TAMPA, Fla. – With temperatures expected to drop into the 40s Saturday evening, cold shelters are opening in Hillsborough and Sarasota counties.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

Hillsborough County’s Cold Weather Shelter Program will be activated Saturday for homeless people and those living in homes without adequate heating and unable to find other shelter.

The National Weather Service expects local temperatures to drop to or below 40 degrees Saturday evening in Hillsborough County with a chilly wind. Shelter organizers expect high demand with limited capacity. Therefore, residents in need of warm shelter are encouraged to utilize all resources such as friends and family as a first option.

All accommodations will accept guests on Saturday, December 21st from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. unless capacity is reached before then.

The shelters are located at:

· Church of God of Prophecy Hyde Park 107 S. Oregon Ave., Tampa, FL 33606

· Hyde Park United Methodist Church at Portico (preferred media location) 1001 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33602

· Tampa Bay Mission of Hope 212 S. St. Cloud Ave. Building A, Valrico, FL 33594

· Amazing Love Ministries 3304 E. Columbus Dr., Tampa, FL 33605. All shared accommodations are adults only.

Organizations interested in becoming a cold weather shelter partner this season can contact Israel Segarra, chief buyer of the Procurement Services Division, at [email protected] ([email protected]) for more information.

SARASOTA COUNTY

Sarasota County Emergency Management officials have coordinated with city and community partners to provide cold weather shelter to those in need due to the predicted drop in temperatures.

100 Church, 14525 Tamiami Trail, North Port, will be available for cold weather shelter starting Saturday, Dec. 21, from 5 p.m. Participants should bring their own sleeping materials.

Breeze Route 9 will operate on a normal schedule, serving stops on the Tamiami Trail at Espanola Avenue/Almonte Terrace (0.1 mile walk to 100 Church).

Those in the North Harbor service area could also use Breeze OnDemand services. Visit www.scgov.net/breeze (scgov.net) for information about Breeze services. The Breeze Rider app (scgov.net) can also be used to check bus arrival times and plan routes.

Emergency management officials remind residents that pets should not be left outside during cold weather. Anyone who needs to be outside overnight or in the early hours of the morning is asked to dress in several warm layers and minimize exposure to wind.

Sarasota County Fire Department officials advise using extreme caution when heating your home, as the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning increases in very cold weather due to improper use of heaters.