Free sandbag locations available ahead of Milton

The Weather Authority has been tracking heavy rainfall before Hurricane Milton, prompting two reasons for sandbags to limit flooding.

Due to the possible heavy rainfall, parts of Southwest Florida could see more than 8 inches of rain through the middle of the week, prompting another need for sandbags for some to limit flooding.

For additional information on sand and sandbag availability or sandbag assistance for those with special needs, please contact the Collier County Road, Bridge & Stormwater Maintenance Division at 239-252-8924.

Below are sandbag locations throughout Southwest Florida and the hours that service will be available:

Collier County has a handful of locations with sand, empty sandbags and shovels.

UPDATE: The following locations will receive more sand Monday afternoon.

• Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park, 810 39th Ave. NE, Naples, FL 34120, by the pickleball courts.
• North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Road, Naples, FL 34109

• Donna Fiala Eagles Lakes Community Park,  11565 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, FL 34113.

Since shovels are limited, it is recommended that you bring your own shovel or trowel. There is a limit of 10 bags per person.

20 tons of sand are currently available at:

• Bridge & Stormwater Maintenance Annex
• 515 Sgt Joe Jones Road, Immokalee

Another 20 tons is expected to be delivered there Monday afternoon.

For additional information on sand and sandbag availability or sandbag assistance for those with special needs, please contact the Collier County Road, Bridge & Stormwater Maintenance Division at 239-252-8924.

Charlotte County has three self-service sandbag locations.

A self-serve sandbag station is open behind the George Mullen Activity Center at 1602 Kramer Way.

UPDATE: As of Sunday, all three Charlotte County sandbag sites are closed.

• Ann and Chuck Dever Regional Park, 6961 San Casa Drive in Englewood (between the two stormwater retention ponds)
• Franz Ross Park, 19333 Quesada Ave., in Port Charlotte (near the football field)
• Carmalita Park, 2605 Carmalita St., east of Punta Gorda (near the football field at Franz)

Punta Gorda—Free sandbags will be available at 3130 Cooper St., the last entrance on the left by flag poles.

Sand and up to 10 bags will be provided while supplies last. Residents must bring their own shovels.

Lee County has the following locations:

• Sanibel—The Sanibel Fire & Rescue District has received a delivery of sand and sandbags. The location of the pile is 2401 Library Way. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the District at 239-472-5525.
• Fort Myers Beach—More sandbags will be available at Town Hall around 11:30 a.m. Bags and sand will be available Monday, until 3:00 p.m.
• Fort Myers— South Trail Fire & Rescue at station 63, 5531 Halifax Ave., Fort Myers is out of sand and sandbags as of Sunday. However, they are expecting a delivery on Monday. When they reopen, there’s a maximum of 20 bags per household.
• San Carlos Park—Sand and sandbags are available at San Carlos Park Fire District Station 54, located at 16900 Oriole Road. There is a limit of 10 bags per household. Bags can be picked up at the lobby. Bring your own shovel. Be prepared to fill and load your own sandbags. Make sure your vehicle can transport the weight of the sandbags. (UPDATE: Out of sand at this location, more sand is expected to be delivered Tuesday. San Carlos Park will update via Facebook/Instagram if/when more is available)
• Matlacha—More sand just arrived at Station 1. They have no sandbags left at this time. They are getting more and anticipate having them by noon Monday. Follow them on Facebook for more information.

Hendry County Sandbagging will continue to be available in Hendry Count Tuesday, October 8 until 6 p.m. and Wednesday, October 9 at 7 a.m. until 1 p.m.

There are two sandbag locations:

Clewiston Public Works Division – 1300 S Olympia St. Clewiston, FL 33440

Hendry County Emergency Operations Center – 4425 West SR80, LaBelle, FL 33935

Residents must bring their own shovel.

Sand and bags will be available at both locations daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. There will not be anyone available to help you fill the sandbags. However, there are sand funnels that will assist in making the job easier.

The following information should be considered:

• You should have a minimum of 2 people to fill the sandbags.
• Sandbags are only effective in water that is no more than 15 inches deep.
• Bring your own shovel and bags if you have them, however bags will be available at both sites.
• This will continue year-round so that you may prepare early outside of hurricane season to have the sandbags in place.
• There will be a maximum of 10 bags per vehicle/visit.

Refer to this article for further updates.

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