Tampa Bay government and public services that are closing for Idalia

Sharon Kennedy Wynne, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·3 min read

With Tropical Storm Idalia bearing down on Florida and expected to become a major hurricane, public services and government offices across the Tampa Bay area are closing down this week.

The city of Largo is closing all of its facilities on Tuesday and Wednesday, including:

  • Largo City Hall (there will be no building inspections performed during this time)

  • Largo Public Library

  • Highland Recreation Complex and Family Aquatic Center

  • Southwest Recreation Complex and Pool

  • Largo Community Center

  • Central Park Performing Arts Center

  • Largo Golf Course

The St. Pete Pier, Sunken Gardens and St. Petersburg’s municipal marina will be closed on Tuesday.

City Hall in St. Petersburg, as well as city offices, and facilities will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. All City recreation facilities will be closed and recreation programming will be canceled Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority bus service will suspend all transit services on Tuesday at 5 p.m. until further notice. The suspension of service could also be enacted earlier if tropical storm-force winds are sustained at 40 miles per hour. In addition, all PSTA routes will be fare-free on Tuesday to assist in evacuations.

All Pinellas County Tax Collector’s offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tentative plan is to reopen on Thursday. Any appointments scheduled for the office closure dates will be honored until Thursday, Sept. 7. The offices have documented all appointments that were canceled.

The Hillsborough transit authority has announced all buses will be free on Tuesday. Fixed-route bus service will operate from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. — no paratransit services.

The city of Indian Rocks Beach offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be no yard waste or recycling service on Wednesday and no garbage service on Thursday.

The Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The offices are scheduled to reopen to the public for normal business hours on Thursday.

The city of Temple Terrace offices and facilities closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Sanitation services will operate as normal on Tuesday and resume as soon as conditions allow. There will be no yard waste pick up on Wednesday.

The city of Pinellas Park is closing all administrative offices, the Barbara S. Ponce Library and all city parks on Tuesday and Wednesday. All Pinellas Park recreation centers will close Tuesday and Wednesday.

In Pasco County offices and clinics will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The city of Tampa solid waste collection schedule has been adjusted. Normal operations until 10 a.m. Tuesday. If your garbage cart has yet to be collected by Tuesday at 10 a.m., please secure it in preparation for the storm. Beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, garbage collection will be suspended until further notice. Hillsborough County is closing all public-facing services to allow county employees to be able to perform their assigned emergency response duties. Frederick B. Karl County Center, will be Tuesday and Wednesday. All County public meetings have also been cancelled. Parks & Recreation will close all sites to the public on Tuesday and Wednesday, including all programming like after-school care. Several Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library locations are closed, including the Austin Davis Public Library, Egypt Lake Partnership Library, John F. Germany Public Library, and Ruskin Branch Library. For a full list of library closures updated in real-time, visit HCPLC.org/Idalia. Animal Control is responding to emergencies only, which include sick, injured, and overly aggressive animals. There will be no trash, recycling, or yard waste collections on Wednesday.

The Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

All Southwest Florida Water Management District offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday..