As Hurricane Milton looms over Central Florida, residents eye school closures and transit updates with vigilance. The University of Central Florida (UCF) has suspended all campus operations and classes, including online sessions, from Tuesday through Thursday in response to the hurricane's imminent threat. Valencia College also announced its doors would be shut during the same period with hopes to resume normal operations on Friday, as reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
The Florida Department of Transportation preemptively suspended SunRail service beginning Tuesday, while the Orlando International Airport declared it operational but on high alert for further developments. However, Tampa International Airport chose to cease operations from Tuesday morning, along with St. Pete-Clearwater Airport which finds itself in the path of a mandatory evacuation zone.
On the educational front, several counties, including Brevard, Marion, Volusia, and Lake, have announced school closures for various days within the week, as detailed in the WFTV report. Brevard County schools are expected to be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, while Lake County schools will remain open on Tuesday but close for the following two days, canceling all after-school activities slated for Tuesday.
In the light of the storm, local governments, including Osceola County and the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud, are bracing for impact, opting to close government offices on Wednesday. Strikingly, colleges are not spared, with Rollins College canceling all in-person events for the week and planning to shut down the campus at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Stetson University will follow suit by closing and canceling classes Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the Orlando Sentinel, after the storm passes, Stetson University aims to reopen following a thorough assessment of campus conditions with the hopes of resuming usual activities by October 14.
