Sarasota County shelters open, evacuation orders expanded to Level C

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Sarasota County officials are now urging everyone in evacuation levels A, B, and C to leave their homes ahead of Hurricane Milton.

On the map below, the zones being told to evacuate are red, orange, and yellow. The evacuation order covers 122,000 households across the county.

Sarasota County also opened 11 general population evacuation centers beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Riverview High School is no longer available to residents trying to evacuate, according to the Sarasota County Government.

One of the shelters, at Booker High School, had hundreds of people checked in by the early afternoon, including North County resident Kenneth White who lives in evacuation level D.

“I just feel more secure being here, so that is why I moved,” White said. “I’m not worried about the flooding because I am not around any water, but it’s just the wind. That was my biggest concern. That is why I decided to leave.”

As of 4:15 p.m., school district officials said 3,000 people had checked into the evacuation shelters countywide.

The Sarasota County Government wants to remind residents evacuation centers cannot provide chairs, cots, blankets, bedding, or pet supplies.

All of the county’s shelters are pet-friendly. People bringing pets are asked to bring pet supplies with them, including a crate, leash, litter box, waste bags, food, and water.

For a full list of evacuation centers in Sarasota County, visit scgov.net.

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