Year-Round Self-Serve Sandbag Facility Opens In St. Pete: County

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A new self-serve sandbag facility that is open year-round recently opened in St. Petersburg, just ahead of the June 1 start to hurricane season, according to a Pinellas County news release.

The site is located next to the Pinellas County Household Hazardous Waste facility, 2855 109th Ave. N. It will be open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All Pinellas County residents can pick up free, pre-filled sandbags before storm threats “without having to wait in a long line,” the news release said.

They can pick up 10 sandbags at the new self-service site and/or at any of the free sandbag events ahead of storms.

It takes about 10 sandbags to protect one doorway.

Residents should prepare for bad weather in advance, as sandbag sites might not be available right before a storm, the county said.

Sandbags are recommended for protection from up to 15 inches of flooding. While they won’t stop water completely, they can reduce the amount of water that enters a building, the county said.

Learn more about sandbags in Pinellas County at https://Pinellas.gov/sandbags.