{"id":66515,"date":"2026-05-22T16:43:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=66515"},"modified":"2026-05-22T16:43:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:43:45","slug":"city-of-lakeland-invites-community-to-the-2026-hurricane-expo-on-may-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/05\/22\/city-of-lakeland-invites-community-to-the-2026-hurricane-expo-on-may-30\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Lakeland Invites Community to\u00a0the 2026\u00a0Hurricane Expo on May 30"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"6d6f81\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #6d6f81;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"201\" height=\"251\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/images-2-4.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-66523 not-transparent\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The City of Lakeland, in partnership&nbsp;with&nbsp;United Way of Central Florida,&nbsp;Age Friendly Lakeland, Home Instead,&nbsp;local emergency preparedness and community organizations, is encouraging&nbsp;residents&nbsp;to prepare ahead of hurricane season by attending the 2026&nbsp;Lakeland&nbsp;Hurricane Expo on Saturday, May 30, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the RP Funding Center&nbsp;located at 701 West Lime Street, Lakeland, FL.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This&nbsp;free community event&nbsp;for all ages sponsored by Home Instead,&nbsp;Lakeland Electric,&nbsp;and&nbsp;TECO&nbsp;will feature hurricane preparedness resources, emergency planning information,&nbsp;50+&nbsp;vendors,&nbsp;expert presentations, and opportunities for&nbsp;community members&nbsp;to connect directly with public safety officials,&nbsp;City&nbsp;departments,&nbsp;emergency management,&nbsp;and&nbsp;local preparedness&nbsp;experts.&nbsp;There will also be&nbsp;activities for children.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026&nbsp;Lakeland&nbsp;Hurricane Expo will begin with opening remarks from Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley followed by presentations&nbsp;and a panel discussion&nbsp;focused on storm preparedness, recovery planning, and community safety.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>The expo will feature raffle giveaways throughout the event, including&nbsp;a&nbsp;Firman&nbsp;gas&nbsp;powered generator, an&nbsp;Ecoflow&nbsp;Power&nbsp;Station, and other items. Also, FREE&nbsp;Hurricane kits will be provided to attendees while supplies last.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Featured speakers and sessions include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Meteorologist Denis Phillips of ABC Action News Tampa Bay\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A presentation by Dr.\u00a0Tracy\u00a0Fanara\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A hurricane preparedness panel discussion moderated by Trinity Laurino of\u00a0LkldNow\u00a0featuring\u00a0subject matter\u00a0experts\u00a0representing\u00a0City of Lakeland Emergency Management, Polk County\u00a0Emergency Management, elder care preparedness professionals, and medical preparedness specialists\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meteorologist Kyle Hanson of\u00a0Spectrum Bay News 9\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Community members&nbsp;attending the expo will also be able to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Learn how to prepare emergency supply kits\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Understand evacuation and shelter information\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receive preparedness tips for seniors, families, and pets\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Speak directly with emergency response professionals\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Explore community resources and preparedness giveaways\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Free parking will be available at the RP Funding Center during the 2026 Hurricane Expo. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For\u202fadditional\u202finformation about the City of Lakeland, please visit\u202f<a href=\"http:\/\/www.lakelandgov.net\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><u>www.lakelandgov.net<\/u><\/a>.\u202f&nbsp;Also,&nbsp;connect with us on Facebook, Twitter\/X, Instagram, YouTube, Vimeo,\u202fand\u202fNextdoor\u202f&nbsp;by&nbsp;following\u202f&nbsp;@lakelandgov.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The City of Lakeland, in partnership&nbsp;with&nbsp;United Way of Central Florida,&nbsp;Age Friendly Lakeland, Home Instead,&nbsp;local emergency preparedness and community organizations, is encouraging&nbsp;residents&nbsp;to prepare ahead of hurricane season by attending the 2026&nbsp;Lakeland&nbsp;Hurricane&hellip; 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