johns Golf Club will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10. The golf course will reopen after inspections following the storm.
- Beach Driving
- Beach driving will close at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and remain closed until conditions allow.
- Parks and Athletic Fields
- All permitted and non-permitted events are canceled on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10. Fields and parks will reopen after inspections following the storm.
Schools
- All St. Johns County School District schools and district offices will be closed from Wednesday, Oct. 9, through Friday, Oct. 11.
- Scheduled afterschool, athletic, and extracurricular activities will be canceled from Tuesday, Oct. 8, through Friday, Oct. 11. Extracurricular activities and athletic events taking place into the weekend are also canceled.
- The St. Johns County School District is monitoring the storm and will make further announcements regarding additional closures at www.stjohns.k12.fl.us.
Council on Aging and Sunshine Bus Service
- St. Johns County Council on Aging (COA) has announced that all COA senior centers and facilities, including River House, COA administrative offices, and COA’s transportation headquarters, will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- Sunshine Bus and Paratransit transportation services will also be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
- For more information and for updates, please visit www.coasjc.org/news, or call 904-209-3700.
- For information and updates on Sunshine Bus and Paratransit transportation services, please visit https://sunshinebus.net/alerts-updates or call 904-209-3716 during operating hours.
The St. Johns County Emergency Management Citizen Information Hotline (904-824-5550) is now open to help answer the public’s questions about Milton. For detailed evacuation information, route maps, and updates, visit www.sjcfl.us/hurricane.