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In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, services and businesses in Southwest Florida are beginning to reopen.
Grocery stores, essential services and schools announced closures due to impacts from Milton leading up to the storm.
Government services also announced closures of certain offices, roads, parking garages and utility or trash collection services.
Read below for a detailed list of how major retailers, services and local governments are adjusting their schedules before, during and after Milton.
Schools
- The Collier County School District has closed schools through Friday.
- TheLee County School Districthas closed schools through Friday.
- Charlotte County Public Schools has closed schools through Friday.
- DeSoto County Public Schools has closed schools through Friday.
- The Hendry County School District has closed schools through Friday.
- Glades County schools are closed through Friday.
- Go to this link for other schools, like private schools and universities, affected due to Hurricane Helene.
Grocery Stores
- Most Publix stores in SWFL opened at noon Thursday. To see whether your neighborhood store has opened click here.
- Target stores are now open. To view the operating hours of a store near you, click here.
- Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs are slowly opening after the storm. However, these remain closed as of 2 p.m. Thursday:
- 1100 S Main St., North Port
- 2931 S Mccall Rd., Englewood
- 375 Kings Hwy., Port Charlotte
- 17700 Murdock Cir., Port Charlotte
- 19100 Murdock Cir., Port Charlotte
- 2150 Tamiami Trl., Port Charlotte
- 4150 Tamiami Trl S., Venice
- 1619 Del Prado Blvd S, Cape Coral
- 3920 Skyline Blvd., Cape Coral
- 2020 Ne Pine Island Rd., Cape Coral
- 301 SW Pine Island Rd., Cape Coral (Opens Friday at 10 a.m.)
- 3451 Tamiami Trl E in Naples
- 17105 San Carlos Blvd, Fort Myers Beach
- 14821 Ben C Pratt/6 Mile Cypress Pkwy, Fort Myers
- 5170 S Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers (Opens Friday at 10 a.m.)
- 4770 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers
- To track neighborhood closings, click here.
- Winn-Dixies stores have mostly reopened. To check on openings, click here.
- Costco stores are open. To view the operating hours of a store near you, click here.
Medical Services
- RxOpen has been activated in Florida following Hurricane Milton, simply visit this link to view a map of open pharmacies.
- All Lee Physician Group, Lee Convenient Care (Urgent Care) and Lee Health outpatient locations will be closed through Thursday, with a few exceptions:
- All elective surgeries are canceled through Thursday.
- The Call Center will be closed Thursday.
- Both complex care centers are closed.
- All outpatient lab draw stations/clinics are also closed through Thursday.
Shelters in Southwest Florida
- People have been leaving shelters, and they are now closing.
Government Offices and Services
Lee County
- Lee County Utilities has restored water in Fort Myers Beach.
- Lee County offices are closed through Friday. The EOC is providing updates after Milton.
- Lee County Tax Collector has closed all Tax Collector locations through Friday.
- The Lee Clerk’s office will remain closed through Friday. All court hearings are suspended until further notice and will be rescheduled.
- All Florida Department of Health in Lee County offices will be closed until Friday.
City of Sanibel
- Sanibel Causeway has reopened to residents. Thursday morning, first responders and other Sanibel crews returned to the island to evaluate how safe the city is before opening it and found lots of infrastructure issues. There is no power on the island, and they don’t expect it to be turned on Thursday night. There are also waste water issues.
- Sanibel City Hall and the Sanibel Recreation Center will be closed through Friday.
Charlotte County
- Charlotte County offices and facilities are closed through Friday.
- The Charlotte County comfort station at Harold Avenue Regional Park, which offers laundry and shower services, is closed for Hurricane Milton.
- Charlotte County Utilities has suspended operations until the storm passes and staff can safely address utility emergencies; however, water and sewer service is not suspended.
- For Hurricane Milton information, County Utilities asks you call the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center at 941-833-4000.
- The offices of the Charlotte County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector will be closed through Friday.
- The shelters at Kingsway Elementary School, Babcock Neighborhood Schools and Harold Avenue Regional Park Recreation Center are closed. The shelter at Babcock Ranch School Field House in Punta Gorda remains open and is accepting residents.
