As Tampa Bay recovers from two destructive hurricanes, election offices are assessing polling locations and working to be fully operational for early voting and the Nov. 5 general election.

Flooding and structural damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton have put some polling locations in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties at risk, officials said. But they carry out repairs and ensure new locations are secured. All counties plan to conduct early voting starting Oct. 21, as expected.

Hillsborough County elections director Craig Latimer said at a news conference Monday that the West Tampa Branch Library early voting site was unusable due to water damage, but had been replaced by the nearby David M. Barksdale Active Older Adult Center. All county offices, except Southshore Regional Service Center, were operational on Monday.

While some of the county's 240 polling locations used during the general election are at risk, Latimer said that is the case I'm confident they could be usable by Election Day or replaced with other sites. Latimer, who said his home in Lutz was damaged by Hurricane Milton, said voters should contact their local elections board office if the hurricanes displaced them or if they did not receive a mail-in ballot.

After Hurricane Helene, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order making it easier to change early voting and Election Day polling locations. The order also made it easier for residents to send mail-in ballots to addresses where they are not registered and relaxed requirements for hiring poll workers.

Latimer said Hillsborough County may be without some poll workers at this time due to the storms, but he expects they will be well-staffed by Election Day. He said the Florida Supervisor of Elections Association is holding meetings and leaders are talking to affected counties to see if there is other assistance voters could receive before Election Day.

“I expect there will be further action at some point,” Latimer said.

The district is posting post-storm updates on its website.

Pinellas County election office locations and seven early voting sites were still operating after the storms. But 15 polling places were lost on Election Day during Hurricane Helene, and regulators were still checking their locations following Hurricane Milton on Monday afternoon.

Voters affected by the hurricanes will not be required to update their home address if they are temporarily displaced. But a voter who receives mail at a different address, even temporarily, should contact the office. A spokesperson urged voters to visit the regulator's website to stay updated following the hurricane and to contact the office with any questions.

Pasco County was still assessing the damage Monday afternoon and also urged voters to come forward if they were displaced or believe their mail-in ballot may have been lost. Three or four polling places were damaged, Supervisor Brian Corley said, but repairs and replacements are needed were assessed. Early voting and Election Day websites were expected to operate as normal and updates would be posted on the county website.