Hurricane Michael notices released for Okaloosa County

CRESTVIEW — With Hurricane Michael approaching, some closures and other notices have been released in Okaloosa County.

BRIDGES

The Florida Department of Transportation will close all of the bridges once sustained winds exceed 39 miles per hour. They will do this without warning. The County is asking people who must use bridges to evacuate and wish to do so to evacuate as soon as possible. The governor has lifted tolls for bridges in advance of this storm.

CITY OF CRESTVIEW, TRASH PICKUP

City Offices will close at noon Oct. 9 and remain closed Oct. 10.

The city released this notice about Waste Management Pro trash pickup. "Waste Pro has informed the City of Crestview that in the event of winds over 30 miles per hour on Wednesday, the service days will be delayed

by one day: Wednesday Routes – Move to Thursday; Thursday Routes – Moved to Friday; Friday Routes – Moved to Saturday."

COUNTY COURT, JAIL NOTICES

Okaloosa County Courts will close at noon Oct. 9 and will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 10.

Judge Mason’s Tuesday plea day (scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 9) is rescheduled for Oct. 23.

Judge Brown’s Tuesday criminal pre-trial hearings (scheduled Oct. 9) with incarcerated defendants that are represented by Regional Conflict Counsel or the Public Defender is rescheduled to docket day on Oct. 17.

Information about Oct. 10 Shelter and Detention hearings and First Appearances will be determined and announced Oct. 9.

For further updates, go to https://twitter.com/1stCircuitFL or @1stCircuitFL, and www.firstjudicialcircuit.org.

Okaloosa County’s jail stands ready to withstand the affects of the storm. The jail has four days of food on hand to supply the inmates and will be able to serve food with or without power. The generators for the jail are fueled and ready to provide power as well.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE

Eglin Air Force Base will close the East Gate at 2 p.m. Oct. 9. The West Gate will remain open until winds reach 58 mph. At that point, the West Gate will be closed. See http://eglin.af.mil and Eglin AFB FB page for updates.

PETS, HORSES

The Panhandle Animal Welfare Society shelter is at full capacity as of Tuesday, Oct. 9. Owners must now waive 24-hour rights when surrendering their pets, and PAWS takes immediate ownership of the animals.

Baker Area Recreation Association is accepting horses for shelter.  For inquiries, contact Tracy Rogers, 850-537-4744 or Tim Ross, 850-259-1284. 

SAND BAGS

Sand bag and sand locations are now open to the public at Okaloosa County Public Works, 1759 South Ferdon Blvd., Crestview; and Public Works, 84 Ready Road NW, Fort Walton Beach. The City of Destin Public Works is also giving away sandbags at their office on Commons Drive in Destin.

SCHOOLS

The Okaloosa County School District said during an Okaloosa County Commission meeting Monday afternoon that schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Northwest Florida State College canceled all classes and administrative operations for Oct. 9 and 10. This cancellation includes all athletics, arts and student activities. Visit www.nwfsc.edu and the school's social media for details on when the college will re-open.

SHELTERS

Okaloosa County shelters are on standby for the storm and will be activated on the command of the Board of County Commissioners.

Shelters will officially open to the public at 8 p.m. Monday.

One standard and special needs shelter is Davidson Middle School, 6261 Old Bethel Road, Crestview. Another standard shelter will open at 8 a.m. at Raider Arena, Northwest Florida State College, 100 College Blvd., Niceville.

The primary shelter will be Davidson Middle School, followed by Raider Arena at Northwest Florida State College. Shoal River Middle School, 3200 Redstone Ave. E., will also be used if needed.

ADDITIONAL CLOSURES, CANCELLATIONS

  • The Crestview Public Library will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 9 and 10.
  • The Northwest Florida State College Film Club set for Oct. 8 is canceled. The next one is 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in Building 110, Room 328 at Northwest Florida State College, Niceville.

  • BOCC: An Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners special meeting set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Okaloosa County Administration Building in Shalimar is cancelled.

  • CAMPGROUNDS, TRAILS: The Florida Forest Service is shutting down its operations, offices, recreation and day-use areas in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties starting Oct. 9. The closure will last through close of business Thursday, Oct. 11. All campgrounds, trails, swimming lakes, day-use areas and offices are included in this closure.

  • FOOD STAMPS/SNAP: The Department of Children and Families has ordered an early release of SNAP benefits. Current SNAP customers who normally receive benefits Oct. 10-28 will receive their benefits by 7 a.m. Oct. 9 in the following counties:  Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie.

  • BEACH ACCESS: All public parks and beach accesses were closed Monday evening, Oct. 8.

  • VOTER REGISTRATION AFFECTED: Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections offices in Shalimar and Crestview will close at noon Oct. 9. This will affect the voter registration deadline Oct. 9. Any new Florida Voter Registration Applications must be submitted in person by noon, Oct. 9. People may also register online that day, but must submit the applications before 11 a.m. Oct. 9. Call 689-5600 or 651-7272 for more information. Also, Floridians can register to vote online at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov, which is fully operational, until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9. UPDATE: from Ken Detzner, Florida Secretary of State: Any Supervisor of Elections whose office is closed Oct. 9, the book closing deadline, as a result of Hurricane Michael is authorized to accept paper voter registration applications and third party voter regisration organization submissions until the end of the day for the 2018 General Election on the next day that office is reopened. This will ensure that each Supervisor of Elections Office has the same amount of days to register voters at their offices. As of this release, it is uncertain what day that will be, but new registrants can focus on preparing for the storm and submitting their voter registration application once it has passed.
  • ECONOMIC SYMPOSIUM POSTPONED: The Gulf Power Economic Symposium scheduled Oct. 11 and 12 at the Baytowne Conference Center in Miramar Beach and all related events have been postponed. This is a major safety concern for our attendees since many would be traveling to the event during this time. Go to https://www.gulfpowersymposium.com/postponed for hotel and conference registration refund information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Hurricane Michael notices released for Okaloosa County