Lake County to activate cold weather shelters Dec. 17

With temperatures expected to drop tonight, Lake County will activate shelters for those vulnerable to cold weather.

LifePointe Church, located at 3551 E. Orange Ave. in Eustis, and Trinity Assembly of God, located at 200 Urick St. in Fruitland Park, will open for sheltering on Thursday, Dec. 17 from 5 p.m. to Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 a.m. Masks are required, and the Florida Department of Health will be conducting COVID-19 screening at each shelter as well as offering hepatitis A and flu vaccinations.

LakeXpress, Lake County’s fixed route transportation service, will provide free transportation to riders who indicate they are traveling to a cold weather shelter. Riders should board LakeXpress and travel to one of the designated transfer centers listed below so that they arrive before the indicated pickup time.

• Citizens Transfer Center located near 1321 Citizens Blvd. in Leesburg – riders will board the Route 1A bus at 5 p.m. for transport to Trinity Assembly of God, located at 200 Urick St. in Fruitland Park.
• Eustis, Ardice Transfer Center, pick-up time: 5:30 p.m. Riders will be transported by bus (Lake County Connection) to LifePointe Church 3551 E. Orange Ave, Eustis.
• Eustis, The Open Door, 115 E. Citrus Ave, pick-up time: between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. (after Ardice Transfer Center). Riders will be transported by bus (Lake County Connection) to LifePointe Church 3551 E. Orange Ave, Eustis.
• FDOT Park and Ride, located at 1995 U.S. Highway 27 in Clermont, with pick up at 5:20 p.m. and transport to Trinity Assembly of God. LakeXpress driver will alert riders that cold weather shelter transportation has been dispatched for them, and they should stay at the bus pickup location inside the Park and Ride to await paratransit transportation.

Lake County Connection will pick up riders from LifePointe church between 6:45 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. and take riders to either The Open Door located at 115 E. Citrus Ave or the Ardice Transfer Center afterward. Riders can alert the LakeXpress driver that they are returning home from the cold weather shelter and may ride for free to their destination. LakeXpress will pick up individuals requiring transportation between 7:10 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. from the Trinity Assembly of God parking lot for transport to the Citizens Transfer Center in Leesburg. Riders can elect to be taken to the Salvation Army or they can alert the LakeXpress driver that they are returning home from the cold weather shelter and may ride for free to their destination.

For more information about preparing for extreme cold weather events, visit www.floridadisaster.org/hazards/extreme-cold. Nonprofit and faith-based organizations that wish to offer sheltering assistance in the future should contact Lake County Emergency Management at 352-343-9420.