ORLANDO, Fla. – As arctic air blasts through Central Florida, bringing the coldest air of the season, counties have announced cold weather shelters opening across Central Florida.
From Tuesday to Wednesday, a major weather system will move across the Southeast U.S., pushing even more cold air into the area. This will keep things dry and below normal.
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Temperatures for the next few nights will dip into the mid-30s to low 40s areawide, with a widespread chance for frost Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
Brevard County
Based on the current forecast from US National Weather Service Melbourne Florida community partners will be opening cold weather shelters on Monday, Dec. 2.
LifePointe Ministries, Inc. located at 4220 South Hopkins Avenue in Titusville. The shelter pens at 9 p.m., serving dinner and breakfast.
Central Brevard Sharing Center located at 113 Aurora St. in Cocoa. Shelter opens at 6 p.m., serving dinner and breakfast.
Daily Bread, Inc. located at 2205 Front St. in Melbourne. Shelter opens at 6 pm, serving dinner and breakfast.
Flagler County
Officials in Flagler County said The Sheltering Tree will open its cold-weather shelter on Monday and Tuesday evening at the Rock Transformation Center (formerly Church on the Rock). The shelter located at 2200 North State St. is open for anyone who is without heat.
Officials said the shelter will open at 5 p.m. and will close at 8 a.m. the following day.
The county will provide bus transportation along two routes, following the schedules below:
East side of the county
- Dollar General at Publix Town Center on Market Avenue (leads to Dollar General) at 3:30 p.m.
- McDonald’s at Old Kings Road South and State Road 100 at the dirt road on the east side at 4 p.m.
- Dollar Tree behind Carrabba’s in the Dollar Tree Parking lot at 4:30 p.m.
- Palm Coast Main Branch Library, northwest corner of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre Parkway at 4:45 p.m.
West side of the county
- Dollar General at County Road 305 and Canal Avenue in Daytona North at 4 p.m.
- Bunnell Free Clinic, 703 Moody Boulevard at 4:30 p.m.
- Bridges United Methodist Church in Bunnell, 205 N. Pine Street at 4:30 p.m. (listed as the same pick-up time because of the close proximity)
Lake County
Lake County officials said they will open a cold-weather shelter to assist those vulnerable to freezing.
The shelter will open on Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 in Eustis at LifePointe Church located at 3551 East Orange Ave. in Eustis.
LakeXpress, the County’s fixed-route bus service, will provide free transportation for residents riding to the shelter utilizing the following schedule. Residents may ride LakeXpress for free to the Citizens or Ardice Transfer Centers from any stop by telling the driver you’re traveling to the Cold Weather Shelter.
Residents who cannot access LakeXpress but need travel accommodations to the cold weather shelter may call Lake County Connection at (352) 742-2612 by 5 p.m. to arrange transportation.
Shelter Hours:
Dec. 2 from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Dec. 3 from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The shelter will close each following morning at 8 a.m. Lake County buses will be available at 7 a.m. to transport residents to regularly scheduled stops in the morning.
Lake County residents can also text COLD to 888-777 to receive text updates about cold weather shelters and other related alerts. Nonprofit and faith-based organizations that wish to offer sheltering assistance in the future should contact Lake County Emergency Management at 352-343-9420.
Marion County
According to Marion County officials, a cold weather shelter will be open at the The Salvation Army – Center of Hope located at 320 NW 1st Ave. in Ocala.
Check-in time is at 6 p.m.
Osceola County
Officials in Osceola County said it will open a cold weather shelter at the First United Methodist Church of St. Cloud on Tuesday. The shelter is located at 1000 Ohio Avenue.
Those needing transportation to the shelter location can travel at no cost using LYNX buses by alerting drivers that they will be going to the cold weather shelter. Pets are housed at Osceola Animal Services during the operation. Any animals will need to be in a carrier before they board, unless they are service dog.
People can sign up for alerts on their phone by texting ‘coldweather’ to 888777.
Volusia County
Volusia County officials said that those whose homes lack sufficient heating or are without housing are urged to take shelter during these evenings at the following locations.
The Neighborhood Center’s The Bridge, 421 S. Palmetto Ave., DeLand, will open a cold weather shelter nightly at 6:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to stay until about 8 a.m. the following mornings after breakfast is served.
For further details about the shelter at The Bridge, contact the Neighborhood Center at 386-734-8120, ext. 601.
Residents on the county’s east side can obtain shelter from the elements coordinated by Halifax Urban Ministries (HUM) in partnership with churches. To arrange for sheltering on the east side, contact HUM at 386-317-5886.