Numerous Branches Closed Across Florida Ahead of Hurricane Milton

Tampa and Orlando, Fla., credit unions in the direct path of Hurricane Milton have already begun to close their branches ahead of the ferocious, life-threatening storm that is expected hit the west coast of Florida late Wednesday.

The state’s largest financial cooperative, the $18.4 billion Suncoast Credit Union, announced as early as Sunday evening that its branch in Holiday (Pasco County) would be closed on Monday and remain closed until its evacuation notice is lifted. By Monday, because of the state’s mandatory evacuations, Suncoast was forced to close its branches in Bradenton, Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte, Port Charlotte Walmart, Punta Gorda, South Tampa, St Pete Roosevelt and Town N Country.

However by Tuesday morning, Suncoast decided that all of its locations, which includes branches, ITM services and the member care center, would be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“This decision has been made out of an abundance of caution, to ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and members,” Suncoast said in a prepared statement. “Our ITMs and Member Care Center are open until 8 p.m. today. Account access will still be available at ATMs and through online banking. The timing of when we will reopen will be dictated by the storm’s impact, as our priority is to keep our staff and members safe. A possible delayed opening for Thursday, October 10, will be determined at a later time, and we will provide updates as soon as possible.”

Suncoast operates 79 locations and serves more than 1.2 million members.

The $599 million Florida Central Credit Union (FCCU) decided to close its 16 locations, including branches, corporate office and contact center, at 2 p.m. on Monday and will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Reopening will depend on the hurricane’s impact and safety factors, FCCU said.

The $2.8 billion GTE Federal Credit Union announced the closure of more than 20 locations on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The $432 million Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union (TBFCU) said its five branches will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Openings will be tentative based on storm impacts,” TBFCU said.

At 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the $3.6 billion Grow Financial Credit Union closed all of its locations.

The credit union temporarily suspended the charging of out-of-network ATM fees to ensure members have access to their cash.

Branch availability for Thursday will be determined in the coming days, Grow Financial said.

The $31.8 million Coast to Coast Credit Union, the $34.1 million 1st Street Credit Union and the $7.5 million Florida Customs Credit Union decided to close their branches on Tuesday.

Credit unions in Orlando are also shutting down branch operations on Wednesday and Thursday but some credit unions in that city are staying open while monitoring the weather conditions.

The $4.7 billion FAIRWINDS Credit Union said all of its central Florida locations will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

“We plan to resume regular branch operations on Friday after confirming the safety of our crewmembers and facilities,” the credit union said.

The $1 billion McCoy Federal Credit Union said all of its 15 branches will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

“We expect to be open for regular business hours on Friday, Oct. 11,” the credit union said. “Please complete any necessary in-person transactions by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8.”

As of Tuesday morning, the $357 million Orlando Credit Union said it is monitoring the weather conditions and listed eight locations that were open. However, the credit union said its location at Orlando City Hall and the sheriff’s department would be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

The $59.7 million Priority Credit Union also said it is monitoring the weather conditions but did not announce any closures of its five locations, as of Tuesday morning.

The $5.6 million Local 606 Electrical Workers Federal Credit did not post any notice on its website about its one branch, as of late Tuesday morning.