Florida Convention Centers Begin to Reopen Post-Irma
September 13, 2017Major convention facilities in Florida are beginning to reopen following the passage of Hurricane Irma, although several events scheduled for this past weekend were postponed, according to a report by International Meetings Review.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center reopened Tuesday. The Build Expo, which was originally planned for September 13–14, has been postponed to December 6–7.
At the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Miami International Auto Show was also postponed. The event had been originally scheduled for September 9–17, although no updates on a new date were available as of press time.
At the Tampa Convention Center, the Tampa Boat Show has likewise been postponed to October 13–15. The event had originally been scheduled for September 8–10.
Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean last week, and made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in the Florida Keys Sunday morning before moving up the West Coast. Recent updates from the National Weather Service say the storm is now a post-tropical cyclone that will slowly wind down through Wednesday, producing rain over parts of the Southern Ohio Valley and Tennesee/Lower Mississippi valleys, eastward to parts of the Southeast/ Southern/Mid-Atlantic regions.
Airports in Florida and Georgia that were shut down by the storm began to resume with limited service Tuesday.