ORLANDO, Fla. — As part of an emergency response to the Florida heat, officials in Orange County have set up a program to get people to cooling locations for free.

What You Need To Know

  • Lynx is partnering with Orange County to offer free bus rides to those seeking shelter at Orange County’s air conditioned facilities

  • It’s an emergency response to the Florida heat; getting people to cooling locations for free

  • On Tuesday, officials started delivering flyers to homeless camps in the county to vulnerable citizens, including our homeless population

In the event of a heat advisory in Orange County, Lynx has partnered with the county to offer free bus rides to those seeking shelter at one of the county’s air conditioned facilities.

On Tuesday, Orange County leaders said they were being proactive with the plan, as they expect heat advisories or extreme heat warnings to continue during the summer months.

A heat advisory is issued by the National Weather Service when the heat index is forecast to reach 108 degrees or higher; while an extreme heat warning happens when temperatures are forecast to be 113 degrees or higher.

On Tuesday, county officials started delivering flyers to homeless camps in the county, and to vulnerable individuals — which includes people who are homeless and senior citizens.

“The distribution out in the community is actually occurring today, and that effort was intentional,” said Orange County Public Safety Director Danny Banks.

Orange County Fire Rescue recently visited more than 225 assisted living and senior living facilities to make sure they are prepared for potential heat events.

Officials say they have historically done similar inspections prior to hurricanes, but said this is the first year they have done it intentionally to check on facilities' capabilities for the hot summer.

Banks said in 2023, a heat advisory was issued 14 times. So far this year, it has already happened four times.

In the event of an extreme heat warning of 113 degrees or higher, county officials say they will take a further step and provide water to homeless camps.

“The number of homeless persons in Orange County has grown, and its grown significantly, and we also know that those are the most vulnerable citizens we have during a heat crisis," Banks said. "So we wanted to make sure our solutions were designed to serve those who needed it most."

A list of cooling locations in Orange County can be found in the pamphlet below: