Hurricane season is back in Pinellas County, and emergency managers are not sugarcoating it. As the 2026 season kicked off Monday, officials urged residents to follow three basic rules right now: know your risk, make a plan and stay informed. The warning came with a familiar but still sobering reminder that storm surge is the single most life-threatening part of a hurricane, and that people in mobile or manufactured homes, along with anyone who relies on electricity for medical equipment, should be prepared to evacuate when an order comes down. For many locals still rebuilding from recent storms, county leaders are pitching the advice as a no-nonsense checklist rather than another lecture.
Officials Share A Three-Point Checklist
According to Pinellas County Emergency Management, residents can look up their evacuation zone by calling (727) 464-3800, using the Ready Pinellas mobile app or visiting the county's online disaster hub. The county also suggests checking property flood risk using its GIS flood maps and stresses that evacuation orders are issued primarily to protect people from storm surge. Officials add that homes outside the numbered evacuation zones can still take a beating from wind and heavy rain, so everyone should take a hard look at their personal plan instead of assuming they are in the clear.
Know Your Zone And Who Needs To Evacuate
Local coverage from the Tampa Free Press underscores that people living in mobile or manufactured homes are expected to evacuate when county orders are issued, no last-minute debating. Residents who depend on electrical medical equipment are urged to map out an evacuation route now rather than scrambling once the power flickers. The outlet points readers to disaster.pinellas.gov and the Ready Pinellas app for current evacuation orders and shelter locations. Officials say that knowing whether your home sits in a storm-surge zone can be the difference between coming back to a house you can fix and coming back to nothing.
Tax Breaks Make Stocking Up Easier
To make preparedness a little easier on the wallet, the county notes that many key items, including qualifying portable generators, household batteries and small gas containers, are tax exempt in Florida during designated periods. Those breaks are spelled out in state tax law, with specific rules and price caps laid out in the Florida statutes. Officials still recommend checking product details and the fine print on price limits before you hit the register so you are not arguing sales tax with a tired cashier the day before landfall.
Pick Up A Printed Guide
The Pinellas County 2026 Hurricane Guide is available both online and in print, with hard copies stocked at public libraries, municipal buildings and county offices, including the Lealman Exchange in St. Petersburg and The Centre in Palm Harbor, according to Pinellas County. The guide pulls together planning checklists tailored for families, seniors and pet owners and highlights local programs such as the Special Needs Evacuation Program and the Alert Pinellas notification system. For anyone who likes a fridge magnet and a printed packet, the county also offers downloadable and printable PDFs so you have something to flip through when the Wi-Fi cuts out.
Boaters, Businesses And Community Partners
Boat owners get their own marching orders, with step-by-step securing tips and checklists available, and local organizations can enroll in the Partners in Preparedness network to help spread official safety messages, according to the Tampa Free Press. County officials are also nudging neighborhood and community groups to coordinate ahead of time so residents rely on trusted local networks instead of last-minute social media rumors in the final hours before a storm. As a low-tech backup, emergency managers recommend keeping a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio on hand in case the lights go out and cell towers follow.
Statewide Context And What To Watch
State emergency managers echoed Pinellas County's three core steps during Hurricane Preparedness Week in May, repeating the familiar line that even if seasonal outlooks call for fewer storms, it only takes one to change everything. The Florida Division of Emergency Management continues to highlight county-level resources and evacuation maps while federal agencies keep an eye on developing systems offshore. Local officials say that following updates from the National Weather Service Tampa Bay office is the best way to catch fast-moving changes as storms approach. Their parting advice is simple enough: keep your alert signups current, walk through your plan before you need it and be ready to move if an advisory upgrades to an order.
