St. Lucie County Hurricane Ian Update 4, September 28, 2022
St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners’ government offices, libraries, parks and attractions will remain closed on Thursday, September 29, 2022 as Hurricane Ian impacts our area with strong winds and heavy rains. Some essential St. Lucie County employees will continue working at the Emergency Operations Center and at other locations until the storm passes through our area.
St. Lucie County opened three shelters on September 28th at 10:00 AM on Wednesday. However, because of the low turnout those seeking shelter at the General Population Shelter at Fort Pierce Central High School, 4101 S 25th St., Fort Pierce, Fla. 34981, were relocated to the Pet-Friendly Shelter at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, 1801 Panther Lane, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34947. The Special Needs Shelter at Havert L. Fenn, 2000 Virginia Ave, Fort Pierce, Fla. 34982, hosted 11 individuals as of 2:00 PM.
St. Lucie County’s public transportation system, ART (Area Regional Transit), bus service was suspended today at 2:00 PM and will remain closed through Thursday, September 29th. Riders are encouraged to monitor the schedule using the RouteShout application, available on the Apple Store and Google Play sites.
The St. Lucie County Landfill and Waste Pro will evaluate the roads and weather conditions on Thursday, September 29th at 5:00 AM and make a determination regarding hours of operation at that time.
Several St. Lucie County parks and natural preserves will be closed for the next few days as crews access the flooding and any damage.
Ocean Rescue Lifeguards will not be on duty until Friday, September 30th. Beachgoers should use extreme caution when entering the ocean as heavy surf and rip currents will continue for several days. Additionally, the heavy surf and erosion may expose sea turtle nests. Eggs that become exposed should be left alone. St. Lucie County’s contracted biologists will continue to monitor nests and beach conditions after the storm passes. If you find a wild animal, including sea turtles, in distress please call the FWC hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).
St. Lucie County Emergency Operations Center is operating at a Level 2 (partial) activation. If residents have questions or concerns, they can call the St. Lucie County Public Information Lines at 772-460-4357 or 772-460-HELP, which are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (these hours are subject to change depending on the storm’s path).
The potential for heavy rains and flash flooding will be in effect for the next several days. Residents can report flooding by emailing details, including street addresses and images, to flooding@stlucieco.org. If there is emergency, life-threatening flooding, please call 911. Residents are reminded to avoid driving and/or walking down flooded streets.
St. Lucie County has additional storm-related information available at www.readystlucie.org as well as our social media channels @StLucieGov.
September 27, 2022
St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners’ government offices, libraries and attractions will be closed on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 as Hurricane Ian is expected to impact our area with tropical force storm winds and heavy rains.
Additionally, all St. Lucie Public Schools and district offices will be closed Wednesday, September 28th and Thursday, September 29th.
The St. Lucie County Tax Collector’s Office will be following the lead of the St. Lucie County School District in closing all three office locations on Wednesday, September 28th and Thursday, September 29th. Following the storm, the Tax Collector will be offering extended hours on Friday, September 30th, opening one hour early at 8:00 AM and remaining open until 6:00 PM. The St. Lucie County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office, will also be closed Wednesday, September 28th and Thursday, September 29th.
The Sheriff’s Office, the Property Appraiser, the Supervisor of Elections and the 19th Judicial Court will be closed on Wednesday, September 28th. A decision Thursday’s hours of operation for the Board of County Commissioners and other agencies will be made on Wednesday, September 28th.
The St. Lucie County Landfill and Waste Pro will continue to operate normal business hours until the weather conditions become unsafe for trucks to be on the road.
St. Lucie County’s public transportation system, ART (Area Regional Transit), bus service will also continue to operate as long as the weather allows. Riders are encouraged to monitor the schedule using the RouteShout application, available on the Apple Store and Google Play sites.
Indian River State College will be closed to employees, students, and visitors at starting at 3:00 PM, Tuesday, September 27th. All classes (including online classes) and campus events are canceled. The college will remain closed on Wednesday, September 28th. IRSC continues to monitor Hurricane Ian and will assess conditions to determine when it is safe to reopen.
Hurricane Ian is projected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tampa Bay Wednesday, September 28th or Thursday, September 29th as a Category 3 storm. St. Lucie County declared a Local State of Emergency at 9:00 AM on September 27th. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a State of Emergency for all 67 counties on Saturday, September 24th. Based on the projected path of Hurricane Ian there are no plans to issue evacuations or open shelters in St. Lucie County at this time.
St. Lucie County Emergency Operations Center is operating at a Level 2 (partial) activation. If residents have questions or concerns, they can call the St. Lucie County Public Information Lines at 772-460-4357 or 772-460-HELP, which are open beginning today from noon to 7:00 PM and the rest of the week from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM (these hours are subject to change depending on the storm’s path).
Even if the Treasure Coast stays out of the direct path of Hurricane Ian, St. Lucie County’s 21 miles of coastline will see impacts from this storm, including heavy surf, rips currents and escarpments/erosion. Residents and tourists are reminded to use caution when visiting our beaches before and after the storm passes Florida. Always swim at lifeguarded beaches: Pepper Park and Waveland.
St. Lucie County reminds all contractors to make preparations at their job sites for the potential impacts of Hurricane Ian. While St. Lucie County is not in the direct path of the storm, our area may still experience heavy rain and strong winds. All debris, trash, equipment and construction materials should be removed from construction sites until the storm passes. Residents with construction site concerns should report construction sites to Code Compliance. Please note that new state laws make it so that Code Complaints are no longer anonymous and your report will be part of the public record. www.stlucieco.gov/departments-and-services/planning-and-development-services/code-compliance/report-a-code-violation.
The potential for heavy rains and flash flooding will be in effect for the next several days. Residents can report flooding by emailing details, including street addresses and images, to flooding@stlucieco.org. If there is emergency, life-threatening flooding, please call 911. Residents are reminded to avoid driving and/or walking down flooded streets.
St. Lucie County has additional storm-related information available at www.readystlucie.org.
