by Tony Marrero, Bethany Barnes and Emily L Mahoney at Tampa Bay Times
Hurricane Idalia made landfall around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday along the coast of Florida’s Big Bend area as a strong Category 3 storm. The hurricane warning on Florida’s coast, from Longboat Key to the Suwanee River — including Tampa Bay — was lowered to a tropical storm warning at 11 a.m., but much of the Tampa Bay area remains under a storm surge warning as high tides prolong the threat from water.
Idalia pushed water into Tampa Bay as it passed, flooding Pinellas coastal communities such as Madeira Beach, Treasure Island and Gulfport and parts of Tampa near Bayshore Boulevard. The Sunshine Skyway bridge closed to all traffic, and authorities closed access to Pinellas County’s barrier islands and beaches. The Howard Frankland Bridge reopened in both directions Wednesday afternoon.
Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee and Hernando counties remained under mandatory evacuation orders for some areas and voluntary evacuations for other zones.
Here’s the latest:
4 p.m. Hernando schools resume Thursday, as some colleges remain closed
Hernando County schools will reopen Thursday. The district noted that bus transportation is likely to be delayed, and may not be available in some coastal areas. “Students impacted by coastal flooding will be provided an excused absence,” it said in its announcement.
Pasco-Hernando State College campuses will be closed and classes are cancelled on Thursday due to the ongoing recovery efforts. Normal operations are expected to resume on Friday.
Nova Southeastern University’s Jacksonville campus remains closed until further notice. The university will reopen its Tampa, Orlando and Fort Myers regional campuses Thursday. Any student, faculty or staff who experienced damage due to the hurricane are asked to contact their program director or supervisor to determine next steps.
— Jeffrey S. Solochek and Divya Kumar