Registering for Pinellas County’s special-needs evacuation program does not automatically approve transportation. The County says it will contact registrants during an evacuation to confirm whether help is still needed and recommends checking contact information annually. Program instructions
The County’s enrollment reminder is a reason to prepare in advance, not evidence that an evacuation or shelter opening has been announced. Registration reminder
Keep four confirmations separate
Use this household planning card with the program operator:
- Registration: Is the household record current, including a reachable telephone number?
- Transportation: Has the County approved the needed assistance, and what must the household do when contacted?
- Destination: Which shelter is actually open for this event?
- Support: What arrangements apply to a caregiver, family members and any animals accompanying the household?
Do not put medical details in a public comment or share a completed registration form with an unrelated business. Submit sensitive information through the County’s official route.
Arrange the support the shelter does not automatically supply
The County strongly recommends that a person who needs a caregiver at home bring that caregiver; immediate family may accompany the person. It says special-needs shelters have oxygen and emergency power, but air conditioning may be unavailable during an outage and cots are limited. Special diets cannot be accommodated, so the page directs people with dietary requirements to bring suitable nonperishable food. Discuss individual care needs with the program and treating professional. Shelter conditions
Service animals and pets follow different rules. Individually trained service animals are allowed in any shelter without a separate registration requirement. Pets are not allowed in special-needs shelters. Registered participants without another pet-care option should contact Animal Services at 727-582-2600 about its arrangements. Do not assume that a pet-friendly general-population shelter is the same destination as a special-needs shelter. Animal arrangements
A stored shelter list is not an activation notice
Pinellas says not every shelter opens for every storm and locations can vary. Its instructions also distinguish transport eligibility from simply traveling to a special-needs shelter. A previous year’s registration or an old map cannot settle either question for a new event.
Start with Emergency Management at 727-464-3800 for advance planning. Describe the assistance needed and ask which details must be updated. Keep the resulting instructions accessible to the person helping the household.
This preparation card does not determine medical suitability, guarantee transport or assign a shelter. For a current emergency, call 911; for an evacuation, follow current County directions.
LSL rechecked both County pages on September 21, 2026. The enrollment reminder is dated June 4, 2026; no evacuation activation, individual transport approval or shelter assignment was verified.