Hurricane Milton makes its way toward Florida

[National Hurricane Center]

Marion County remains under a hurricane warning as Hurricane Milton moves toward the Gulf Coast of Florida and is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Milton is currently a Category 4, with wind speeds of 145 mph. The storm is located approximately 610 miles southwest of Ocala, and is moving northeast at 12 mph.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, a mandatory evacuation order from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office will go into effect for those living in mobile homes, RVs, modular-type homes, and any structure in which the resident feels unsafe.

The sheriff’s office corrected its order after a previous message recommended that anyone living in a site-built home constructed before 1994 should evacuate. The state of Florida strengthened its building codes in 1994 after the impact of Hurricane Andrew.

The order was expanded to direct any resident who feels unsafe to evacuate the area.

Emergency shelters in Marion County will open Tuesday at 6 p.m.

 Between the 10 schools opening as shelters, there is capacity for approximately 8,000 people, according to Marion County Public Schools spokesperson Kevin Christian.

“As for specific numbers, those are part of our emergency procedures manual and are considered exempt from public records,” Christian said.

You can monitor evacuation traffic throughout Marion County and the state of Florida here.

General Population Shelters:

• Belleview Middle School, 10500 SE 36th Avenue, Belleview
• Forest High School, 5000 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala
• Fort McCoy School, 16160 NE Highway 315, Fort McCoy
• Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, 365 Marion Oaks Drive, Ocala
• Liberty Middle School, 4773 SW 95th Street, Ocala
• Madison Street Academy, 401 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Ocala
• North Marion Middle School, 2085 W Highway 329, Citra

Special Needs Shelters:

• West Port High School, 3733 SW 80th Avenue, Ocala (pets of special needs residents allowed)

Pet-Friendly Shelter:

• Lake Weir High School, 10351 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala
• Vanguard High School, 7 NW 28th Street, Ocala

Sexual Offender and Predator Shelter:

The MCSO Sexual Offender and Predator Unit will close to the public for registration activities on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. and will open as an emergency shelter for Registered Sexual Offenders and Predators at 6:00 p.m. that day. Please contact the unit by phone during normal business hours to request early acceptance. Emergency acceptances will be handled as needed after the shelter opens.

• MCSO Sexual Offender and Predator Unit, 3300 NW 10th Street, Ocala, FL

Sandbag information:

Locations are self-serve, bags are provided, and a limited number of shovels will be available at the sites. Limit of 10 bags per vehicle.

Tuscawilla Park (Reilly Arts Center): 800 NE Sanchez Ave, Ocala

ED Croskey Recreation Center: 1510 NW Fourth St, Ocala

Jervey Gantt Park: 2200 SE 36th Ave, Ocala

Dunnellon Public Works: 11924 Bostick St., Dunnellon

Wrigley Field: 405 County Rd East 316, Citra

John Van Fleet Sports Complex: 14445 NE 14th Street Road, Ocala

Belleview Sports Complex: 6501 SE 107th St, Belleview

Martel Recycling Center: 296 SW 67th Ave Rd, Ocala

 Marion Oaks: 294 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala, (Behind the Community Center)

Call the Marion County Emergency Management Citizen’s Information Line please at (352)369-7500 for non-emergency inquiries. In case of emergency, call 911.