Panhandle Schools Ordered to Reopen Wednesday After Isaias as UWF Stays Closed and Postpones Diaz Inauguration

Public schools across the Florida Panhandle are under orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education to reopen Wednesday, Oct. 14, five days after Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin. Some campuses are still waiting on power, and some bus routes are still blocked by debris. The University of West Florida in Pensacola is closed through at least Tuesday and has postponed the inauguration of its new president, Manny Diaz Jr.

Isaias made landfall near Destin at about 9:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the governor's office. Gusts reached 116 mph in parts of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, the two hardest-hit counties for power outages. Schools in Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties stayed closed Tuesday, Oct. 13, while crews kept repairing storm damage.

The state's reopening directive

Santa Rosa County Superintendent Karen Barber made the state's order public in a message posted to the district's Facebook page. The district said it was reopening "at the direction of Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education." WEAR-TV reported that the state directed every school district in the Panhandle, Santa Rosa included, to reopen Wednesday.

The Department of Education said in an Oct. 12 update released through the governor's office that it is coordinating with school districts, state colleges and universities across Northwest Florida. According to that update, numerous K-12 districts, state colleges and universities in the Panhandle and North Florida had already reopened Monday, Oct. 12. The department told parents, students and employees to keep watching official district, college and university channels for updates. Updates for the state university system are posted at FLBOG.edu/susfl-alert.

For the three westernmost districts, the storm hit during an already broken week. In a pre-storm closure notice, Escambia County Superintendent Keith Leonard said Monday, Oct. 12, was already a holiday for students. Okaloosa County had a teacher workday scheduled that Monday, according to WEAR.

Santa Rosa: "safe," not perfect

Santa Rosa's message gave families a frank picture of what Wednesday will look like. "Our schools will not be in perfect condition, but they will be safe for the return of our students," the district said.

According to the district, Santa Rosa Emergency Management, Florida Power & Light, Escambia River Electric Cooperative (EREC), the National Guard and district staff have spent the days since the storm clearing roads and reconnecting power at schools that remained dark. Several contractors are also working on campuses:

• Damage Recovery Group is coordinating restoration work through the Florida School Boards Insurance Trust.
• Southern Catastrophe and Edwards Roofing are making roof repairs and temporary dry-in fixes.
• Bergeron Emergency Disaster Services is coordinating debris removal, and Thompson Consulting is monitoring that work.

The district said it would decide Tuesday afternoon, school by school, whether any campus is not safe and ready for students. Families and employees at any school that cannot open will be notified directly.

Buses, meals and athletics

Santa Rosa expects school buses to run Wednesday, but some may take alternate routes around debris piles and the crews removing them. The Florida Department of Transportation and Santa Rosa Emergency Management are coordinating that cleanup. The district asked parents to walk their children to and from any alternate bus stop and to check the My Ride K-12 app, where updated routes were expected by Tuesday evening.

Cafeterias may not have their usual food. Because supplier deliveries were delayed, the district said Wednesday meals may be alternatives, possibly including military-style Meals Ready to Eat. Students may bring lunch from home.

Athletic practices and games scheduled for Wednesday or later may go ahead "at the discretion of the schools, teams, and coaches, and as facilities and conditions allow," the district said. Students and staff who cannot return right away were asked to contact their schools. Families who need help can call 211 to reach United Way.

Okaloosa and Escambia

The Okaloosa County School District said it expects to reopen schools and resume normal operations Wednesday. "However, we will continue to evaluate conditions and will communicate any changes if necessary," the district said, according to WEAR.

WEAR's report on Tuesday's closures did not include a Wednesday plan from the Escambia County School District. The state's directive covers every Panhandle district. Escambia families face other disruptions too: the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority's precautionary boil-water notice was expected to be lifted Tuesday for mainland areas and Wednesday for Pensacola Beach, WEAR reported. Escambia and Santa Rosa counties both said they aim to start curbside debris pickup Wednesday, the same day students return. Santa Rosa County alone estimated about 1.7 million cubic yards of vegetative debris, roughly 1.3 million of it north of Interstate 10.

On power, Florida Power & Light said late Monday that it had restored service to all critical infrastructure facilities and to all schools scheduled to open Tuesday. It also said it remained on track to essentially finish restoration in Escambia and Santa Rosa by the end of the day Tuesday.

UWF stays dark, inauguration on hold

The University of West Florida is in a different position. The Pensacola campus was still without power early this week, according to WUWF, the university's public radio station. In an interview Monday, Diaz said crews began clearing campus roads at 3 a.m. Saturday, shortly after the hurricane passed, and have been removing fallen trees from roads, building entrances and parking lots since then.

"As of now, we haven't found a lot of structural damage, thankfully," Diaz said. Initial inspections found no significant damage to academic buildings or residence halls, but a full assessment will have to wait until electricity returns. Several trees narrowly missed buildings, including the WUWF station.

UWF has been closed since the storm and will stay closed through at least Tuesday, with only essential personnel allowed on campus. Diaz said administrators review conditions twice a day and plan to give about 48 hours' notice before reopening so students and employees have time to return. Restoring power to residence halls is the first priority. Some students are still in emergency shelters, and the university plans to bring students and employees back in stages before classes resume. Even after power returns, parts of campus may stay barricaded while heavy equipment clears debris.

The storm also knocked out internet service and other technology systems. Diaz said university IT staff set up alternate connections so critical functions, including payroll, can continue.

Isaias also wiped out a week of celebrations planned around Diaz's formal inauguration as UWF's seventh president. All inauguration events, including Friday's installation ceremony, have been postponed, and no new dates have been announced.

"We won't, we won't return folks onto the campus until we are safe. That is the priority," Diaz told WUWF.

Homecoming in doubt

Homecoming events planned for the same week are also uncertain. Diaz said some could go ahead if the campus reopens in time, but no final decisions have been made.

Saturday's homecoming football game against West Alabama, set for 4 p.m. at PenAir Field, is still possible. Diaz said the stadium took relatively minor damage, including torn signage on the scoreboard and a damaged play clock. The field is in good shape, but engineers must still confirm the stands are safe for spectators. UWF already canceled its previous home game, against Northeastern State, as the hurricane approached.

Diaz suggested the game could give storm-weary residents a lift. "So if we can get it done and we can certainly be that rallying point, we will look to do that," he said.

The campus is also serving the wider community. One of the state's two Insurance Assistance Hubs for Isaias opened Oct. 12 in UWF's Parking Lot B at 11000 University Parkway, where insurance carriers are on site to help with claims. The other is at Destin's Morgan Sports Complex.

What's next

Santa Rosa's school-by-school decisions were due Tuesday afternoon, with updated bus routes posted to the My Ride K-12 app by Tuesday evening. Okaloosa expects a normal Wednesday unless conditions change. Escambia families should watch the district's official channels. UWF says it will keep posting daily updates by email and social media. Residence hall students will get separate instructions on when they can move back in, and the university plans to announce any reopening about two days in advance. Decisions on homecoming and on a new inauguration date are still pending.