Get the latest updates on Hurricane Milton as it makes landfall in Brevard

Brevard County is expected to experience hurricane-force winds and flooding as Hurricane Milton makes landfall in the area later this week. Here are the latest:

Hurricane Milton: Milton became a Category 5 hurricane on Monday with winds of 160 mph. It is expected to make landfall near Tampa on Wednesday and then cross the state, making landfall in Brevard as a possible Category 1 hurricane. Forecasters expect maximum sustained winds to reach around 75 mph and flooding throughout the county.
Sandbags: Here are the four sandbag distribution centers located throughout Brevard County.
School closures: Brevard Public Schools will have early dismissal on Tuesday and will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. Classes at Florida Tech will be canceled starting Tuesday at noon. They will be canceled throughout Wednesday and at least until noon on Thursday. University residence halls will remain open and students will be able to shelter in place. Eastern Florida State College has canceled classes Tuesday through Thursday.

Brevard Public Schools will operate on an early release schedule on Tuesday.

Schools will dismiss students at the same time as on Fridays, the county’s usual early dismissal day. Schools will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

It is scheduled to reopen on Friday, but school officials said they are monitoring the storm.

–Finch Walker

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that tolls will be waived on some roads for the next seven days to help people evacuating after Hurricane Milton.

Suspended tolls are in effect throughout Central and West Florida and along Alligator Alley.

“With evacuation orders approaching, this will help keep traffic flowing and give people one less thing to worry about in Milton,” DeSantis said in a news release.

As of Monday afternoon, no evacuation orders had been issued in Brevard County.

Brevard County officials declared a local state of emergency Monday afternoon in anticipation of record winds and flooding that Hurricane Milton will bring to the area.

The declaration means government officials will be able to quickly obtain additional resources needed to prepare for the storm.

“People still have all day today despite the rain and all day tomorrow to prepare,” said Don Walker, a county spokesman. “On Wednesday and Thursday, people should stay off the roads if possible and stay in their homes. You should not be outdoors on Wednesday and Thursday if you can help it.

County officials also said sandbag distribution sites will be open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sandbags can be picked up at the following locations:

• Chain of Lakes Park, 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville.
• Mitch Ellington Park, 577 Hall Road, Merritt Island. Enter from West Hall Road.
• Wickham Park, 2500 Parkway Drive, Melbourne. Enter using the southern access off Parkway Drive.
• Eastern Florida State College – Palm Bay Campus, 250 Community College Parkway SE, Palm Bay.

Florida Power & Light Co. wants Brevard residents to know her team has an emergency response plan in place for Hurricane Milton, but many utility workers are still struggling with the effects of Hurricane Helene.

The company is urging customers to review their personal and business emergency plans and “prepare now for possible extended power outages.” The company strategically deploys restoration workers for rapid restoration and coordinates with state and county emergency operations centers.

The following tips are offered to prepare before Hurricane Milton hits:

Do not prune the trees at this stage. Strong winds can turn branches into dangerous flying debris.
Follow the advice of federal, state and local authorities. This is particularly important for people living in low-lying areas and manufactured homes, who may face additional challenges during severe weather.
Customers dependent on electrically powered life-sustaining medical equipment should finalize their family emergency plan for backup power.
Download the FPL app to securely access your account by texting “App” to MyFPL (69375).

-Dave Berman

Starting Wednesday morning, Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport will be closed to commercial and private passenger operations.

Airports will remain open to receive rescue/relief and aid flights as needed. Commercial operations will resume once damage has been assessed and operations can safely continue.

We encourage passengers to check with their airline for up-to-date flight information.

Eastern Florida State College announced Monday classes will be canceled Tuesday through Thursday.

Online classes were also canceled on this date. Joe Ambrose, EFSC’s director of emergency management, expects campuses to reopen on Friday and classes to resume next Monday.

– Finch Walker

Once again, Rosen Hotels & Resorts is offering deep discounts to residents in the hurricane’s path.

The Orlando-based hotel chain has launched its Florida Resident Distress Rates service, which offers rooms starting at $69. This offer is often available during hurricanes, most recently last month for Hurricane Helene.

Hotels participating in the program are:

Rosen Hotels & Resorts accepts pets and does not charge pet fees during the emergency period. There is no resort fee and you can use free Wi-Fi. To reserve a room, call 866-33-ROSEN (76736).

The Brevard Zoo announced it will be closed Wednesday and Thursday “out of an abundance of caution” as Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the area.

Zoo authorities said that updates on the zoo’s reopening will be published on its website and social media.

“Your safety, as well as that of our wonderful staff and animals, is the most important thing to us,” we read in a message posted on the zoo’s website. “Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to welcoming you back once the storm has passed.”

The Brevard County School Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. will instead be held at 9:30 a.m.

The change is due to the approach of Hurricane Milton. A message on the school district’s Facebook page said district officials were monitoring the storm along with the Brevard Emergency Management Board.

– Finch Walker

Huge demand for sandbags caused heavy traffic jams around Melbourne’s Wickham Park on Monday morning, with hundreds of idling vehicles clogging roads as the approaching Hurricane Milton quickly intensified to a Category 4 monster.

Drivers looking for sandbags began lining up at 5:30 a.m. along the south entrance to Wickham Park off Parkway Drive – 2.5 hours before the free sandbag distribution site was scheduled to open in Brevard County.

Sandbag locations will be open until 6pm on Monday at Wickham Park and three other locations:

Chain of Lakes Park, 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville.
Mitch Ellington Park, 577 Hall Road, Merritt Island. Enter from West Hall Road.
Eastern Florida State College – Palm Bay Campus, 250 Community College Parkway.

Brevard County Public Works supplies sand, and crews of inmates supervised by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office fill and load sandbags. The bags are delivered and filled by staff on site. Limit 10 sandbags per vehicle.

—Rick Neale and Malcolm Denemark

County officials are advising Brevard County residents to bring inside any trash or piles of trash that may have been placed at the curb for pickup.

While today and tomorrow will be normal garbage collection days, the schedule for the rest of the week remains unknown. A Facebook message from Brevard County Solid Waste Management states that residents should not place any “large, loose piles of plant debris (clam piles) at the curb as they are unlikely to be removed prior to the storm.”

This website, WMFloridaStorm.com, will provide the most up-to-date information about trash pickup in Brevard County. It has an interactive map that allows residents to click on their county and get the latest updates.