Clay County mobilizes shelters, waives yard‑waste fees and outlines debris plan ahead of Hurricane Ian

Clay County officials mobilized emergency response and recovery measures on Tuesday as Hurricane Ian approached Florida, activating the county's emergency operations center and ordering a suite of protective actions for residents.

Emergency Management Director John Ward told the Board of County Commissioners that the emergency operations center had begun activation and would move to full 24‑hour operations. County staff planned to open a special‑needs medical shelter at Lake Asbury and four general‑population shelters — Orange Park High, Clay High, Wilkinson Elementary and Keystone Heights High — with Orange Park and Keystone Heights designated as pet‑friendly.

"We put our foot in the sand, planted and ready for protective actions to protect our community," Ward said, urging residents to use the remaining hours to prepare and to heed evacuation guidance if issued. He said transport for electrically dependent residents would begin the afternoon before expected impacts.

The board approved several operational measures to support preparation and cleanup: county staff set five sandbag locations, arranged expanded sheltering and transportation, and voted unanimously to waive residential yard‑waste disposal fees at the Rosemary Hill facility during the post‑storm cleanup period. Waste Management briefed commissioners on curbside collection contingencies: crews will run normal routes the day before expected impacts, suspend curbside pick‑up during the storm, and resume on Monday; drop‑off centers will close Thursday and Friday and reopen Saturday if power and landfill access permit.

Milton from Waste Management said the company would prioritize containerized residential debris and coordinate with large‑debris contractors for limb‑pile collection to preserve municipal contractor capacity and maximize potential FEMA reimbursement.

The county also distributed ten‑day shelf meals to senior center clients and notified home‑delivered meal recipients about service suspensions, according to Aging True representatives. Commissioners encouraged residents to call the county call center at (877) 252‑9362 or sign up for alerts at alert.claycountygov.com for the latest guidance.

The board closed its meeting emphasizing the importance of preparation and promising rapid post‑storm coordination on debris removal and recovery, while cautioning residents to avoid risky behavior such as standing near downed power lines.