TAMPA, Fla. — Locations to pick up sandbags are open ahead of Hurricane Milton, which became a named storm on Saturday. We will be updating as more locations become available.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

The following areas will remain closed to the public, but residents can come the following locations from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 07. Residents need to bring their driver's license and will be asked to fill their won sandbags.  

PINELLAS COUNTY

In St. Petersburg, full-service and self-service sandbag operations and updates should appear here and they can appear here as well. 

Self-Service Locations
Dell Homes Park - 2741 22nd St. S
Fossil Park Northern Most Parking Lot - 6875 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. N
Walter Fuller Soccer Field Parking Lot - 2800 75th St. N

Full-Service Locations
Lake Maggiore Park Shelter Area - 3601 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St. S
Northeast Park East Baseball Field Parking Lot - 955 62nd Ave. Ne
Northwest Swimming Pool Parking Lot Park - 2331 60th St. N

Please note: The parks will be closed to the public during sandbag operation hours. Residents are encouraged to bring their own shovel.

Residents with sandbags from Hurricane Helene are encouraged to reuse them. Please note that sandbags are only effective in slow-moving water that is no more than 15 inches deep.

POLK COUNTY

Polk County sandbag sites will be open to residents at the locations listed below Oct. 7 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sandbag site locations are:

  • Mulberry/South Lakeland – Loyce E. Harpe Park, 500 W. Carter Road, Mulberry
  • Lakeland – 8970 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland
  • Fort Meade – 1061 NE 9th St., Fort Meade
  • Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof
  • Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale
  • Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee
  • Poinciana Park – 5109 Allegheny Road, Kissimmee 34759

A maximum of 10 prefilled sandbags will be provided to each household address to help prevent water intrusion into the home. You will need to bring a driver’s license to show your local address.

Residents living in flood prone areas are encouraged to sandbag their homes. To protect against water damage, follow these simple sandbagging techniques. At the area where water can enter a structure:

  • If not working on concrete, dig a small ditch just deep enough to go below ground level. The ditch should be back far enough from the entrance to allow room to place optional submersible (sump) pumps into the protected area. The edge of the visqueen should be placed in the ditch as a bottom layer.
  • Place the first row of sandbags in ditch, fold visqueen over the top of first row, place a second row of bags on top, fold visqueen back over, place a third row of bags on top, and so on. This creates an "S" pattern with the visqueen.

Depending on the size of the barrier, submersible (sump) pumps can be used. The barrier will not completely stop water from entering the protected area; however, by properly placing bags, visqueen and sump pumps, water, in most cases, can be removed quickly.

Winter Haven will open a sandbag fill station at Rueben Williams Sports Complex (Previously Lake Maude Recreation Park) at 1751 7th St NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881. The site will open 9 a.m. Monday and remain open until dusk. It will reopen 7 a.m. Tuesday and remain open until 1:00 p.m. Residents should visit the City's website to confirm Tuesday's closing time that morning as it may change due to updated weather forecasts.

This is a self-serve stations, and residents are encouraged to bring their own shovels. The City will provide bags and sand. The limit is 10 bags per Winter Haven resident. Residency is verified by a Winter Haven address on an I.D. such as a driver's license. Please see the attached map for traffic flow through the station. Multiple piles of sand are available, and the site flows smoothly as long as the map and posted directional signs are followed.

HERNANDO COUNTY

Updates should appear here.