Collier County
- Suspension of regular county business through Thursday includes but is not limited to all public meetings, parks, libraries, museums, animal services and senior meal sites. Online services are available atcolliercountyfl.gov.
- Collier County Government facilities and services will resume regular operations on Friday.
- The Florida Department of Health in Collier County (DOH-Collier) will remain closed until further notice.
City of Marco Island
- City facilities will be open to the public for normal operations on Friday at 8 a.m.
- The Marco Island Library will remain closed through Friday.
City of Naples
- City offices and facilities are closed through Thursday.
- All beach ends, the Naples Pier, the pier parking lot and city parks are closed.
- The Fourth Avenue South public parking garage is full and any electric vehicles (EVs) parked on the first floor of the parking garage, or any cars blocking elevators and exits, will be towed.
- All garbage, recycling and horticulture collection services have been suspended until further notice.
- The Headquarters Library and the Vanderbilt Beach Library will remain closed through Friday.
City of Cape Coral
- City Hall will reopen on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
State Services
- All Disaster Recovery Centers in Florida will reopen when weather conditions improve and inspections are completed.
- Courthouses in the 20th Judicial Circuit, which serves Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties, will be closed until Friday.
Trash Collection
- Cape Coral Trash will have regular pickups resume Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday collections are delayed until next week (10/15 & 10/16).
- There will be no collection of garbage, recycling, bulky or yard waste Wednesday and Thursday in unincorporated Collier County,the City of Marco Island and the City of Everglades. No make-up collections will be made.Curbside collection services will resume on the next regularly scheduled day.
- The Collier County Landfill, the Immokalee Transfer Station and the Recycling Drop-Off Centers will also be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The facilities will reopen on Friday.
- Hendry County waste pick up will resume regular operating hours on Friday. The Transfer Stations and landfill will also resume regular hours on Friday.
- Lee County Solid Waste has suspended service through Friday, Oct. 11. Regular household garbage collection will resume on Monday, Oct. 14. Storm debris will be collected separately from your regular collections.
Ports and Transportation
Tolls are suspended on the west coast of Florida and Alligator Alley. The suspension will continue until it is safe to return to evacuated areas.
Lee County
- Florida Southwest International Airport is closed Thursday but will reopen Friday.
- Tolls on Lee County bridges – Cape Coral Parkway, Midpoint Bridge and the Sanibel Causeway – have been suspended.
- LeeTran has stopped running routes ontoFort Myers Beach.
- LeeTran fixed route and shuttle transportation assistance are suspended. Visit LeeTran’s social media channels for specific route information. Announcements for resuming services will be forthcoming.
Charlotte County
- Charlotte County Transit service will be suspended through Thursday. Customers with current reservations will be notified of cancellations by phone. The reservation phone number, 941-575-4000, is closed until further notice.
Collier County
- All Collier Area Transit (CAT) fares will be waived until further notice.
- On Wednesday, during the mandatory driving curfew, the City of Naples disabled 10 traffic intersections in flood-prone areas to prevent equipment damage.
- If you approach a non-operational intersection, treat it as a 4-way stop and stay alert. The following intersections have been disabled in Naples:
- Broad Ave S & 3rd St S
- Broad Ave S & 8th St S
- 10th Ave S & 9th St S
- 6th Ave S & 10th St S
- 6th Ave S & 9th St S
- 5th Ave S & 3rd St S
- 5th Ave S & 8th St S
- Park Shore Dr & Gulf Shore Blvd N
- Park Shore Dr & Crayton Rd
- Banyan Blvd & Gulf Shore Blvd N
- If you approach a non-operational intersection, treat it as a 4-way stop and stay alert. The following intersections have been disabled in Naples:
Hendry County
- Hendry County’s public transit fixed route services with STREAM are suspended through Thursday.
Attractions
- The Naples Zoo will remain closed through Friday.
- The Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples will reopen on Friday. Discounted admission prices will be offered through Sunday.
Restaurants
- Waffle House, Bonita Springs is closed, but all other Southwest Florida Waffle House restaurants are open. Click here for list.
- Several Skillets locations will resume regular hours of operation on Friday. To confirm the hours of a restaurant near you, click here.
Additional Resources
- A Crunch Fitness location on Boy Scout Drive in Fort Myers is open for showers. To view the operating hours of a location near you, click here.
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