August 28, 2023

2023 UAW Region 8 Standing Committee Conference Cancelled

The 2023 UAW Region 8 Standing Committee Conference scheduled for St. Petersburg, Florida from August 28-September 1, 2023 has been cancelled due to Hurricane Idalia. As of this morning the island the facility sits on is preparing for evacuation.

If you are enroute to the conference, please stop and turn around. The facility is not accepting guest and there will be no where for you to stay.

“The safety of our delegates and staff is the upmost concern,” states UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith. “With the projected path of Hurricane Idalia, ensuring the safety of our people would be impossible. I contacted International Staff who were participating this morning and advised them to cancel their travel plans. Our thoughts and prayer are with those who live in the area and will be impacted by this deadly storm.”

Florida Government officials released Hurricane Warnings this morning for counties impacted, including the one for the Sirata Beach Resort where the conference was being held.

https://www.flgov.com/2023/08/27/governor-ron-desantis-issues-updates-on-tropical-storm-idalia/

August 27, 2023

Important Announcement Concerning
2023 UAW Region 8 Standing Committee Conference

The 2023 UAW Region 8 Standing Committee Conference is scheduled to begin Tuesday, August 29 at the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida. The resort property borders the Gulf of Mexico.

As of today, Hurricane Tropical Storm Idalia is tracking through the Caribbean. Idalia is forecasted to grow into a hurricane and is tracking to make landfall in the Tampa, Florida area on Tuesday, August 29. As of now, the 2023 Standing Committee has not been cancelled, but it is important for you to consider the following issues:

• Hurricanes are unpredictable, but at this time the experts are forecasting landfall in the general area of our conference.
• In the event Tropical Storm Idalia continues this track, power outages could very well occur at our resort.
• If you are flying, trying to get a return flight could be difficult in the event the forecast is accurate.
• If you are driving and evacuation orders are given for the area, travel could be difficult.

We strongly encourage every person scheduled to attend this conference to consider these issues and make travel decisions that work for you.

Check all the UAW Region 8 Communication vehicles, (website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) for updates.