Barrier Island Re-Entry Passes: How To Get Them

Pinellas County, FL — Pinellas County residents who live in communities likely to undergo mandatory evacuation in the event of a hurricane need to sign up for Barrier Island Re-Entry Passes to be able to return home once the danger has moved along.

To help residents sign up for these passes, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has announced a sign-up event for Saturday, June 25. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., deputies plan to be at the Indian Rocks Beach City Hall, 1507 Bay Palm Blvd., to help residents fill out the necessary paperwork.

People who live in the following communities may need these passes to re-enter an evacuated area:

• Belleair Beach
• Belleair Shore
• Clearwater
• Indian Rocs Beach
• Indian Shores
• Madeira Beach
• North Redington Beach
• Redington Shores
• Redington Beach
• St. Pete Beach
• Treasure Island
• Tierra Verde

Residents may also obtain passes through their municipal governments, the sheriff’s office noted.

The re-entry program “was established in an effort to prevent looting and burglary after a large-scale mandatory evacuation and to keep trespassers from easy access to property,” the sheriff’s office noted in an email to media.

Residents in need of permits will need to bring a photo ID and proof of residency with them. A total of two permits are allowed per household. Businesses are handled on a case-by-case business.

“Home and business owners are encouraged to provide their tenants with the permits for their use in the event of an emergency evacuation,” the sheriff’s office noted.

Once an evacuation order is lifted, law enforcement officers will be posted at various access points to the barrier islands. Permits will be scanned for validity prior to a resident begin allowed to return to the area.

To find out more about the permit program, visit Pinellas County’s website at: http://www.pcsoweb.com/emergency-access-permit.

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