Page 10 - Florida Sentinel 3-27-20

Local
More Closings, Cancellations, And Changes In Service Updates
In an effort to widely disseminate the most timely information related to services affected by COVID-19 Coron- avirus, Hillsborough County is sharing the following informa- tion:
The Hillsborough County Extension Service Office will be closed to the public, and all workshops, events, and trainings canceled until April 13.
Members of the public can call the main office at (813) 744-5519, or utilize the Exten- sion Service directory (http://sfyl.ifas.ufl. edu/hills- borough/contact-our-staff/) to seek out staff available to answer questions and provide other program-re- lated information.
Veterans Memorial Park has closed.
All Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections offices are cur- rently closed to the public. Hillsborough County residents can register to vote, update their voter registration infor- mation or sign up for Vote By Mail online at VoteHillsbor- ough.org, by email at voter@hcsoe.org, or by call- ing (813) 744-5900.
Candidates for office can contact the candidate services liaison at candidate@ hcsoe.org or (813) 384-3944.
The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) of Hillsborough County has temporarily suspended normal operations at the EPC office at 3629 Queen Palm Drive in Tampa. EPC has placed a hold on all onsite meetings, including applica- tion and permitting reviews.
The lobby remains open during normal business hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but only
for document drop-off and de- liveries.
For more information, visit epchc.org. For general EPC in- formation or to report a local environmental concern, call (813) 627-2600 or email epcinfo@epchc.org.
The Tampa Hillsbor- ough Expressway Author- ity has asked its employees to work remotely from home. During this time, the Re- versible Express Lanes, which require some degree of manual operation to change direction, will remain open eastbound until further notice.
The Road Ranger Serv- ice Patrol, providing free roadside assistance and serv- ices to motorists traveling on the Selmon Expressway, re- mains open. For Road Ranger Service Patrol assistance, call *347.
HART is currently provid- ing regular operational service, but asks customers to use HART for essential trips only, follow social distancing guide- lines, and to not ride if you are sick.
HART is offering free rides to Hillsborough County stu- dents 18 and under for essen- tial trips - to make certain students have access to the "Grab-and-Go" sites for nutri- tious meals.
HART will adjust service levels as needed based on changing conditions. Ad- vance notice will be pro- vided to the public pertaining to any future HART service changes.
HART has enhanced its disinfection efforts, including additional disinfecting of fre- quent touch-points on all buses, vans, and streetcars.
Port Tampa Bay staff is working alongside private
stevedores and terminal operators, line handlers, pi- lots, and tugboats to provide uninterrupted services and im- port and export of goods. This includes everything from gasoline to construction mate- rials, food, beverages, con- sumer goods, and bulk agricultural.
The Port is working daily with local municipalities, the Office of the Governor, CDC, U. S. Coast Guard, U. S. Cus- toms and Border Protection, and other strategic partners to keep operations moving while minimizing risks and maxi- mizing continued services that keep communities running and residents safe and healthy. More information is available at porttb.com and porttb.com/cruisesafety.
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay continues to pro- vide essential community services 24 hours a day. Gate- way 2-1-1 is fielding calls re- garding COVID-19 and other crisis situations; TransCare Medical Transportation is re- sponding to 9-1-1 calls; and sexual assault services is pro- viding forensic medical exams and victim advocacy services.
The organization is taking appropriate precautions to en- sure the safety of the commu- nity and Crisis Center of Tampa Bay staff.
Amalie Arena is cur- rently closed, including all business offices and the ReliaQuest Ticket Office.
All events through April are canceled or postponed. Visit amaliearena.com/events /covid-19 for a list of post- poned and canceled events due to COVID-19 virus safety precautions.
Officials Warn Of Scams Linked To COVID-19
Scammers Pose As Deputies
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is investigating reports of scammers posing as deputies.
In this scam, the caller claims victims have missed a recent court appearance and attempts to extort money out of them.
The scammer's phone num- ber may even appear as the HCSO non-emergency line, (813) 247-8200, or appear to have the name of an HCSO em- ployee on the caller ID.
Hillsborough County
Sheriff Chad Chronister
said, “We want to be clear, this is a scam.
“The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office will not call you to inform you of a missed court hearing.”
Residents are advised to hang up if they receive a tele- phone call you are not sure of, and then call (813) 247-8200 directly.
State Attorney General Issues Warnings
Attorney General Ash- ley Moody issued a Consumer Alert about new scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The scams run the gambit from text messages and phone calls to imposters posing as health workers offering free COVID- 19 tests.
The bottom line is Floridi- ans need to be on the lookout for scams and never give out personal or financial informa- tion to solicitors.
Attorney General
Moody said, “Sadly, scam- mers never stop trying to make a dishonest dollar—not even amid a pandemic. If you re- ceive an unsolicited text mes- sage, email, phone call or any other communication claiming a cash payment, government benefit or other COVID-19 re- lated offer, be very suspicious. Guard your personal and fi- nancial information and report scams to my office.”
Over the weekend, reports emerged of text messages ask- ing people to click on a link to claim a $1,000 payment, ap- parently connected to a COVID-19 federal stimulus package. The link most likely contained malware. Never click on any links in unsolicited messages.
Several South Florida law enforcement agencies are issu- ing alerts about people dressed in white lab coats and masks impersonating Centers for Dis- ease Control and Prevention workers. The imposters are re- portedly knocking on doors and offering free COVID-19 tests. The CDC is not sending people door-to-door to test for COVID-19. If a CDC imperson- ator shows up at your door, do not let them in. Close the door and call 9-1-1.
The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General is reporting a scam involving fraudsters calling older Ameri- cans and offering to mail them free COVID-19 test kits. The scammers claim all they need from the senior to send the free kit is the target’s Medicare number. Never provide health information, or any other per- sonal information, in response to an unsolicited phone call.
Attorney General Moody has also activated Florida’s Price Gouging Hot- line in response to the COVID- 19 state of emergency. Consumers suspicious of price gouging can report it by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or by visit- ing MyFloridaLegal.com.
Price gouging can also be reported to the Attorney Gen- eral’s Office by downloading the free NO SCAM app in the Android or Apple app store. For a list of the commodities covered under the state’s price gouging laws during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
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