With the recent rainfall, residents may now have standing water around their homes that can support the breeding of mosquitoes. Follow these tips from the Florida Department of Health to help prevent mosquito breeding:

• Drain water from garbage cans, house gutters, pool covers, coolers, toys, flower pots, buckets, watering cans, kiddie pools, and any other containers where rain water has collected.
• Discard old tires, drums, bottles, cans, pots and pans, broken appliances, and other items that may collect water.
• Empty and clean birdbaths and pet water bowls at least once or twice a week.
• Protect boats and vehicles from rain with tarps that do not accumulate water.
• Maintain swimming pools in good condition and chlorination.

For more information on the Mosquito and Aquatic Weed Control Unit, tips to reduce mosquitoes, a video about the Unit or to report a mosquito concern, visit the Mosquito Control webpage at www.HillsboroughCounty.org/Mosquito.

Hillsborough County, Fla. (Aug. 28, 2015) – Hillsborough County is carefully monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Erika, and working closely with the National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service-Ruskin, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, and other regional/local partners to share information as it becomes available and coordinate as necessary. At this time, the Emergency Operations Center is not open. No evacuation orders are currently in place.

There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding this system. It is critical that residents carefully monitor news broadcasts and get the latest information from Hillsborough County Emergency Management as the situation develops. The greatest threat posed by Tropical Storm Erika are heavy rains and the potential for tropical storm force winds in excess of 34 miles per hour.

This morning, Governor Rick Scott signed an Executive Order for TS Erika; which gives additional authority and resources to assist in protective actions and planning response efforts. This allows the state and counties to work closely to respond to the threat posed by the storm.

Residents are reminded to check and update their storm readiness plans to ensure they address the needs of all family members and special needs.

Remember, we are only approaching the midpoint of the Atlantic Hurricane Season. September is the busiest month, October is the month when we are most concerned about landfalling storms on Florida’s west coast and the season runs through Nov. 30.

For more information on the developments for Tropical Storm Erika, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/StaySafe.

There will be no garbage or yard waste collection service on Labor Day, Monday, September 7th.  Regular service will resume on our next scheduled collection day.

• Garbage Pick up: Monday & Thursday
• Recycling Pick up: Monday
• Yard Waste Pick up: Thursday

Other Important Reminders:

• Three-Foot Rule – At the curb, place the carts at least 3 feet away from other carts, mailboxes, cars, trees, shrubs, fire hydrants and utility poles.
• Everything Must Fit Inside The Carts – Items left outside the carts cannot be picked up by the mechanical arm on a collection vehicle and will not be picked up.
• Garbage, recyclables, and yard waste should be placed out no later than 6:00 AM on  collection days.  Carts are required to be kept out of sight on non-collection days.

The City of Tampa and the Tampa Police Department are warning customers about a recent scam involving water bills.  A suspect posing as a water department employee has contacted several customers claiming they have outstanding water bills and if they don’t provide payment via MoneyGram, their water will be turned off.  The Tampa Police Department has one active case, but six additional customers have contacted the water department claiming similar calls.  They realized it was a scam and did not provide any money.

Detectives are looking for additional victims who may have provided MoneyGram payments to someone claiming to be a City of Tampa Water Department employee.  The City of Tampa recommends that customers who receive a phone call from anyone regarding a utility bill, hang up, and call (813) 274-8811, the City of Tampa Utilities Call Center. Customers will have the certainty that they are connected with an authorized agent before discussing any utility bill issue.

The City of Tampa offers utility customers several ways to make a payment.

• Online at www.Tampagov.net
• Over the phone using the automated system at 813-274-8811
• Mail a check or money order with remittance to:
  City of Tampa Utilities
  P.O. Box 30191
  Tampa, FL 33630-3191
• Or in person at the following locations:
  German American Club, 2105 North Nebraska
  West Shore Pharmacy, 3206 South Westshore Boulevard  *Current Bills Only*
  Any local Amscot

Payments cannot be made to the City of Tampa by any other means. As a reminder, the City of Tampa does not call utility customers to discuss billing issues or to demand payment.

The Covington Estates Board of Directors meeting scheduled for Tuesday, August 18th is canceled.  Our next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, September 8, 2015.