Flooding Forces School Closures in Highlands, Hardee, and DeSoto Counties

Schools across Highlands, Hardee, and DeSoto counties closed Tuesday due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall in Central Florida. The weather event disrupted transportation networks and utility services, leading district boards to suspend in-person instruction to ensure student and staff safety.

The School Board of Highlands County confirmed that all district schools, including Highlands Virtual School and classes held at South Florida State College, are closed for Tuesday. Officials cited heavy rain that rendered several roads and bridges impassable, alongside widespread power outages in multiple neighborhoods. District teams assessed bus routes on Tuesday to determine if conditions were safe for transportation to resume. The district coordinated with Highlands County Emergency Management and local authorities while updating families via text messages, the district app, website, and Facebook page.

The Hardee County School District also closed its schools for Tuesday. District officials expect normal operations to resume on Wednesday, provided no further changes are announced to families.

DeSoto County extended the closure period to two days. The DeSoto County School District announced on Monday that public schools would remain closed through Wednesday. The decision was driven by major flooding on roads throughout the county. The closure covers all schools and district offices. All after-school activities, athletics, and extracurricular events scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were canceled.

The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office reported flooding in several specific areas. These locations included NE Washington and NE Turner, Highway 17 and NE Turner, and the southbound lane near the Brownsville Dollar General and Jerry's RV Park. Although rainfall had stopped by the time of the report, the sheriff's office warned that water levels could continue to rise. Deputies advised residents to avoid driving through flooded roads.

The DeSoto County School District plans to make a decision on Wednesday regarding whether schools will reopen on Thursday. Officials will monitor road conditions and water levels before issuing the final status update to families.